Blog Post

I use it every single week—for audits, indexing fixes, crawl diagnostics, and performance monitoring.
It’s where I go when a client says:

• “My page disappeared from Google.”
  
• “Why is traffic dropping?”
  
• “We updated the site… and now rankings are weird.”
  

Let me walk you through how I use Search Console to spot technical SEO issues—and how I actually fix them.

Here’s what I’ll walk you through:

• What Search Console really tells you (that other tools don’t)
  
• How I use it to troubleshoot indexing and crawl issues
  
• Where I find errors that need real technical fixes
  
• What reports I check during every SEO audit
  
• The features I use to improve performance—without guessing

At its core, Search Console tells you how Google sees your site.

It’s not a keyword tracker. It’s not an SEO tool in the traditional sense.
But it’s the direct communication line between your site and Google.

Here’s what I monitor in Search Console:

• Indexing status
  
• Page experience (Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, mobile usability)
  
• Coverage errors (404s, redirects, blocked pages)
  
• Crawled vs. submitted URLs
  
• Search performance (clicks, impressions, CTR)
  

If you’re ignoring it, you’re flying blind.

Navigate to: Pages > Indexing > Why pages aren’t indexed

This is where I check:

• Pages excluded from the index
  
• Reasons for exclusion (e.g., crawl anomaly, duplicate, noindex)
  
• Whether these pages were submitted in the sitemap
  

From here, I determine:

• Should these be indexed?
  
• Are they noindexed by mistake?
  
• Are they orphaned or blocked?
  

Fixes include:

• Removing incorrect noindex tags
  
• Adding internal links
  
• Submitting the page for indexing again (manually)
  

This is my go-to for diagnosing individual page issues.

Paste any URL into the tool and you’ll see:

• Is the page indexed?
  
• Is it mobile-friendly?
  
• Is it blocked by robots.txt or meta tags?
  
• When was it last crawled?
  

I use this tool to:

• Validate live versions
  
• Request indexing
  
• Check rendering
  
• View crawl history
  

If something’s wrong, this tool usually shows it first.

Go to: Experience > Core Web Vitals

This is where Google tells you:

• Which URLs are fast (green)
  
• Which are slow or unstable (yellow/red)
  
• Which metrics are failing (LCP, INP, CLS)
  

I don’t rely on just PageSpeed Insights—this report is based on real users.
If Core Web Vitals are poor, I:

• Optimize images and scripts
  
• Improve hosting/CDN
  
• Preload fonts
  
• Reserve layout space
  

For more on CWV, read this: Core Web Vitals & SEO

Under: Indexing > Sitemaps

I check:

• Are sitemaps submitted?
  
• Are they being crawled?
  
• Do the pages inside them match what I want indexed?
  

If the sitemap is broken, outdated, or includes noindex pages—I fix that immediately.

Related post: Sitemaps & SEO: Why They Still Matter

It’s rare—but if Google flags something here, you need to act fast.

Go to: Security & Manual Actions

You’ll see:

• Hacked content
  
• Unnatural links
  
• Spam issues
  
• Malware alerts
  

I check this for peace of mind—but when something shows up, it’s always high priority.

Bonus Features I Use Often

Here’s a few lesser-known ways I use Search Console:

After publishing a post, I paste the URL into the inspection tool and request indexing.
It speeds things up and flags early problems.

In Performance > Search Results, I look for:

• Pages with lots of impressions but low CTR
  
• High-CTR pages losing clicks
  
• Queries that trigger valuable pages
  

This helps me rewrite meta titles and descriptions.

After I fix a coverage issue, I use the Validate Fix button to let Google re-crawl and confirm the fix.

For large sites, I dig into Settings > Crawl Stats to see:

• Crawl frequency
  
• Server errors
  
• Redirect issues
  
• File types requested
  

This helps me spot server-related SEO issues.

• Full backlink audits (use Ahrefs/Semrush)
  
• Keyword volume (this shows queries, not demand)
  
• Technical health scores (Search Console is diagnostic—not an SEO scorecard)
  

But for indexing, performance, and crawl insights? It’s the best tool available—and it’s free.

Here’s the truth:

No matter how many tools you use, if you’re not checking Google Search Console, you’re missing the point.

It tells you:

• How Google sees your site
  
• Where it’s struggling
  
• Which pages are showing up—or not
  
• And what needs fixing to get back on track
  

Start there. Fix what’s broken. Track what’s working.

And if you haven’t logged in recently?
This guide will walk you through everything you need to check

Because technical SEO isn’t just about visibility—it’s about control.