Table of Contents
What is Google Search Console?
Before learning how to use Google Search Console, it’s important to know what it is. Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to monitor and manage their website’s presence in Google search results. It provides valuable insights into how Google crawls and indexes your website, as well as any issues that may be preventing your website from ranking higher in search results.
Setting Up Google Search Console for Magento 2
To use Google Search Console for Magento 2 SEO, you’ll first need to set up an account. Here are the steps to follow:
Go to the Google Search Console website and sign in with your Google account.
Click on the "Add Property" button.
Enter your website’s URL in the field provided and click the "Continue" button.
Verify that you are the owner of the website by following the on-screen instructions. There are several ways to verify your ownership, including adding a meta tag to your website’s homepage, uploading an HTML file to your website’s root directory, or adding a DNS record to your domain settings.
Once your website is verified, you’ll have access to all the tools and features of Google Search Console.
Using Google Search Console for Magento 2 SEO
Now that you’ve set up Google Search Console, here are some ways to use it to improve your Magento 2 website’s SEO:
1. Submitting a Sitemap
A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website that you want Google to crawl and index. By submitting a sitemap to Google, you can ensure that all your website’s pages are discovered and indexed quickly. Here’s how to submit a sitemap:
In Google Search Console, click on the "Sitemaps" section under the "Index" tab.
Click the "Add/Test Sitemap" button.
Enter the URL of your sitemap in the field provided and click the "Submit" button.
Google will now crawl your sitemap and index all the pages listed in it.
2. Monitoring Search Performance
Google Search Console provides valuable insights into how your website is performing in search results. You can see how many clicks and impressions your website is receiving, as well as your average position in search results. Here’s how to access this information:
In Google Search Console, click on the "Performance" section under the "Overview" tab.
Here you can see a graph of your website’s clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position.
You can also filter this data by date, query, page, country, and device.
3. Fixing Crawl Errors
Crawl errors occur when Google is unable to crawl or index certain pages on your website. These errors can negatively impact your SEO, as they prevent Google from fully understanding and ranking your website. Here’s how to identify crawl errors in Google Search Console:
In Google Search Console, click on the "Coverage" section under the "Index" tab.
Here you can see a list of all the pages on your website that Google has attempted to crawl.
Any pages with errors or warnings will be highlighted in red or yellow.
By identifying and fixing these errors, you can improve your website’s crawlability and SEO.
4. Analyzing Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. These links are important for SEO, as they help Google determine the relevance and authority of your website. In Google Search Console, you can see which websites are linking to your website, as well as the pages on your website that are most linked to. Here’s how to access this information:
In Google Search Console, click on the "Links" section under the "Search Traffic" tab.
Here you can see a list of all the domains and pages that are linking to your website.
You can also see which pages on your website have the most backlinks and which keywords are most commonly used in those backlinks.
By analyzing your backlinks, you can identify areas for improvement and develop a strategy for acquiring more high-quality backlinks.
Conclusion
Google Search Console is a powerful tool for improving your Magento 2 website’s SEO. By submitting a sitemap, monitoring search performance, fixing crawl errors, and analyzing backlinks, you can ensure that your website is fully optimized for Google search results. Make sure to regularly check and update your Google Search Console account to stay on top of any issues and keep your website ranking high.