Google Search Console (GSC) is an essential tool for understanding how Google sees your website. It provides insights into search performance, indexing status, and technical issues.
Key GSC features
- Performance reports: Clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position
- Index coverage: Which pages are indexed and any errors
- Core Web Vitals: Field data performance report
- URL inspection: Detailed information about specific URLs
- Sitemaps: Submit and monitor your XML sitemaps
- Mobile usability: Issues affecting mobile users
Important GSC metrics
- Clicks: How many users clicked through to your site
- Impressions: How often your site appeared in search results
- CTR: Click-through rate (clicks ÷ impressions)
- Position: Average ranking for your queries
VitalSentinel GSC Dashboard
VitalSentinel integrates with Google Search Console, displaying your search performance data alongside your other metrics in a unified dashboard.
Related Terms
Core Web Vitals
A set of three metrics defined by Google that measure the loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability of a web page.
Indexing
The process by which search engines store and organize web content so it can be retrieved and displayed in search results.
robots.txt
A text file at the root of a website that tells search engine crawlers which pages or files they can or cannot request from the site.
Sitemap
A file that lists all the URLs of a website that should be indexed by search engines, helping crawlers discover content.