Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows you exactly how your website is performing in search results. It's not optional, every South African business with a website should have it set up.
What it shows you
How to set it up
Setting up Search Console takes about 10 minutes. Go to search.google.com/search-console, add your website, and verify ownership by adding a small piece of code to your site or by adding a DNS record through your domain registrar.
Once verified, submit your sitemap. This is a file that lists all your pages and tells Google where to find them. Most website platforms generate this automatically at yoursite.co.za/sitemap.xml.
How to read the data
The most useful report is the Performance tab. This shows:
Impressions - how many times your site appeared in search results. High impressions but low clicks means your title or description isn't compelling enough.
Clicks - how many people actually visited your site from Google. This is the number that matters most.
Average position - where your site ranks on average. Position 1-3 gets most of the clicks. Position 11+ means you're on page 2 or below, most people never get there.
Queries - the exact words people typed. This is gold for understanding what your customers are searching for.
What to do with the data
Look for pages with high impressions but low clicks, these are your best improvement opportunities. Rewriting the page title and description to be more compelling can significantly increase clicks without changing your ranking.
Look for queries where you rank on positions 8-15, you're close to page 1. A content improvement on that page could push you into the top 5 where most clicks happen.
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