Do you want to improve your website’s Google ranking? Of course you do. And using Google Search Console is one of the most effective ways to do it. It allows you to conduct keyword research, find out which keywords your website already ranks for, and boost traffic.
But most businesspeople never use it for anything more than checking metrics like website clicks and impressions. There is nothing wrong with looking at those metrics. But this powerful tool can provide you with many more valuable insights to improve your SEO ranking and make your site easier for potential customers to find.
Here we will discuss the importance of using Google Search Console to optimize your website for search and ways to do so as recommended by the experts at our Toronto SEO agency.
What Is Google Search Console and How Does It Help SEO?
Google Search Console is designed to help you measure your site’s search traffic and performance, identify issues like finding excluded or error pages, and make your site stand out in Google Search results. It does so by providing comprehensive performance data on your site’s search engine rankings.
The following are a few examples of data you can get from Google Search Console about your website:
Want to know more about how Google Search Console can help you make the most of your valuable resources to improve your SEO ranking? Let’s dive in!
1. It Improves Your Keyword Ranking
The best part about Google Search Console is that you can take advantage of its keyword research tool. It allows you to find out with which keywords your website already ranks for, which are most popular in your industry right now, and how you rank for them.
If any of your keywords are underperforming, you will find that in your keyword report. Keyword underperformance results in lower rank on search, which can result in your business missing out on valuable traffic.
To avoid this happening, you can pinpoint which keywords are underperforming in Google Search Console’s search results report and find out average click-through rate (CTR) and position data. This report makes it easier to know which keywords you need to concentrate your efforts upon to rank higher and boost traffic.
2. It Fixes Sitemap Issues
If there are issues with the sitemaps you submitted to Google that can confuse its search engine crawlers. This, in turn, makes it difficult for them to find and index your site, or individual pages. It can also in some cases cause them to index the wrong URLs.
You can use the Google Search Console to identify and fix problems with your sitemap. To identify any issues with submitted sitemaps, go to the sitemaps report page, click on the icon next to a sitemap, then click the ’See Index Coverage‘ button. Here you will find several valid/indexed pages, excluded pages, and those with errors or warnings. If you find any ‘error’ pages, click on those. These will inform you about the exact problem so that you can address it right away.
Or, if you find any URLs listed as ‘Excluded’, it means that the page has been excluded from the search results because it appears to be a duplicate of another submitted URL. Excluded pages are common in the Google Search Console but aren’t always a sign of a problem. Errors and warnings are usually the most serious, so deal with these immediately.
3. It Helps You Use Backlinks to Your Advantage
Backlinks are an important ranking factor. So, getting quality backlinks to your content should be a priority if you want more traffic.
But what type of content should you post to attract the maximum number of backlinks? Wouldn’t it be great if someone could tell you the secret? Well, Google Search Console can.
It helps you discover which content types and topics are currently getting the most backlinks. Go to the ‘Links’ report, then click on ‘Top Linked Pages’. You will generate a report that will tell you which topics are receiving the most backlinks in your industry. You can utilize that information to build content with a greater chance of earning quality backlinks. This, in turn, can substantially improve your SEO.
Google Search Console is a very useful tool that can give you valuable insights into your website and refine your SEO strategy. From conducting keyword and backlinks research to finding and fixing errors, it has a lot to offer. So, make sure to consult with your Toronto internet marketing agency to discuss how to make the most of it.