Guides
Google Search Console guide: connect, audit and fix indexing
Connect with Google, bind a property you control, audit what Google actually sees, and use the six error guides to fix sitemap, indexing, redirect and removal problems.
Updated 2026-11-13
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Google Search Console audit: what to fix first
A Google Search Console audit is a short sequence, not a tour of every report. Start with Page indexing and Sitemaps: read the reason behind each not-indexed group and confirm the URLs you care about are in a sitemap Google has fetched. Then inspect a sample of important URLs and check how Google crawls, canonicals and indexes them.
Performance explains demand after the page is indexed — it will not tell you why a URL is missing. Fix crawlability, noindex and canonical problems first, then use the six error guides below to confirm the page is eligible before you change anything else.
Guide · Search Console
Connect with Google once, bind a property you control, and read queries, pages and devices — plus read-only shares for people who should see numbers, not consoles.
Connect with Google
Start from the console and sign in with Google. The consent screen merges your account sign-in with the Search Console scopes — one approval connects both. Declining a scope leaves the connection ungranted; nothing is stored.
Console → Search Console → Connect with Google
Bind a property you control
The console lists the Search Console properties your Google account can see. Pick one — binding requires real permission on the property (a site-unverified listing is rejected with a pointer to get access). Unbind or rebind anytime; rebinding re-reads the property list.
Console → Search Console → pick property → Bind
Read the traffic data
Bound properties feed the traffic views: overview with month-over-month deltas, query and page breakdowns, devices and appearances. Recent days are a live read on paid plans; archived months are available on every plan and never cost quota.
Console → Search Console → Overview / Queries / Pages
Share read-only GSC views
Spin up a read-only, interactive share of a GSC view for stakeholders or clients — they see the numbers without a Google login. Revoke the share whenever the engagement ends. The same link mechanics apply to audit report shares.
Console → Search Console → Share
Common Search Console errors
Six short guides to the messages that send most site owners to Search Console help: what the status means and the next action. Start here when a report looks wrong.
- Sitemap errorsCouldn't fetch, temporary processing, and no referring sitemaps.
- Pages not indexedrobots.txt, noindex, and pages Google chose not to index.
- Redirect and 404 errorsRedirect chains, missing pages, and soft 404s.
- Data and reportingAverage position, clicks vs sessions, regex, Looker Studio, and stale data.
- Remove URLsTemporary removals, then a permanent noindex or 404 fix.
- GSC audit and alternativesWhat Search Console does, where it stops, and what an alternative can add.
Check a URL directly with the index status checker or test crawl rules with the robots.txt tester. To turn the data into a client-ready report, see the SEO reporting dashboard; for AI Overview citations and crawler access, see AI visibility.