Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your website performs in Google Search: which searches show your pages, how often people click, and whether Google can find and index your pages. For a local business, it answers questions no other tool can answer with real Google data.

You do not need to be technical to use it. Here is what to set up and what to look at each month.

Set it up in 10 minutes

  1. Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with the Google account you use for your business.
  2. Add a property. The Domain option covers every version of your site (with and without www, http and https) and is verified by adding a DNS record at your domain provider. The URL prefix option is quicker to verify if you cannot edit DNS.
  3. Submit your sitemap under Sitemaps, usually yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. Most website builders create one for you.
  4. Add your web designer or marketing partner as a user under Settings instead of sharing your login.

Data starts to appear within a few days, and Search Console keeps up to 16 months of history.

The four reports that matter for a local business

1. Performance: what people search to find you

This is the report you will use most. It shows clicks, impressions (how often your site appeared), click-through rate and average position, for each search query and page.

  • Turn on all four metrics at the top of the chart.
  • Set the date range to the last 3 months and compare with the previous period to see trends.
  • Open the Queries tab to see the actual words people typed.

2. Pages: which pages bring visitors

In the Performance report, the Pages tab shows which pages get clicks. For many local businesses, the homepage gets most of them. If a service page you care about gets almost none, it may need clearer content or more internal links.

3. Page indexing: can Google see your pages

This report lists pages Google has indexed and pages it has not, with the reason. A few excluded pages are normal, like duplicates or redirects. Worry if an important service or location page is missing. Use the URL Inspection tool at the top to check a single page and request indexing after you fix it.

4. Core Web Vitals and HTTPS: is the site healthy

These show whether your pages load fast and securely on mobile. Most customers search on their phone, so a slow site loses calls.

Local search terms to watch

Filter the Queries tab with Query containing, then try:

  • Your city or neighborhood names, such as "austin" or "plateau".
  • "near me", to see how you appear for nearby searches.
  • Your main services, such as "drain cleaning" or "teeth whitening".
  • Your business name, to separate people who already know you from new customers.

In the Countries tab, compare the United States and Canada if you serve both, and check Devices to see how much traffic is mobile.

Turn the data into fixes

  • High impressions, low clicks: your page shows up but people do not choose it. Rewrite the page title and meta description to name the service, the city and a reason to click.
  • Average position 8 to 20: you are close to page one. Improve that page with more useful detail, photos and answers to common questions, and link to it from your homepage.
  • A service you offer but never appear for: create a dedicated page for it.
  • Searches in a nearby city: if you serve it, mention it on the relevant pages and in your Business Profile service area.

How Search Console fits with your Business Profile

Search Console covers your website. Your Google Business Profile has its own performance view with calls, direction requests and the searches that showed your profile. Look at both: the profile tells you how people find you on Maps, and Search Console tells you what happens on your site.

Let NearVance read it for you

NearVance connects to Search Console and your Business Profile and turns the numbers into plain-language insights: which searches are growing, which pages are close to page one, and what to do next.