Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows you how your WordPress site is performing in search results. Not how many visitors you have — that is Google Analytics — but specifically what people searched for when they found you, which pages appear in results, whether Google can access and index your site, and whether there are any technical issues holding you back.
For any business that cares about ranking on Google, this is not optional. It is the closest thing to a direct line of communication with Google about your site.
What you can see in Search Console
- Search performance — Which queries bring visitors to your site, how often your pages appear, and how many people click through
- Index coverage — Which pages Google has indexed, which it has not, and why
- Core Web Vitals — Your site’s performance scores based on real visitor data, not just a lab test
- Manual actions — If Google has penalised your site for any reason, it shows up here
- Sitemap status — Whether your sitemap has been submitted and accepted
How to connect it to your WordPress site
You verify ownership of your site in Google Search Console, then submit your XML sitemap so Google knows what to crawl. Most WordPress SEO plugins (including Yoast) simplify the verification process and generate the sitemap automatically.
Once connected, Search Console starts collecting data. Check it regularly — monthly at minimum — to catch indexing issues and track how your content is performing.
Unsure if your site is set up correctly in Search Console? It is part of our website checkup. Read more about SEO setup for WordPress or explore the SEO knowledge base.