Google Search Console Ultimate Checklists

 

1. Set Up Google Search Console (GSC)

Choose Your Property Type

●      Domain Property (Recommended): Tracks all subdomains & protocols (http, https, www, etc.)

●      URL Prefix Property: Tracks specific folders or versions like https://www.example.com/blog

Verify Your Website

●      For Domain Property: Use DNS TXT Record from your registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap)

●      For URL Prefix: Choose one:

○      HTML file upload to root directory

○      HTML meta tag in header

○      Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager

○      Domain name provider access

2. Configure Permissions

User Roles:

●      Owner: Full control (can add users, configure settings)

●      User (Full / Restricted): View or limited action access

●      Associate: External service connection (e.g., GA, AIOSEO)

3. Submit and Manage Sitemaps

Submit a Sitemap

●      Go to “Sitemaps”

●      Submit URL like /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml

If Status ≠ "Success":

●      “Has Errors”: Fix broken links or sitemap format

●      “Couldn’t Fetch”: Use URL Inspection tool to debug

4. Use the URL Inspection Tool

What You Can Do:

●      Check index status, last crawl, mobile usability, structured data

●      Use “Test Live URL” to see how Googlebot renders it

●      Click “Request Indexing” to push a page into the crawl queue

5. Analyze Site Performance (SEO)

Metrics in “Performance Report”:

●      Clicks: How many users clicked from search results

●      Impressions: Times a page appeared in search

●      CTR: Click-through rate

●      Average Position: Ranking for keywords

Tips:

●      Improve low CTR pages with better titles/meta descriptions

●      Focus on keywords with high impressions but low position (striking distance)

6. Fix Indexing Issues

Page Indexing Report:

●      Found under Indexing → Pages

●      Shows which pages are Indexed / Not Indexed

Common Problems:

●      404 or Soft 404

●      "Crawled – currently not indexed"

●      "Discovered – currently not indexed"

●      "Blocked by robots.txt"

●      Fix and click “Validate Fix” to request reindexing

7. Use Enhancements Report (Rich Snippets)

Structured Data Types Tracked:

●      FAQs

●      Breadcrumbs

●      Product info

●      Events, Jobs, Recipes

Fix Any “Invalid Items”:

●      Use Schema Validator or Rich Results Test Tool

8. Review Core Web Vitals (CWV)

Key Metrics:

●      LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) – loading speed

●      INP (Interaction to Next Paint) – response to user actions

●      CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) – layout stability

Poor scores = lower rankings. Fix using PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse.

9. Check Page Experience Report

Tracks:

●      HTTPS

●      Mobile usability

●      Core Web Vitals performance

●      % of URLs with good user experience

10. Monitor Security and Manual Actions

Go to:

●      Security Issues: Hacked/malware detection

●      Manual Actions: Penalties for spam, unnatural links, cloaking

If present, resolve the issue & click “Request Review”

11. Optimize Links Using Link Report

View:

●      Top linking external domains

●      Top linked pages (internal and external)

●      Anchor text used

Strategy:

●      Improve underlinked important pages (internal linking)

●      Outreach to boost high-authority external backlinks

12. AMP and Shopping Reports

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

●      Shows Valid / Invalid AMP issues

●      Fix invalid AMP using Google’s AMP validator

Shopping:

●      Product snippets

●      Merchant listings

●      Shopping tab errors

Apply the proper schema for product, price, and availability

13. Troubleshoot Crawl & Indexing Issues

Go to Settings > Crawl Stats

●      Check:

○      Fetch errors (robots.txt, DNS, server)

○      Response status codes (404s, 5xxs)

Fixes:

●      404s: Add redirects or restore page

●      500 errors: Resolve server downtime

●      Blocked scripts: Unblock JS/CSS files in robots.txt

14. Use GSC for Advanced SEO Tactics

Strategies:

●      Striking Distance Keywords (position 5–15): Optimize content to push to the top 3

●      Monitor keyword decay: Improve content for dropping queries

●      Export bulk GSC data to BigQuery for advanced analysis

●      Integrate with Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and Semrush for deeper insights

15. 21 Growth Tips from WPBeginner (Quickfire)

1. Add & verify your site (HTML tag or plugin like AIOSEO)
   
   
2. Submit sitemap
   
   
3. Connect to Google Analytics
   
   
4. Fix 404, Soft 404, and server errors
   
   
5. Use “Validate Fix” after resolving issues
   
   
6. Spot keywords with high impressions but low clicks
   
   
7. Find underlinked internal pages
   
   
8. Get backlinks from “Top Linking Sites” list
   
   
9. Track content decay and keyword drops
   
   
10. Use Search Statistics inside WordPress with AIOSEO

Final Bonus Tools

●      Use AIOSEO to sync GSC into your WordPress dashboard

●      Monitor:

○      “Top losing” and “Top winning” keywords

○      Last updated content

○      Content needing refresh (content decay tracking)

In Details

GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE: DETAILED GUIDE (Step by Step)

1. What is Google Search Console (GSC)?

Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that helps website owners:

●      Monitor how their site performs in Google Search

●      Submit and track URLs

●      Fix crawl and indexing issues

●      Improve SEO and Core Web Vitals

●      Discover penalties or hacking attempts

It's not for live traffic data (use Google Analytics for that), but it's essential for SEO monitoring and fixing visibility issues.

2. How to Set Up GSC (with All Methods)

Choose Property Type

Option	Description
Domain Property	Tracks everything: all subdomains, HTTP & HTTPS versions together
URL Prefix Property	Tracks only that exact URL (https://example.com/blog/, not http:// or www)

Verification Methods (Based on Property Type)

Method	Best For	How
DNS Record	Domain Property	Add TXT record to domain DNS (e.g. Namecheap, Cloudflare)
HTML File	URL Prefix	Upload file to root of site (e.g. example.com/google123.html)
Meta Tag	URL Prefix	Add meta tag inside <head>
Google Analytics	If GA is already installed	Auto-verifies if you’re admin
Google Tag Manager	For GTM users	Auto-verifies if container is present

Tip: Domain property is best for long-term SEO tracking — no missing data.

3. Submitting a Sitemap

What Is It?

A sitemap is a file (usually sitemap.xml) that tells Google:

●      What pages exist

●      How often they update

●      Which pages are important

Steps:

1. Go to “Sitemaps”
   
   
2. Enter: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
   
   
3. Click Submit

Important:

●      A “Success” message = Sitemap was found and readable.

●      “Couldn't fetch” = Check URL or server response (use sitemap validator).

4. URL Inspection Tool (Your Indexing Microscope)

Use this to check if a specific page:

●      Is indexed or not

●      Was crawled and when

●      Is mobile-friendly

●      Has structured data errors

Steps:

1. Paste any URL into the top bar
   
   
2. Hit “Enter”
   
   
3. Read the index status

Actions:

●      Click “Test Live URL” to see real-time result

●      Click “Request Indexing” if content is updated or newly published

Useful when:

●      Your page isn’t showing in Google

●      You fixed an error and want fast re-checking

5. Performance Report – Search Analytics

This is gold for keyword data and CTR optimization.

Metrics Explained:

Metric	Meaning
Total Clicks	How many searchers clicked your site
Total Impressions	How many times you appeared in search
Average CTR	Clicks ÷ Impressions (helps spot weak titles/descriptions)
Average Position	Your ranking (1 = top of Google)

How to Use It:

●      Filter by:

○      Device (Mobile/Desktop)

○      Country (US, BD, etc.)

○      Page (URL)

○      Query (keyword)

●      Sort by “Impressions” → find high-volume keywords you're ranking for

●      Improve title/meta of pages with high impressions but low CTR

6. Page Indexing Report

Go to: Indexing > Pages

This tells you:

●      Which URLs are indexed

●      Which aren't, and why

Common Problems & Fixes:

Issue	What It Means	Fix
Crawled – currently not indexed	Google visited but didn’t index	Improve content quality & internal links
Discovered – currently not indexed	Google found the URL but didn’t crawl yet	Ensure it’s linked from other pages, add to sitemap
Soft 404	Page says it's there but Google sees no useful content	Add proper content or return a real 404
Blocked by robots.txt	URL disallowed in robots.txt	Unblock if you want indexing
Alternate page with canonical	Google picked another version of the page	Double-check your canonical tags

Always use the “Validate Fix” button after solving issues.

7. Enhancements Section (Rich Snippets / Schema)

See reports for:

●      FAQ pages

●      Breadcrumbs

●      Product reviews

●      Recipes

●      Events

If schema markup is incorrect, it will show errors.

Use tools like:

●      Google Rich Results Test

●      Schema Markup Validator

Tip: Always fix warnings — they may prevent you from getting rich results (stars, pricing, FAQs).

8. Core Web Vitals (Page Experience Report)

Found under: Experience > Core Web Vitals

Metrics:

Metric	Meaning	Target
LCP	Time to load biggest element	< 2.5 seconds
INP (New!)	Interaction to Next Paint	< 200ms
CLS	Page layout shifting	< 0.1

If URLs fail CWV, Google may reduce their visibility — even if content is great.

Tools to Fix:

●      Google PageSpeed Insights

●      Chrome Lighthouse

●      Web.dev/measure

9. Mobile Usability Report

Shows mobile-specific problems:

●      Text too small

●      Tap targets too close

●      Content wider than screen

Fix using:

●      Responsive CSS

●      Larger font sizes

●      Mobile-first design approach

10. Security & Manual Actions

Found under:

●      Manual Actions = Google penalties (e.g., spammy backlinks, cloaking, user-generated spam)

●      Security Issues = Hacked site, malware, phishing

If you get a penalty:

1. Fix the issue
   
   
2. Click “Request Review” with a detailed explanation

11. Link Reports (External + Internal)

You can view:

●      Most linked pages

●      Top linking domains

●      Anchor texts

●      Internal link structure

Use this to:

●      Find and strengthen underlinked pages

●      Discover toxic or low-quality backlinks

●      Balance internal link distribution

12. AMP Report (If Used)

For sites using AMP:

●      Check valid AMP URLs

●      Resolve AMP-specific issues (like invalid JS or missing metadata)

AMP is not required for SEO anymore, but still useful in news/carousels.

13. Product & Merchant Center Reports

For ecommerce sites using schema:

●      Shows issues with price, availability, image, reviews

●      Helps you qualify for Google Shopping and organic product listings

14. Advanced Use Cases

Track Content Decay:

●      Export keyword data

●      Compare last 28 vs previous 28 days

●      Identify dropping queries → refresh or rewrite content

Striking Distance Keywords:

●      Position 5–15 queries

●      Optimize page to move to top 3

Combine with Google Sheets/Looker Studio:

●      Create custom SEO dashboards

●      Automate alerts for ranking drops

Final Master Checklist

Task	What to Do
Add & verify GSC (domain property)	Track all subdomains
Submit sitemap	Only indexable URLs
Monitor Performance Report	Find high-impression, low-CTR pages
Inspect key URLs	Request indexing after major updates
Fix coverage issues	Use Page Indexing report
Monitor Core Web Vitals	Prioritize pages failing LCP, INP
Watch for manual/security issues	Clean fast & request reconsideration
Improve structured data	Use schema validator, fix warnings
Check internal linking	Find orphan or underlinked pages
Track backlinks	Disavow if needed (rare now)

Google's Crawl Stats Report – A Guide to Monitoring Your Site’s Crawlability

WHAT IS THE GOOGLE CRAWL STATS REPORT?

This is a Google Search Console feature that shows how Googlebot crawls your website over time — including frequency, server response, types of resources crawled, and any crawlability issues.

Useful especially for large sites (1,000+ pages) or those with complex architecture, content updates, or indexing issues.

STEP-BY-STEP CHECKLIST FOR USING & INTERPRETING THE CRAWL STATS REPORT

1. Access the Report in GSC

Path:
Go to GSC → Settings → Click "Crawl Stats" under “Crawling”

You'll see key metrics and graphs such as:

●      Total Crawl Requests

●      Download Size

●      Response Time

●      Host Status

●      Breakdown by Purpose, File Type, Bot Type

2. Understand the Main Metrics

a) Total Crawl Requests

●      Total hits Google made to your domain (HTML, CSS, images, JS, etc.)

●      Each individual request is counted

●      Important for monitoring crawl budget

High requests = Google is actively crawling
Low or dropping requests = You may have crawl issues

b) Total Download Size

●      Shows the amount of data (in bytes) Google downloads during crawling

●      Includes HTML, CSS, images, scripts, etc.

Large sizes = bloated pages
Minimize via image compression, removing unused JS/CSS, reducing file size

c) Average Response Time

●      Time your server takes to respond to crawl requests

Time	Meaning
< 200ms	Excellent
200–500ms	Acceptable
> 500ms	Needs improvement

Fast servers = faster indexing
Slow servers = crawl throttling

3. Check HOST STATUS

Google checks for crawlability in 3 core areas:

Test	What it Checks	What to Fix
robots.txt availability	Can Google fetch it reliably?	Avoid blocking accidentally
DNS resolution	Does the domain resolve correctly?	Check DNS settings and uptime
Server connectivity	Does the server respond to requests?	Fix downtime or overload issues

Look for Green ticks = Good
Red icons = Investigate further

4. Analyze CRAWL RESPONSES

Google classifies every response as:

Good Codes (Expected)

●      200: OK

●      301/308: Permanent redirect

●      302/307: Temporary redirect

●      304: Not Modified (Google uses cached)

Possibly Good Codes

●      404: Not found — acceptable in some cases but excessive 404s = bad UX

●      410: Gone — intentional removals

Bad Codes

●      5XX: Server error – Google couldn’t access the page

●      401/407: Unauthorized access

●      DNS Error: Domain can’t be resolved

●      robots.txt not available: Google cannot crawl until it gets a response

●      Redirect Loop, Page Timeout, or Fetch Error: Serious issues

Fix server, DNS, redirect chains, or missing content as needed.

5. Crawled File Types

This shows the percentage of different resources crawled:

File Type	SEO Use
HTML	Content pages
Image / Video	Media-heavy sites
CSS / JS	Design + interactivity
JSON / XML / Feeds	Data feeds, structured content
Other	Fonts, PDF, geographic data, etc.

Watch out for too many image/CSS/JS files — these may hurt crawl budget or inflate crawl size.

6. Crawl Purpose

Type	What it Means
Discovery	New URLs never seen before
Refresh	Revisit existing URLs to check for updates

If discovery is low, and you publish content regularly, Google may not find your new content.
Use updated XML sitemaps and internal links to help discovery.

7. Googlebot Type Breakdown

Shows which bots are hitting your site:

Bot	Purpose
Smartphone / Desktop	Primary Googlebot agents
Image / Video	For Google Images or Video search
Page resource load	For rendering pages (CSS, JS, etc.)
AdsBot	For Dynamic Search Ads
StoreBot	Shopping-related crawl
Other	News bot, Translate bot, etc.

Normal to see mostly “Smartphone” crawls.
If AdsBot is overwhelming your site, limit ad targets or slow feed ingestion.

TROUBLESHOOTING CRAWL ISSUES

Crawl Rate Too High?

If your server is overloaded:

●      Block heavy bots using robots.txt temporarily

●      Or serve HTTP 503 or 429 (too busy)

●      Limit AdsBot if running Dynamic Search Ads

●      Once stabilized, remove blocks

Crawl Rate Too Low?

If Google isn’t crawling enough:

●      Ensure your sitemap is updated and submitted

●      Improve internal linking

●      Avoid noindex/nofollow on key pages

●      Fix slow pages (Google slows crawl if performance is poor)

●      Remove robots.txt blocks for important assets (CSS/JS)

Crawl Budget Waste?

Look for:

●      Crawled-but-not-indexed pages

●      Duplicate content

●      Unnecessary parameters

●      Tag/category pages (in CMS like WordPress)

Fix using:

●      Canonical tags

●      Robots.txt

●      Parameter handling in GSC

●      Pruning low-value pages

Optimization Use Cases

Here’s how SEOs & devs use this report in real-world scenarios:

Use Case	Action
New content not getting indexed	Check discovery vs refresh ratio
Server overloaded	Watch crawl spike & response time
Too many 5XX or 4XX errors	Fix broken pages or server bugs
Check crawl on faceted nav	Use file type breakdown
Detect ads-related issues	Watch for excessive AdsBot requests
Site speed issues	Use average response time + download size

FINAL RECOMMENDED CHECKLIST

Task	Tool	Goal
Track crawl spikes	Crawl Requests chart	Spot overload or surge in crawl
Monitor file sizes	Total Download Size	Optimize images, CSS, JS
Audit server health	Avg Response Time + Host Status	Fix downtime or DNS issues
Fix crawl errors	Crawl Responses	Resolve 4xx, 5xx, robots.txt issues
Ensure new content is crawled	Discovery rate & Sitemap	Ensure indexing of latest content
Clean crawl waste	File Types + Robots.txt	Block unnecessary resources

In Details

What Is Google’s Crawl Stats Report?

The Crawl Stats Report is a section in Google Search Console (GSC) that tells you how Googlebot is crawling your site — including:

●      How often Google visits your pages

●      How large the downloaded files are

●      What response codes (200, 404, 500, etc.) your server is returning

●      Whether your server is fast enough for Googlebot

●      Which types of files (HTML, images, JS) are crawled

This data helps SEOs and developers detect:

●      Indexing issues

●      Crawl budget waste

●      Server overload

●      Unseen technical problems

How to Access the Crawl Stats Report

Steps:

1. Go to Google Search Console
   
   
2. Click on your verified property
   
   
3. In the left menu, scroll to Settings
   
   
4. Click “Crawl Stats”

From here, you will see crawl data updated every 2–3 days for the last 90 days.

What You See in the Report

1. Total Crawl Requests

●      How many files Googlebot requested from your server (pages, scripts, images, etc.)

●      Example: 200,000 requests in 30 days = high activity

Use it to understand how often Google crawls your content.

2. Total Download Size

●      The combined size (in MB or GB) of all resources Google downloaded

●      Includes HTML, images, videos, CSS, JS, and fonts

If this is large, your pages are heavy. Compress images and minify JS/CSS to reduce it.

3. Average Response Time

●      How fast your server responds to Googlebot’s requests

Response Time	Meaning
< 200ms	Excellent
200–500ms	Acceptable
> 500ms	Google may slow crawling due to slowness

Tip: High response time = slow indexing. Upgrade hosting or fix bottlenecks.

4. Crawl Requests Over Time (Graph)

Shows spikes, drops, and patterns. Key things to look for:

●      Spikes → Google found lots of new URLs (e.g., after a site migration)

●      Drops → Server issues or robots.txt blocks

If there’s a major crawl drop, check for:

●      Site outages

●      DNS problems

●      Server throttling

Host Status: Is Your Server Healthy?

There are 3 tests under “Host Status”:

Test	Meaning	What to Check
robots.txt fetch	Can Google access your robots.txt file?	Make sure it’s not blocked or slow
DNS resolution	Can Google resolve your domain name?	Check your DNS configuration
Server connectivity	Can Googlebot connect to your server reliably?	Check for 5xx errors or firewalls

If any show "Failed", Google will crawl less — and you might lose rankings.

What Types of Files Is Google Crawling?

Google divides requests by file type:

Type	Meaning
HTML	Web pages (critical for SEO)
CSS, JS	Styling and interactivity
Images	Product photos, banners, etc.
Video	Embedded video content
Other	Fonts, XML, etc.

Tip:

●      Too many requests to non-HTML files can waste crawl budget

●      Ensure JS/CSS are fast-loading and not blocking content rendering

Crawl Purpose: Discovery vs Refresh

Type	What It Means
Discovery	Google found and crawled a new URL
Refresh	Google re-crawled an existing page

Use this to answer:

●      “Is Google finding my new pages?”

●      “Are my old pages being updated regularly?”

If Discovery is low:

●      Add links to new pages

●      Include them in your sitemap

●      Internally link from high-authority pages

Bot Type Breakdown

Googlebot has multiple “agents” — the Crawl Stats report shows which ones visit your site:

Bot	Purpose
Smartphone	Mobile-first indexing crawler (most important)
Desktop	Occasionally crawled for desktop preview
Image / Video	For Google Image or Video search
AdsBot	For Google Ads & Shopping feeds
Page Resource Loaders	Crawl for rendering (CSS, JS, fonts, etc.)

If Smartphone Googlebot is not your top crawler, your site may have mobile issues.

Errors & Warnings You Might See

Common HTTP Response Codes

Code	Meaning	Action
200	OK	Good
301/308	Redirects	Acceptable if not chained
404	Not Found	Remove broken links
500/503	Server errors	Fix server or hosting issues
403	Forbidden	May block indexing
DNS errors	Domain not resolved	Check hosting or DNS records

Excessive errors = Google slows down or skips crawling your site.

Real SEO Use Cases

Use Case #1: Site Not Getting Indexed

●      Check Crawl Stats → Is “Discovery” happening?

●      Use the URL Inspection Tool on problem URLs

●      Add those URLs to your sitemap + internal links

Use Case #2: Server Too Slow

●      High “Response Time” in Crawl Stats

●      Fix:

○      Optimize server

○      Use CDN

○      Enable browser caching

Use Case #3: Crawl Budget Waste

●      High requests for:

○      Tag pages

○      Filtered URLs (?color=red)

○      Unimportant media or JS

●      Solution:

○      Block with robots.txt

○      Use noindex

○      Canonicalize duplicate pages

Use Case #4: Migration or Redesign

●      Spike in crawl requests = expected

●      Monitor:

○      Errors (404s, 500s)

○      Slowdowns

○      Drops in discovery

If Google isn’t crawling your new URLs → Check internal links and XML sitemap

Final SEO Monitoring Checklist Using Crawl Stats

Task	What to Look At	Why
Monitor response time	< 200ms	Fast = better crawling
Track file types	Too many JS/images?	Crawl budget waste
Audit HTTP codes	404s/5xx = bad	Fix broken URLs
Compare discovery vs refresh	New pages discovered?	Helps indexing new content
Detect crawl drops	Sudden dips	Server or robots.txt issues
Clean up bot noise	AdsBot/Image bot overloading?	Optimize or restrict
Use with GSC > Indexing report	Combine both views	Full crawl + index clarity