# What is Google Search Console?

> Google Search Console is a free Google service that shows how a site performs in Google Search and reports indexing, crawling and other issues.

URL: https://yes-seo.com/glossary/google-search-console

**Google Search Console** (often shortened to GSC) is Google’s free service for site owners. It shows which queries bring people to your site, which of your pages Google has indexed and why others aren’t, and alerts you to problems such as manual actions or security issues. It is the only place where Google reports this data about your site directly; any third-party tool, including ours, sees your pages from the outside.

## Setting up a property

You add a site as a **property** and prove you control it. There are two types:

- **Domain property** — covers every protocol and subdomain (`http`, `https`, `www`, `shop.`…). It requires DNS verification.

- **URL-prefix property** — covers only URLs starting with one exact prefix, such as `https://www.example.com/`. It allows more verification methods.

DNS verification means adding a TXT record at your domain registrar or DNS host:

```
example.com.  3600  IN  TXT  "google-site-verification=Xy7…q2c"
```

Alternatives for URL-prefix properties include an HTML file upload, a `<meta name="google-site-verification">` tag, Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager. Keep the verification in place; removing it can revoke access. Google’s [verification help page](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080) covers each method.

## The reports that matter most

| Report | What it tells you |
| --- | --- |
| Performance | Clicks, impressions, CTR and average position by query, page, country and device, for up to 16 months. Traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode is included in the Web search type. |
| Page indexing | Which URLs are indexed and the reason each excluded URL isn’t (noindex, redirect, duplicate, “Crawled – currently not indexed”…). |
| URL Inspection | Google’s view of one URL: indexed or not, chosen canonical, last crawl, and a live test. |
| Sitemaps | Submitted sitemaps, read status and discovered URLs. |
| Core Web Vitals | Field data for LCP, INP and CLS, grouped by similar URLs. |
| Manual actions / Security issues | Penalties applied by Google’s reviewers, or detected hacking and malware. |

## Common mistakes

- **Verifying only one URL-prefix variant** (say, `http://example.com`) and missing data for the version that actually ranks. A Domain property avoids this.

- **Treating “Request indexing” as a fix.** It asks for a recrawl; it doesn’t override noindex, poor quality or duplication.

- **Panicking over every excluded URL.** Redirects, canonicalized duplicates and intentional noindex pages are supposed to be excluded.

- **Reading average position as a rank.** It’s an average across every query and impression, often blending very different queries.

## Using it with Yes SEO

Search Console tells you what Google decided; it’s slower at telling you why a live page is blocked right now. The [Indexability Checker](https://yes-seo.com/indexability-checker) answers “can Google index this page?” on demand: HTTP status, robots.txt rule, meta robots and X-Robots-Tag, canonical target, sitemap presence and redirects, with the blocking reason highlighted. Use it to diagnose, then confirm in URL Inspection. Related reading: [indexing](https://yes-seo.com/glossary/indexing), [XML sitemap](https://yes-seo.com/glossary/xml-sitemap) and [core Web Vitals](https://yes-seo.com/glossary/core-web-vitals).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. Search Console is free for any site owner. You only need a Google account and a way to verify that you control the site, such as a DNS record or an HTML file.

### What is the difference between a Domain and a URL-prefix property?

A Domain property covers all protocols and subdomains and needs DNS verification. A URL-prefix property covers only URLs beginning with one exact address and supports more verification methods.

### How long does Search Console data take to appear?

Performance data is typically a couple of days behind real time and is kept for 16 months. For a brand-new site, the reports fill in gradually as Google crawls and indexes pages and the site starts earning impressions.