Google Search Console Setup & Optimization Case Study

This case study documents how Google Search Console was set up, configured, and optimized for a new website to build a strong technical SEO foundation, ensure correct indexing, and establish a performance tracking baseline.

  • Technical SEO
  • Google Search Console
  • Indexing & Performance Tracking
  • New Website SEO

Project Overview

Website Type: SEO Portfolio Website
Project Stage: New Website (Low Authority)

Primary Objectives:

  • Verify and configure Google Search Console correctly
  • Ensure priority pages are indexed efficiently
  • Monitor search performance from day one
  • Use real GSC data to guide SEO decisions

Tools Used:

  • Google Search Console
  • Google Analytics 4
  • WordPress
  • Google Sheets (for tracking and reporting)
google search console setup

Why Google Search Console Matters for SEO

Google Search Console is one of the most critical tools in SEO because it provides direct data from Google itself. Unlike third-party tools, GSC shows how Google crawls, indexes, and evaluates a website.

For this project, GSC was used to:

  • Monitor indexing and crawl status
  • Track keyword impressions, clicks, and rankings
  • Identify technical SEO issues early
  • Measure organic visibility growth over time

Establishing GSC at the beginning of the project ensured that SEO decisions were based on reliable, first-party data.

Google Search Console Setup Process

Property Type Selection

A Domain Property was selected during setup.

Reason:

  • Tracks all versions of the website (http/https, www/non-www)
  • Provides complete domain-level visibility
  • Ideal for long-term SEO monitoring

Verification Method

DNS verification was used to confirm ownership.

Why DNS verification was chosen:

  • Most secure and stable verification method
  • No risk of verification loss due to theme or plugin changes
  • Recommended for professional SEO projects

Once the DNS record was added and verified, the property became fully active in GSC.

Initial Google Search Console Optimization

XML Sitemap Submission

After verification, the XML sitemap was generated using WordPress and submitted directly in Google Search Console.

Benefits of sitemap submission:

  • Faster page discovery by Google
  • Clear crawling signals for important URLs
  • Better tracking of indexed vs non-indexed pages

Index Coverage Review

The Index Pages report was reviewed to establish a baseline.

Key checks included: 

  • Indexed pages count
  • Discovered but not indexed URLs
  • Excluded pages and reasons

Since the website was new, indexing activity was limited initially. Priority was given to ensuring that core pages such as the homepage, about page, blog page, and contact page were indexed correctly.

URL Inspection and Indexing

The URL Inspection tool was used to:

  • Validate live URLs
  • Check mobile usability and canonical tags
  • Request indexing for priority pages

    This step ensured that Google could properly render and understand the website’s most important pages.

Performance Tracking Setup

The Performance report was configured with the following filters:

  • Search type: Web
  • Target location: India
  • Date range: Last 28 days (baseline period) 

All key metrics were enabled:

  • Total clicks
  • Total impressions
  • Average CTR
  • Average position

This created a clean baseline to measure future SEO growth.

Search Query & Page-Level Analysis

Early Query Discovery

Even with low traffic, GSC began showing early keyword impressions.

These queries were analyzed to:

1. Identify emerging search intent
2. Map queries to existing pages
3. Plan future content topics

CTR & Page Optimization

Pages with impressions but low CTR were identified using GSC data.

Optimization actions included:

  • Improving page titles
  • Refining meta descriptions
  • Better alignment with search intent

This demonstrates how GSC data can directly inform on-page SEO improvements.

Technical SEO Monitoring via GSC

Security & Manual Actions

Manual Actions and Security Issues reports were reviewed to confirm:

  • No manual penalties
  • No security threats 

This validated that the website complied with Google’s quality and safety guidelines.

Reporting & Documentation

All GSC data was documented weekly using structured tracking sheets.

Tracked elements included:

  • Indexed pages growth
  • Query impressions and clicks
  • CTR changes after optimization
  • Technical issue monitoring

This documentation supports transparent reporting and long-term performance evaluation.

Key SEO Learnings

  • Google Search Console setup is foundational for any SEO project
  • Early data helps prevent long-term technical issues
  • Query-level insights improve content planning accuracy
  • Data-backed optimization leads to scalable organic growth

Next Steps 

Planned optimization activities include:

  • Creating content clusters based on GSC query data
  • Ongoing CTR testing for priority pages
  • Internal linking optimization
  • Performance comparison after 30, 60, and 90 days

Conclusion 

This case study highlights a structured, data-driven approach to Google Search Console setup and optimization. By establishing GSC at the start of the project, the website was positioned for sustainable organic growth backed by real search performance insights.