Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free webmaster tool from Google that gives you direct visibility into how your site performs in Google Search. It is essential for any site owner who wants to understand and improve their organic search presence.

Features

Search Performance

• Clicks, impressions, average CTR, and average position for every query and page
• Filter by query, page, country, device, and search type
• Track ranking trends across up to 16 months of history
• Discover which queries drive traffic to specific pages

Indexing & Coverage

• See which pages are indexed and which are excluded (and why)
• Identify crawl errors (404s, server errors, redirect chains)
• Submit individual URLs for urgent indexing via URL Inspection
• Submit XML sitemaps and monitor processing status

Page Experience

• Core Web Vitals report (LCP, INP, CLS) for both mobile and desktop
• Mobile usability issues (touch targets, font sizes, viewport)
• HTTPS coverage report

Rich Results & Enhancements

• Structured data validation (schema.org markup)
• Rich result eligibility reports (FAQ, Product, Breadcrumb, etc.)
• AMP status monitoring

Links

• Top linking external domains (backlink overview)
• Top internally linked pages
• Anchor text distribution

Key Workflows for Indie Developers

1. Index a new page: URL Inspection → Request Indexing
2. Find ranking keywords: Performance → Queries → Sort by impressions
3. Fix 404 errors: Coverage → Not Found errors → Fix pages and validate
4. Improve CTR: Find pages with high impressions but low CTR → improve meta titles and descriptions

Pricing

Google Search Console is completely free with no usage limits.