The GSC or Google Search Console is a comprehensive website management tool. The Search Console is a free tool provided by Google. Accordingly, one of its primary uses is the monitoring of site performance in regard to Google analytics. However, Google Search Console tools can be used for a wide range of actions. Since these tools are accessible to anyone, they can be utilized by website administrators and owners, search engine optimization strategists, and web developers.
Conduct site performance evaluations
Generally, your website performance is defined by its usability. In other words, creating a good user experience for those who visit your website is the primary goal of site performance evaluations. Examples of contributing factors to site performance include page load, bounce rate, and time to interact. Page load is self-explanatory; it is the speed at which your website loads its content to present to users. Considering that 40 percent of people choose to abandon a website that takes longer than three seconds to load, it is one of the more critical components of site performance.
Bounce rate refers to instances where a user views a single page on your website and then returns to the search engine results page (SERP) instead of continuing to explore your URLs. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if multiple URLs are a part of your site success measurements, you’ll want to keep the bounce rate low. Time to interact refers to the stretch of time between a request and the moment that a user can begin clicking links, scrolling, or typing into text fields.
Regarding page load, some trackers and scripts may continue to load while interactive features have already been made available. Nevertheless, it is best to have a quick request to interaction time. The Google Search Console monitors each of these aspects of your site performance and more. Then, these insights will be compiled into an easily digestible data hub or dashboard.
Protect your website from a security breach
Security issues can be detrimental to your website for several reasons. Firstly, malware can compromise the integrity of your data. Secondly, Google’s site crawl bots consider your site security when ranking your website on the search engine results page. Malware variants have been growing in prevalence over the last couple of years due to the digital transitions COVID-19 brought to school and work environments. Website owners can use Search Console data to identify and address potential security risks. Since GSC notifications are available to enable, site owners can choose to be alerted the moment a threat is detected.
Boost visibility on the search engine results page (SERP)
One of the most popular usages for the Google Search Console is SEO. The appearance of your website on the SERP is dependent on several algorithms put in place by Google and other major search engines. While the above-referenced aspects of GSC usage play into SEO, search ranking insights go deeper than user experience and security.
For example, the Google Search Console can monitor your organic site traffic and provide popular search queries related to your business. Acknowledging and utilizing the keywords that Google uses to determine relevancy can help boost your visibility and secure a fruitful online presence for your company.
It isn’t easy to touch on everything the GSC can do for a business owner. Thankfully, Google has a valuable resource called the Search Console help desk. This help desk can provide general information, answers to frequently asked questions, and help resolving issues. Overall, the Google Search Console is an easy way to organize and monitor all your website’s data in one place. For more information, consult with the GSC help desk.
