Once your WordPress site is connected to Search Console (a free service provided by Google), you can start making improvements to your website for better performance. Here are a couple of my favorite Search Console tips.
User Queries
If you use Google Analytics, you know that the search query details can be a little frustrating. In fact, most GA users see (not provided) when trying to understand what site visitors searched to find their website.
That’s where Search Console comes in handy. You can view a list of search terms used to land on your website — and you can filter by web, image or video, along with whatever date range you’d like.
To take advantage of this Search Console tip, head to Performance in the left-hand menu. By default, it will show web search queries right away. The columns shown are Query: the search term, Clicks: how many clicked to your site, and Impressions: how many times your site was shown in search results.
Reviewing the data
If you have the data, look back at the last 6 months for trends or standout search terms. This information can help you in a few ways…
- Coming up with new ideas to blog about / new content to create on your social media accounts. If folks are searching Google for answers that you can provide, why not give the people what they want?
- Seeing what content isn’t serving you. Did you write a blog post that has very little to do with your business offerings? It’s likely that visitors will land on your site + then bail when they realize your content varies from their search. It may be time to remove that post or rewrite the content to better serve your audience + your business.
- Comparing impressions to clicks. If something has a really high number of impressions but a low number of clicks, you may want to improve the meta description for that post or page. The meta description is what shows in Google searches + is what helps a user decide if your link is right for them.
Search Console tips for different devices
Still in the performance tab of Search Console, this next tip is under the tab “Devices.” And it gives you a breakdown of how many users came to your site via Desktop, Mobile + Tablet.
Who cares? If you’re considering shelling out a pile of money for a mobile app or fully responsive website, understanding how much of your audience is on mobile will help you decide if that’s a wise investment.
This info also gives you some insight into how / when users are viewing your content. Desktop implies at work, mobile implies on the go / all hours, tablet implies after work at home. Of course these are generalizations, but it can help shape your marketing strategies going forward.
Top Linking Sites
My last little Search Console tip is to check out what sites are linking back to you. Head to Legacy tools and reports > Links to find out. This page will show various details, but the block we are focusing on is called “Top linking sites.”
What do you do with this info? If it’s a site you’ve never heard of, head to it + figure out how they are sending folks your way. Maybe it’s time for a partnership in terms of cross-posting blog content, podcast interviews or collaborating on a project together.
Or, maybe it’s time for a handwritten thank you to a client of yours for sending new leads your way. No matter what, you can
If you’re dealing with errors within Search Console, I’ve gone over some of the most common issues here.