Google Search Console setup for bloggers (step-by-step)

Search Console is one of the best free tools for growing a blog because it shows what Google can see and how your pages appear in search.

Step 1: Add your property

• Use the Domain property if you can (covers subdomains).
• Verify ownership using your DNS provider.

Step 2: Submit your sitemap

Once verified:

1. Go to Sitemaps.
2. Enter sitemap.xml.
3. Submit.

If there are errors, fix them before you publish a lot more content.

Step 3: Understand the key reports

• Pages: indexing status, exclusions, and reasons
• Sitemaps: whether your sitemap was processed
• Performance: queries, pages, impressions, clicks

Step 4: Find quick wins

A simple method:

• Filter queries with high impressions but low clicks.
• Improve the title/description to match intent.
• Add a missing section that the top results cover.

Step 5: Use it weekly

You don’t need to obsess daily. A weekly review is enough to:

• spot indexing issues
• discover content ideas
• improve posts that are close to ranking

If you’re serious about SEO, Search Console is a must.