Why this matters
Google Search Console is the only place Google tells you directly which queries you appear for, what gets clicked, and whether it can even index your pages. It's free. Running SEO without it is guessing — and the monthly review step in this checklist depends on this data.
What "done" looks like
- Your site is verified in Search Console (domain-level if possible)
- Your sitemap is submitted and shows "Success"
- The Performance report is collecting query, click, and impression data
- Email alerts for indexing and security issues go to an inbox you actually read
How to do it
- Go to search.google.com/search-console and add your site — choose the Domain property if you can edit DNS, or the URL-prefix option otherwise.
- Verify ownership via a DNS record, HTML file upload, or your platform's built-in integration.
- Submit your sitemap (usually /sitemap.xml — most site builders generate one).
- Check the Pages/Indexing report for important pages marked "not indexed" and fix the reason.
- Use URL Inspection to request indexing for new or updated key pages.
- Repeat for Bing — Bing Webmaster Tools can import your verified Search Console site.
Common mistakes
- Verifying and never returning — the value is in the review habit, not the setup
- Panicking at every "not indexed" notice; excluded tag pages and redirects are often normal
- Expecting instant data — reports populate over days
Real-world examples
- Search Console is Google's free official tool; its Performance report keeps a rolling 16 months of query and click data — history accrues from setup, not from your site's launch.
- Bing Webmaster Tools officially supports importing verified sites from Google Search Console, making the second search engine a minutes-long task.
From a founder's point of view
This is the rare marketing tool where the platform itself tells you, for free, exactly where you show up and where you're broken. The 16-month window means data you don't start collecting now is gone for good.
Rule of thumb
If you can't answer "what are my top five queries this month?" in two clicks, Search Console isn't really set up.