Google Search Console for Beginners: How to Get Your Website Indexed & Improve Google Rankings

By Olayinka Joseph

This post is for you, if you have published a website or a new article and Google is not showing it in search results, Google Search Console is one of the first places I would check.

Search Console lets you see whether Google has discovered your pages, whether those pages have been indexed, what problems may be preventing indexing, which search queries are already bringing impressions and clicks, and which pages are beginning to gain visibility. You can also use the URL Inspection tool to check a specific page and request that Google crawl it.

But there is something important to understand from the beginning: getting a page indexed and getting that page to rank are two different things. Indexing simply means Google has added the page to its index and it may be eligible to appear in search. It does not guarantee a first-page position, or even that the page will appear for the search you have in mind.

I learned to appreciate this difference over the years in my work. Search Console became much more useful to me when I stopped looking at it simply as a place to “submit my website to Google” and started using it as a diagnostic tool.

This guide focuses on that practical use: how to use Google Search Console to get your important pages discovered, find out why a page is not indexed, and use the search data to improve pages that already have some visibility.

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What Google Search Console Actually Does

When I first started working seriously with websites, it was easy to think of Google Search Console as a submission box:

Publish a page → submit URL → Google indexes it → page ranks.

That is not how it works.

Search Console is really a window into Google’s relationship with your website.

It can show you:

• which URLs Google knows about
• which URLs are indexed
• which URLs are not indexed
• why certain URLs were excluded
• whether Google can crawl a page
• which search queries generated impressions
• which queries generated clicks
• average position data
• click-through rate
• sitemap information
• problems affecting your pages
• performance trends over time

Google’s own documentation says that the Page Indexing report shows URLs Google has tried to crawl and whether they were indexed, while URL Inspection is the better tool when you need to investigate one particular page.

That distinction saves a lot of unnecessary work.

If one article is missing from Google, I don’t need to stare at the entire website.

I inspect that URL.

If I want to know whether a larger section of the website is being indexed properly, I look at the Page Indexing report.

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Step 1: Add Your Website to Google Search Console

Before you can diagnose anything, you need to connect your website to Search Console.

Go to Google Search Console and add your website as a property.

If you are using a domain property, Google will ask you to verify ownership through DNS. If you use a URL-prefix property, Google provides several verification methods.

For a website owner, the important thing is not which method sounds most technical.

The important thing is that you successfully verify the website you actually manage.

Once verified, give Google some time to collect data.

Don’t expect every report to become useful immediately after installation.

Search Console is based on what Google discovers and processes over time.

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Step 2: Submit Your Sitemap

This is one of the first things I check after connecting a website.

A sitemap gives Google a list of URLs that you want it to know about.

On a WordPress website, your SEO plugin will normally generate a sitemap automatically.

For example, depending on how your website is configured, you may have a sitemap such as:

yourwebsite.com/sitemap_index.xml

or another sitemap URL generated by your SEO system.

You can submit that sitemap from:

Search Console → Sitemaps

Enter the sitemap URL and submit it.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking:

“I submitted my sitemap, therefore all my pages will be indexed.”

Google explicitly says that a sitemap can help Google discover URLs, but it does not guarantee indexing or improve rankings by itself.

The sitemap is a discovery aid.

Your pages still need to be accessible, crawlable and contain indexable content.

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Step 3: Check Whether Google Has Indexed Your Homepage

Before worrying about dozens of articles, check your homepage.

Search Google for:

site:yourdomain.com

You can also search the exact URL of your homepage.

Google recommends these kinds of searches as a simple way for smaller websites to check whether pages are appearing in its index.

If your homepage is not appearing, I would not immediately start changing titles and keywords on 30 articles.

First find out why Google is not seeing the website properly.

This is where Search Console becomes useful.

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Step 4: Use URL Inspection When One Page Is Missing

This is probably the Search Console feature I use most when investigating a specific page.

At the top of Search Console, enter the complete URL of the page.

For example:

https://example.com/my-article

Search Console will tell you whether Google has that URL in its index.

You may see:

URL is on Google

or:

URL is not on Google

If it isn’t indexed, Search Console provides information that can help you determine why.

Google’s URL Inspection documentation specifically identifies the tool as a way to troubleshoot why a page isn’t on Google, confirm fixes, and request indexing for an individual URL.

This is much better than guessing.

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Step 5: Understand “Not Indexed” Before Trying to Fix It

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is treating every “Not indexed” URL as an error.

It isn’t.

Google does not expect every URL on your website to be indexed.

Some URLs are duplicates.

Some are redirects.

Some intentionally have noindex.

Some may be error pages.

Some may not contain enough useful information to warrant indexing.

Google specifically advises website owners to focus on getting their important canonical pages indexed rather than trying to achieve 100% indexing coverage.

So when Search Console shows:

Not indexed

don’t panic.

Click into the reason.

That reason is much more important than the number.

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The Search Console Indexing Problems I Pay Attention To

There are several different reasons a URL may not be indexed.

The wording can change as Google updates Search Console, but the principle remains the same.

Here are some of the situations you are likely to encounter.

Discovered – currently not indexed

Google knows that the URL exists but has not necessarily crawled and indexed it yet.

This does not automatically mean your website is broken.

If the page is new, give Google time.

Check that the page is linked from somewhere else on your website and that it appears in your sitemap where appropriate.

Google explains that a page needs to be discoverable through links, a sitemap or another discovery mechanism before Google can crawl it.

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Crawled – currently not indexed

This one deserves more attention.

Google has crawled the page but has not included it in the index.

This is where I would stop thinking only about “how do I submit this URL?” and start looking at the page itself.

Ask:

• Is the page genuinely useful?
• Is it substantially different from another page on my site?
• Does it answer a specific search need?
• Is the content complete?
• Does the page have a clear purpose?
• Is it internally linked?
• Is there a stronger page covering essentially the same subject?

Submitting the URL repeatedly is not the solution.

If Google has already crawled it, the issue is no longer simply:

“How do I tell Google this page exists?”

Google already knows it exists.

Now you need to understand why it has not chosen to include it.

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Step 6: Check the Page’s Technical Accessibility

A page needs to be accessible to Google before it can be indexed.

Google’s technical requirements are straightforward: Googlebot must not be blocked, the page should return a successful HTTP response, and the page needs indexable content.

When I investigate a page, I therefore look beyond the article itself.

Check:

Is the page publicly accessible?

A page hidden behind a login cannot normally be indexed as an ordinary public search result.

Is there a noindex instruction?

If you have accidentally told Google not to index the page, requesting indexing will not solve the problem.

Is robots.txt blocking crawling?

Robots.txt controls whether crawlers can access parts of your website.

It is important to understand the difference between blocking crawling and using noindex.

Does the URL actually work?

A broken page, server error or incorrect redirect can prevent indexing.

Search Console’s URL Inspection tool can help identify several of these problems.

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Step 7: Check Your Internal Links

This is one of the simplest things I would fix before repeatedly requesting indexing.

Suppose you publish an article about creating an author website.

If that article exists on its own with no meaningful links pointing to it, Google has fewer pathways through which to discover and understand the page.

I prefer to build websites where related pages naturally connect.

For example:

An article about building an author website can link to my guide on choosing between Wix and WordPress for authors.

That article can link to another relevant publishing resource.

A publishing article can link to the first-time author checklist.

The links should make sense for the reader first.

The SEO benefit comes from having a site whose important pages are connected logically.

Google also notes that pages can be discovered through links from pages Google already knows about.

For example, if you are an author building your platform, you may naturally connect an article about your website with your first-time author publishing checklist.

If you’re deciding how to build the site itself, my comparison of Wix vs WordPress for authors with a growing book catalogue fits naturally into that journey.

These aren’t links I would add simply because I need “internal links.”

They are there because the reader may genuinely need the next piece of information.

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Step 8: Request Indexing — But Only When It Makes Sense

Once you have checked the page, you can use Request Indexing from URL Inspection.

I use this when I have:

• published an important new page
• substantially updated an existing page
• fixed an indexing problem
• made a meaningful improvement to a page

I don’t repeatedly submit the same URL every day.

Google states that repeated requests for the same URL do not make it crawl faster, and that crawling can take days or even weeks.

That is an important lesson for beginners.

Search Console is not an “index me now” button.

It is a communication and diagnostic tool.

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Step 9: Don’t Judge the Website by Indexing Alone

This is where many website owners misunderstand Search Console.

Suppose you publish an article.

A week later, Search Console tells you:

Indexed.

You celebrate.

Then you search the exact topic on Google and don’t see your article on page one.

You think something has gone wrong.

Not necessarily.

Indexing means Google has included the page in its index.

Ranking is a separate matter.

Google itself states that being indexed does not guarantee that a page will appear in search results for a particular query or position.

So I separate my questions:

Question 1: Can Google find and index the page?

Question 2: Is the page getting impressions?

Question 3: Is anyone clicking?

Question 4: Which searches are producing those impressions?

Question 5: Can I improve the page based on what I’m seeing?

That is a much more useful way to use Search Console.

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Step 10: Start Using the Performance Report

Once your website has accumulated enough data, go to:

Search Console → Performance → Search results

This is where Search Console becomes particularly interesting.

You can see:

• total clicks
• total impressions
• average CTR
• average position
• queries
• pages
• countries
• devices
• dates

I pay particular attention to queries and pages.

Why?

Because Google may be showing your page for searches you never specifically targeted.

That information can be extremely useful.

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What Impressions Really Tell You

An impression means your result was shown in Google’s search results.

It does not mean someone clicked.

For example, imagine one of your pages receives:

2,000 impressions

but only:

20 clicks

The page is getting visibility.

But something may be limiting the number of people who choose your result.

That could involve the search position, the wording of the result, the searcher’s intent, the competition or other factors.

I would not immediately rewrite the entire article.

First look at the queries producing the impressions.

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Find the Queries Your Page Is Already Appearing For

This is one of my favourite ways to use Search Console.

Open:

Performance → Search results → Pages

Choose an article.

Then look at:

Queries

You may discover that Google is already associating your page with several related searches.

This gives you something much more valuable than guessing keywords from a keyword tool.

You are looking at actual search activity connected with your page.

Suppose your article is about building a website for an author.

You might discover impressions for searches involving:

• author website
• author website design
• website for writers
• book author website
• author website examples

You now have evidence about how Google and searchers are interpreting the page.

That doesn’t mean you should stuff those phrases into the article.

It means you can ask whether the page genuinely answers those related needs.

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How I Use Search Console to Improve Existing Articles

This is where I think Search Console becomes more valuable than simply submitting URLs.

Let’s say an article is already receiving impressions.

I don’t automatically create another article targeting the same subject.

First I ask:

“What is this existing article already getting visibility for?”

Then:

“Does the article actually answer those searches properly?”

If the answer is no, I improve the existing article.

I might:

• rewrite an unclear introduction
• answer the main question earlier
• add a missing practical example
• clarify a section
• remove unnecessary information
• improve internal links
• update outdated information
• make headings more descriptive
• improve the page title
• improve the meta description
• strengthen the explanation around the actual search intent

This is one reason I keep Search Console connected to the websites I manage.

It gives me evidence to work with.

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Don’t Immediately Rewrite an Article That Is Already Getting Impressions

This is a mistake I have made myself in the past: seeing an article that isn’t getting many clicks and assuming the entire article needs to be replaced.

Sometimes it doesn’t.

Sometimes the page is already beginning to gain visibility.

If I see impressions increasing, I want to understand what is happening before making major changes.

A page with 1,000 impressions and 15 clicks is giving me information.

A page with zero impressions is a different situation.

The first page may need better alignment between its existing visibility and what searchers see in the results.

The second may need a deeper investigation into discoverability, indexing, content relevance or competition.

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What About Average Position?

Average position can be useful, but don’t treat it as an exact promise of where your page will appear every time somebody searches.

Search results vary.

Google explains that search results can be influenced by factors such as the searcher and context, so Search Console’s average position should be treated as a performance metric rather than a guaranteed ranking position.

I find the metric most useful when looking at trends.

For example:

If an article moves from an average position around 40 to around 20, something is changing.

If it moves from around 20 to around 10, I want to investigate further.

And if it is already receiving impressions around positions 8–20, that can be a useful signal that the existing page deserves another look before I create a competing article.

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One of My Favourite Search Console Opportunities: Pages Sitting Just Outside the Top Results

Imagine you discover that an article has:

Impressions: 1,500
Clicks: 40
Average position: 14

I wouldn’t immediately publish another article on exactly the same topic.

I’d first examine the existing page.

Does the opening answer the question quickly?

Is something important missing?

Are the headings clear?

Does the article actually satisfy the search intent?

Are there relevant internal links?

Is the title accurately describing what the page delivers?

Is the content still current?

This is a much more disciplined approach than continuously publishing new articles.

Sometimes the best SEO work you can do is improve a page you already have.

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Search Console Helped Change How I Think About Website Content

When I started building websites, my focus was naturally on the visible side:

The layout.

The colours.

The homepage.

The navigation.

The images.

The contact form.

Those things matter.

But eventually I realised something important.

A website can look excellent and still be almost invisible in Google.

That is why I now think about the relationship between:

website structure → content → discoverability → indexing → search visibility

Search Console sits right in the middle of that process.

It doesn’t replace good content.

It doesn’t replace a properly built website.

It doesn’t guarantee rankings.

But it gives you information about what Google is actually seeing.

That information is extremely useful when you know how to read it.

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A Practical Search Console Routine I Use

You don’t need to spend hours inside Search Console every day.

In fact, I wouldn’t recommend it.

For a small or growing website, I prefer a simple routine.

When I publish an important new page

I check:

1. Is the page publicly accessible?
2. Is the URL correct?
3. Is it included in the sitemap?
4. Is it internally linked?
5. Does URL Inspection show any obvious problem?
6. If necessary, do I need to request indexing?

Then I leave Google to process it.

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When an existing page is not indexed

I check:

1. URL Inspection
2. Page indexing status
3. Crawl accessibility
4. noindex
5. robots.txt
6. canonical information
7. internal links
8. whether another page substantially overlaps with it
9. whether the page actually deserves to be indexed

I don’t just keep pressing Request Indexing.

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When a page is indexed but getting few clicks

I check:

1. queries
2. impressions
3. average position
4. CTR
5. search intent
6. title
7. meta description
8. whether the page actually satisfies the searches generating impressions

That gives me a much clearer direction.

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Don’t Delete a Page Just Because It Isn’t Indexed

This deserves its own warning.

If Search Console says a page is not indexed, don’t immediately delete it.

First understand why.

There may be a perfectly legitimate reason.

Or you may discover that the page overlaps heavily with another article and needs consolidation.

Or perhaps the page is important but poorly connected to the rest of the site.

Or perhaps it is simply new.

Google explicitly notes that newly published pages can take time to be discovered and crawled, and that indexing is not instantaneous.

Diagnose first.

Delete later, if there is a genuine reason.

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Be Careful With Duplicate Content on Your Own Website

This became particularly important for me as the number of articles on my websites increased.

When you publish regularly, it is easy to accidentally create several articles that answer almost the same question.

For example:

• How to build an author website
• Best website for authors
• Author website design
• How to create a website for writers
• Author website platform

These subjects may be different enough to deserve separate pages—or they may be competing versions of essentially the same article.

Search Console can help you spot indexing and canonical issues, but the bigger lesson is editorial:

Don’t create another article simply because you can find another keyword variation.

Before publishing, ask whether the new page adds something genuinely different.

This also keeps your website easier for readers to navigate.

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Use Search Console Alongside Your Website Structure

Search Console works best when the underlying website is organized properly.

For example, on an author and publishing website, I might have:

Publishing

→ self-publishing
→ first-time author resources
→ book publishing guides
→ book marketing

Website

→ author websites
→ WordPress
→ website design
→ website maintenance

Then the relevant articles link to each other where appropriate.

This is better than creating dozens of disconnected posts.

If you are building an author platform, my guide on how to self-publish a book in Nigeria is a good example of a topic that can sit naturally within a publishing content structure.

Likewise, someone working on their first book may move from a website article into the 51-step first-time author publishing checklist.

The purpose of the internal link is to help the reader continue their journey.

The SEO benefit is secondary.

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What Search Console Cannot Do for You

There are expectations I would remove before you start using it.

Search Console cannot:

• guarantee first-page rankings
• guarantee indexing
• instantly rank a new article
• replace good content
• make a weak website authoritative overnight
• automatically fix every technical problem
• tell you exactly why a competitor ranks above you
• turn every impression into a click

Google is very clear that meeting the technical requirements makes a page eligible for indexing but does not guarantee that Google will index it.

That distinction is important.

Search Console gives you information and tools.

You still have to make good decisions about the website.

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The Biggest Search Console Mistakes I See Beginners Make

1. Checking rankings every day

Search performance changes.

Daily fluctuations don’t necessarily tell you anything useful.

Look for patterns.

2. Requesting indexing repeatedly

Submitting the same URL over and over does not make Google crawl it faster.

3. Trying to index every URL

You don’t need every URL indexed.

Focus on important canonical pages.

4. Treating “Not indexed” as an automatic error

Read the reason first.

5. Creating a new article for every keyword variation

This can create unnecessary overlap.

6. Ignoring pages that already have impressions

Those pages may contain useful opportunities.

Look at the queries before deciding what to do next.

7. Confusing indexing with ranking

A page can be indexed and still be far from the first page.

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My Simple Google Search Console Workflow

If you are completely new to Search Console, don’t try to learn everything at once.

Start with this:

First

Verify your website.

Second

Submit your sitemap.

Third

Check whether your homepage is indexed.

Fourth

Inspect your important pages individually.

Fifth

Fix genuine indexing problems.

Sixth

Request indexing for important new or substantially updated pages when appropriate.

Seventh

Wait for data.

Eighth

Open the Performance report.

Ninth

Study which pages and queries are receiving impressions.

Tenth

Improve existing pages based on what the data is showing you.

That is enough to get started.

You don’t need to become an SEO technician before you can use Search Console effectively.

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What I Would Check Today If Your Website Isn’t Showing on Google

If you came to me and said:

“Olayinka, I published my website but Google isn’t showing it.”

I wouldn’t start by telling you to write 50 articles.

I’d check these things first:

1. Is the website publicly accessible?

Open it in an incognito browser.

2. Is the homepage indexed?

Search:

site:yourdomain.com

3. Is the sitemap working?

Open the sitemap URL.

4. Has the sitemap been submitted?

Check Search Console.

5. Inspect the homepage

Use URL Inspection.

6. Inspect one important article

Don’t inspect 100 URLs immediately.

Start with one.

7. Check the indexing reason

If it isn’t indexed, read the explanation.

8. Check internal links

Can Google reach the page through your website?

9. Check for accidental noindex or crawl restrictions

Especially after changing SEO plugins, themes or website settings.

10. Give Google time

A new website does not necessarily appear immediately.

Google states that crawling and indexing can take days or, in some cases, longer, and that there is no guaranteed timetable.