Google Search Console is the one free tool every business website should have connected. It shows what people searched before they found you, which pages Google has indexed, and what's broken. Most owners set it up once and never open it again.
You don't need to become an analyst. Fifteen minutes a month on four reports covers what matters.
Getting access
If you don't know whether your website is in Search Console, ask your designer, and make sure you're listed as an owner, not just a user. If it isn't set up, a domain property takes one DNS record and covers every version of your address at once. Then submit your sitemap, usually at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, so Google has a full list of your pages.
Report 1: Performance
Read this one first. Set the date range to the last three months and compare it with the previous period. You'll see clicks, impressions (how often you appeared in results), average position, and the actual words people searched.
Look at the queries. They tell you how customers describe what you do, which is often different from how you describe it. If people search "water heater replacement" and your page says "hot water solutions," you've found an easy fix.
Then look for pages with lots of impressions but few clicks. They're showing up and not getting chosen. A clearer page title and description often fixes that within a few weeks.
Report 2: Pages
Under Indexing, the Pages report shows which pages Google has indexed and which it hasn't, with a reason for each. Some exclusions are normal, like redirects and duplicates. What you're looking for is an important page on the not-indexed list, or a sudden jump in errors after a website change.
For any single page, the URL Inspection box at the top shows exactly how Google sees it, and lets you request indexing after you publish or fix something.
Report 3: Core Web Vitals and HTTPS
These show whether real visitors get a fast, stable, secure experience, split between mobile and desktop. Pages marked poor have a speed problem worth fixing, and our guide to why websites feel slow covers the usual causes.
Report 4: Security and manual actions
Usually empty, which is what you want. Anything that appears here is urgent: it means Google found malware or a policy problem and may be warning searchers away from your website. Our website security basics cover what to do next.
What to skip
Most of the rest can wait unless something's wrong. Average position on its own is noisy, and day-to-day swings mean nothing. Watch the three-month trend instead.
Make it routine
Put a monthly reminder on the calendar. Check the four reports, note anything unusual, and pass it to whoever manages the website. Search Console also emails owners when it finds a new problem, so make sure those emails go to an inbox someone reads.
Bing has its own version, Bing Webmaster Tools, which can import your Search Console setup in a couple of clicks. Bing's index feeds several AI assistants, so it's worth the extra two minutes. We connect both on every website we launch, and they're the first thing we check when a redesign is on the table.