In this guide
Quick answer: what should a beginner do first?
If you are new to SEO, use Google Search Console to confirm that Google can discover and understand your website. Start by adding and verifying your website, submitting its XML sitemap, inspecting important URLs, and reviewing the Page indexing report. Then use the Performance report to understand which searches bring people to your pages.
Google Search Console is free. It helps you diagnose search visibility and indexing issues, but it does not guarantee that a page will be indexed, rank highly, or generate enquiries. Follow the steps below in order and use the official Google documentation whenever an interface or rule changes.
1. What is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free service from Google that helps website owners understand how their pages perform in Google Search. It reports search queries, clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), average position, sitemap processing and information about pages Google has or has not indexed.
For a student, it is a way to practise technical SEO using real website data. For a blogger, it helps identify pages that receive search impressions. For a small-business owner, it can show whether important service, product, contact and enquiry pages are being discovered.
Search Console vs Google Analytics 4
| Tool | Main question | Typical information |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | How does my website appear in Google Search? | Queries, impressions, clicks, indexing and search visibility |
| Google Analytics 4 (GA4) | What do visitors do after reaching my website? | Sessions, engagement and tracked conversions |
Use Search Console to investigate search visibility. Use GA4 to understand on-site behaviour and conversions. When both are configured correctly, they can help you connect organic search activity with business outcomes.
2. What you need before setup
Before opening Search Console, prepare a Google Account, your exact website URL, access to the website or domain settings, and permission to verify ownership. It also helps to know where your website’s sitemap is located.
- A Google Account you can keep access to.
- Access to your domain DNS settings or website administration.
- The preferred version of your website URL (including https and www, where applicable).
- A sitemap URL, if your website generates one.
- Permission to edit the website, DNS records, hosting or relevant analytics/tag manager settings.
If you are setting this up for a client, ask for the appropriate access rather than sharing passwords. The client should retain ownership of their Google Account and website property.
3. Choose a Domain or URL-prefix property
Search Console offers two main property types. A Domain property covers all protocols and subdomains for the domain, while a URL-prefix property covers only the exact URL prefix you enter. Choose based on the access you have and the coverage you need.
| Property type | What it covers | Verification | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | HTTP and HTTPS versions, www/non-www and subdomains | DNS record is normally required | Owners who can edit DNS and want broad coverage |
| URL-prefix | Only the exact prefix entered, such as https://education.maxleadz.in/ | Multiple supported methods may be available | Beginners who need to verify a specific website version |
Example: if you create a URL-prefix property for https://education.maxleadz.in/, do not enter only maxleadz.in and assume it is the same property. Enter the exact prefix you want to monitor. If you can access DNS, a Domain property often gives broader coverage.
4. How to set up Google Search Console
Step 1: Open Search Console and add your website
- Open Google Search Console at https://search.google.com/search-console/ and sign in.
- Select the option to add a property.
- Choose Domain or URL-prefix.
- Enter the domain or full URL carefully, then continue.
Step 2: Verify website ownership
Google needs to verify that you control the website before it shows private performance and indexing data. Follow the verification instructions displayed for your selected property. The available methods depend on your setup and access.
- DNS TXT record: add the record Google provides in your domain DNS settings. This is the usual method for a Domain property.
- HTML tag: add the provided meta tag to the website’s head section using your CMS or an appropriate plugin.
- HTML file: upload the verification file to the website’s specified location.
- Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager: use an existing eligible setup when you have the required permissions.
After adding the record, tag or file, return to Search Console and select Verify. If verification fails, check that you used the correct property and added the value exactly as shown. DNS changes can take time to become visible. Do not delete a verification record that your property still relies on.
Step 3: Confirm the correct property
Once verified, select the property you intend to work on. If a report looks empty, first check that you are viewing the right domain or URL prefix and that the property has had enough time to collect data.
5. Find your website’s XML sitemap
An XML sitemap is a file that lists URLs you want search engines to discover. It can help Google find important pages, especially on a new website or a site with many URLs. A sitemap is a discovery signal, not a command to index every URL.
Common sitemap locations include https://example.com/sitemap.xml and https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml. These are examples, not guaranteed addresses for every site. Open your own domain and check the sitemap generated by your CMS or website platform.
- WordPress sites may generate a sitemap through WordPress itself or an SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math.
- Website builders may create and maintain a sitemap automatically.
- Custom websites may have a sitemap at a developer-defined URL.
- If you cannot find the sitemap, check your platform’s documentation or ask the developer.
Open the sitemap URL in a browser. It should load without requiring a login. Check that it lists the preferred, live URLs—not redirected URLs, broken pages or pages you intentionally do not want indexed.
6. How to submit a sitemap in Google Search Console
- Open the verified property for the correct website.
- Select Sitemaps from the navigation.
- Enter the sitemap path in the submission field. For example, enter sitemap.xml if that is the correct path for your site.
- Select Submit.
- Review the status and any processing details shown in the report.
A Success status means Google was able to fetch and process the sitemap submission. It does not mean every URL has been indexed. Continue to inspect important pages and monitor the Page indexing report.
Common sitemap problems
| Status or issue | What it may mean | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| Couldn’t fetch | Google could not access the sitemap | Check the URL, server response, login restrictions and robots.txt rules |
| Sitemap has errors | The file or listed URLs may have a problem | Check the XML format and remove invalid or unsuitable URLs |
| Wrong property | The sitemap may not match the selected property | Select the correct verified property and submit the matching sitemap |
| Sitemap submitted, but pages are not indexed | Discovery is not the same as indexing | Inspect individual URLs and check indexability, canonical and content quality |
Do not repeatedly resubmit a sitemap without investigating the reported issue. Correct the underlying problem, then return to the report to check whether processing succeeds.
7. How to check whether a page is indexed
Use the URL Inspection tool to check one specific page. It shows information about Google’s indexed version and provides a live URL test. The inspected URL must belong to the property you currently have selected.
- Copy the complete URL of the page you want to check.
- Open the correct Search Console property.
- Paste the full URL into the inspection bar at the top and press Enter.
- Read the indexed-version result and expand the Page indexing details when available.
- If you recently fixed an issue, select Test Live URL to check the current page.
- If the page is eligible and appropriate for indexing, you can select Request indexing.
Request indexing is not a guarantee and does not force Google to include the page. Google may take time to recrawl it, and repeated requests for the same URL do not make the process faster. Fix problems before requesting another review.
Indexed does not mean highly ranked
Indexing means Google has stored a page in its index. It does not mean the page will appear near the top for a chosen keyword. Rankings also depend on relevance, competition, content quality, technical accessibility and many other signals.
8. Why is a page not indexed? Troubleshooting guide
| Search Console status or clue | What it means in simple English | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Discovered — currently not indexed | Google knows the URL but has not crawled it yet | Check internal links, sitemap accuracy, server reliability and whether the page is important |
| Crawled — currently not indexed | Google crawled the page but did not include it in the index | Review usefulness, originality, duplication, internal links and technical signals |
| Excluded by ‘noindex’ | A directive tells search engines not to index the page | Remove it only if the page should be eligible for search |
| Blocked by robots.txt | A robots.txt rule may prevent crawling | Review the rule carefully; do not block pages that need to be crawled |
| Duplicate or canonical issue | Google may treat another URL as the main version | Review duplicate content, redirects and the declared canonical URL |
| Page with redirect | The URL sends visitors to another URL | Inspect the destination; the destination is normally the one intended for indexing |
| Not found (404) | The URL does not exist at that address | Restore it if needed or redirect to a genuinely relevant replacement |
| Server error | Google may have been unable to access the page | Check hosting, logs and response codes with the developer |
Use the status as a clue, not as a diagnosis on its own. Inspect the URL, review the evidence in Search Console, and check the live page before changing technical settings. If you are unsure about canonical tags, robots.txt or noindex directives, ask a developer or SEO professional before editing them.
9. The most useful Search Console reports for beginners
Performance report
The Performance report shows how people find your website through Google Search. Learn four metrics first: clicks are visits from search results; impressions are appearances in search results; CTR is the share of impressions that resulted in clicks; and average position is a summary of the page or query’s position in the reported results.
Example: if a page has many impressions but few clicks, review whether its title and description accurately answer the searcher’s question. If a useful page receives very few impressions, check whether it is indexed, whether the topic matches search intent, and whether the site has relevant internal links.
Page indexing report
Use this report to review groups of URLs Google has indexed or excluded. Not every excluded URL is a problem: duplicate URLs, redirects and pages intentionally marked noindex may be excluded by design. Prioritise important pages that should be searchable.
Sitemaps report
Use this report to check whether the submitted sitemap was fetched and whether processing errors were reported. A successful sitemap does not prove that every URL is indexed.
Core Web Vitals and other reports
Core Web Vitals provide information about real-world loading, responsiveness and visual stability where sufficient data is available. Search Console may also surface manual action, security or other relevant reports. Treat any alert as something to investigate, not as proof of a particular ranking outcome.
10. A practical exercise for students and beginners
Use this exercise on your own website, a permitted practice site or a client site where you have approval. Do not access a website’s private Search Console data without permission.
- Verify the correct Search Console property.
- Find and submit the site’s sitemap if one is available and appropriate.
- Inspect the homepage and two important pages, such as a service page and a blog post.
- Record the status for each URL and note the reported reason if it is not indexed.
- Open the Performance report and note the top queries and pages once data is available.
- Write a short action list: what is working, what needs checking, and what you will verify after making a change.
A useful SEO habit is to record the date, URL, status, evidence and next action. This turns a tool demonstration into a repeatable troubleshooting process.
11. A simple weekly and monthly routine
Every week
- Review clicks, impressions and top queries in the Performance report.
- Inspect newly published or substantially updated priority pages.
- Check the Sitemaps report for processing issues.
- Review new Page indexing warnings that affect important URLs.
- Confirm that key enquiry forms and contact links still work.
Every month
- Review pages with impressions but low CTR and improve titles only when the page genuinely supports the promise.
- Refresh outdated or incomplete content.
- Add relevant internal links from useful pages to important learning or service pages.
- Review mobile usability and page performance.
- Compare search visibility with actual enquiries, leads or other business outcomes.
Search Console reports search visibility; it cannot explain every reason a visitor did or did not contact a business. Combine SEO data with analytics, enquiry records and customer feedback.
12. Common beginner mistakes to avoid
- Adding the wrong domain or URL prefix as a property.
- Submitting the homepage URL instead of the sitemap URL.
- Assuming a successful sitemap means every page is indexed.
- Requesting indexing repeatedly without fixing the issue.
- Ignoring accidental noindex directives or robots.txt blocks.
- Publishing important pages that have no useful internal links.
- Assuming that indexed means the page ranks well.
- Changing canonical or DNS settings without understanding the consequences.
- Sharing Google passwords instead of using appropriate account permissions.
- Treating estimates about keyword volume or indexing time as guaranteed facts.
13. Quick checklist before you finish
- Search Console property added and ownership verified.
- Correct domain or URL-prefix selected.
- Sitemap located and opened successfully, where applicable.
- Sitemap submitted and status reviewed.
- Homepage and priority pages checked with URL Inspection.
- Page indexing report reviewed for important URLs.
- No accidental noindex directives or blocking rules.
- Important pages linked through clear site navigation or relevant internal links.
- Mobile pages, enquiry forms and contact buttons tested.
- A weekly review routine added to your SEO workflow.
How MaxLeadz Education teaches practical SEO and digital marketing
At MaxLeadz Education, we teach SEO as part of a broader practical digital marketing workflow. Students learn why a task matters, how to use the tool, how to interpret what it reports and what action to take next. Google Search Console fits naturally into that process because it connects technical checks with search visibility.
MaxLeadz Education is based at Kalp Business, City Light Road, opposite Pantaloons, Sarjan Society, Athwa, Surat, Gujarat 395007. Training is offline and founder-led by Utsav Daga, with intentionally small batches generally around 8–10 learners.
- The 90-Day Pro AI Digital Marketing program is designed for beginners, students, freshers and career switchers who need a practical foundation across AI, content, ads, SEO, analytics and websites. The current website describes 8 portfolio projects and one year of career support.
- The 121-Day Master AI Digital Marketing Mentorship adds deeper AI and automation, live Meta and Google Ads, SEO, analytics and a larger portfolio. The current website describes 12 portfolio projects and broader career or first-client guidance.
- Practical learning connects Search Console with related skills such as keyword research, on-page SEO, Google Analytics 4, website structure, content improvement and reporting. Exact curriculum and batch details should be confirmed with MaxLeadz before enrolment.
MaxLeadz provides guidance and career support, but jobs, salaries, clients and income are not automatic or guaranteed. Outcomes depend on attendance, assignments, practice, communication, portfolio quality, interviews and market conditions.
To learn more, visit the official MaxLeadz Education website at https://education.maxleadz.in/ or contact the institute at +91 63572 52001. You can ask about the current course options and the five-day free demo before deciding.
Official and related references
- Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/
- Google Search Console Help: URL Inspection tool: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289
- Google Search Console Help: Inspect and troubleshoot a single page: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/12482179
- Google Search Console Help: Page indexing report: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203
- Google Search Central: Build and submit a sitemap: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap
- Google Search Central: Introduction to robots.txt: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/intro
- MaxLeadz Education official website: https://education.maxleadz.in/
- MaxLeadz Education: Google Ads Course in Surat: https://education.maxleadz.in/google-ads-course-surat