Set up Google Search Console: a guide for businesses

In short: Google Search Console is free and shows which searches your website appears for and which pages Google has indexed. Ideally you create a domain property and verify it with a DNS record at your domain provider. Then you submit the sitemap and check two reports once a month: performance and page indexing.

Search Console is not a tool for better rankings. It shows what is, and makes problems visible that you would otherwise miss. This guide is based on Google's help pages, as of October 2026. Menu names change from time to time.

What Search Console shows

• Performance: how often your pages appeared in Google Search (impressions), how often they were clicked, and for which queries.
• Page indexing: which of your addresses are in Google's index and why others are not.
• Sitemaps: whether Google was able to read your list of pages.
• URL inspection: how Google sees a single page, and the option to request indexing.

For a business it is above all an early warning: if an important page drops out of the index, or people search for you with terms that do not appear on your website at all, you will see it here.

Step 1: domain property or URL prefix?

When you add a property, Search Console asks for the type (Search Console Help: add a property):

• Domain property, for example example.at: it covers the domain with all subdomains and protocols, including www.example.at and https. It can only be verified with a DNS record. You enter just the domain, without “https://” and without “www”.
• URL-prefix property, for example https://www.example.at/: it only includes addresses that start exactly like this. In return there are more ways to verify it.

We recommend the domain property whenever you can get to the DNS settings. It captures every variant of your address, and you don't have to worry whether Google is showing the version with or without “www”.

Step 2: verify ownership

Google wants to know that the website is yours. There are several methods (Search Console Help: verify ownership):

• DNS record: a TXT record at your domain provider. The only method for the domain property.
• HTML file: a given file that you upload to the website's root directory.
• HTML tag: a line in the head section of the home page.
• Google Analytics or Tag Manager: if you already use these services and have the necessary rights.

This is how DNS verification works:

1. In Search Console choose “Add property”, domain property, enter the domain.
2. Google shows a TXT record starting with google-site-verification=. Copy it.
3. In your domain provider's customer area, open DNS management and create a new TXT record for the domain with exactly this value.
4. Do not change existing records. Records for sending email in particular, such as an SPF record, must stay as they are.
5. Back in Search Console, click “Verify”. If it does not work straight away, try again later. According to Google, a new record can take up to two or three days.

Important: do not delete the record after verification. Google checks again regularly. If the record or file is missing, verification becomes invalid and your permissions end after a grace period.

If an agency looks after your website, don't let it own the property for you. Verify yourself as owner and add the agency as a user. According to Google, several people can verify ownership of the same property. That way you keep access even if the working relationship changes.

Step 3: submit the sitemap

The sitemap is a file that lists all pages of your website, usually at /sitemap.xml. Many website builders and CMSs create it automatically. In Search Console under “Sitemaps”, enter the address and submit it.

You will then see when Google last read the file and how many pages it found in it. There is no guarantee that every listed page will make it into the index (Search Console Help: sitemaps).

Step 4: the two reports that matter

Performance. This shows clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position, by default for the last three months. Data from the last few days is preliminary (Search Console Help: performance report). The most revealing part is the list of queries: which words do people really use to find you? If terms appear there that are not on your website, that is a pointer for your next text.

Page indexing. This shows which addresses are in the index and which are not, each with a reason. Don't panic about many non-indexed addresses: Google states explicitly that non-indexed URLs are not necessarily a problem. Redirects, duplicates and deliberately excluded pages are part of it (Search Console Help: page indexing). What matters is that your important pages are indexed.

For a single new or changed page there is URL inspection. There you can request indexing. According to Google there is a daily limit, it can take one to two weeks, and inclusion is not guaranteed (Search Console Help: URL inspection).

Our own check as an example

We use Search Console for koeck-media.at as a domain property, verified with a DNS record at our domain provider. In mid-October 2026 we went through the reports thoroughly. Three things stood out that we would not have noticed without Search Console:

• Old versions on the server: two earlier versions of a blog article were still on the server and had been found by Google. They competed with the current articles. We redirected them to the new addresses.
• Missing words: the performance report showed German queries such as “werbetafel wien” (advertising board Vienna) or “fahrzeugbeklebung” (vehicle decals). These words did not appear on our matching service pages at all. We added them where they fit naturally.
• Many non-indexed addresses, no cause for concern: most were old addresses from the previous website and redirects. No important current pages were missing.

Whether the additions help, we will only see in a few weeks. That is what Search Console is for, too.

How often to check?

Once a month is enough for most businesses. A fixed date helps, for example the first Monday of the month. In addition, after major changes to the website and whenever Google reports a problem by email. Search Console sends such notices to the owners.

Our view

Search Console does not replace a strategy, but it stops you working blind. For us it is the first look before we change anything in texts or pages. It needs no cookies on your website, because the data comes straight from Google Search. That suits websites that don't want to track their visitors. How Search Console fits into the rest of marketing is shown in our overview marketing for small businesses, and how to be found locally in the article local SEO and AI visibility.

Checklist

• Domain property created and verified via DNS?
• Verification record left in place, email records unchanged?
• You yourself as owner, agency or service provider as user?
• Sitemap submitted and read without errors?
• Important pages shown as indexed in the page indexing report?
• A fixed monthly date for checking performance and indexing?

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. Search Console is a free service from Google. You need a Google account and access to your domain or website to verify ownership.

Which property should I choose, domain or URL prefix?

If you have access to your domain's DNS settings, the domain property. It covers all subdomains and both http and https. It can only be verified with a DNS record. The URL-prefix property covers exactly the address you enter, but can also be verified with an HTML file or meta tag.

How long does it take for data to appear in Search Console?

According to Google, the first data usually appears within a few days of adding the property. A DNS record can take up to two or three days to become visible at the provider. The newest data in the performance report is preliminary and may still change.