Google Search Console (GSC) is an invaluable tool for any website owner or digital marketer. It provides insights into how your site is performing in Google search, highlights potential issues, and offers actionable data to improve your SEO strategies. Tracking the right metrics on a monthly basis helps ensure that your website remains optimized, relevant, and competitive in the ever-changing world of search engines.
Here are the essential Google Search Console metrics you should be tracking monthly:
1. Total Clicks
The total clicks metric shows how many users clicked on your website’s link from Google search results. Monitoring this metric monthly is crucial because it indicates how well your content is resonating with searchers. Consistent increases in clicks often mean your content is ranking higher and becoming more relevant to users’ queries.
Why Track It?
Tracking clicks helps you understand if your SEO efforts are driving more traffic to your site. If the number of clicks is increasing month over month, it’s a sign that your site’s visibility and relevance are improving.
2. Total Impressions
Impressions represent how often your website appears in Google’s search results, regardless of whether a user clicks on it or not. Analyzing impressions alongside clicks gives you a fuller picture of your site’s visibility and can highlight keyword opportunities.
Why Track It?
A rise in impressions means your website is appearing in more searches, even if the clicks are not increasing at the same rate. It might also mean your rankings for specific keywords are improving, but perhaps you’re not targeting the right audience.
3. Average CTR (Click-Through Rate)
CTR is the ratio of clicks to impressions, expressed as a percentage. A high CTR means that people find your result compelling enough to click on, whereas a low CTR suggests room for improvement in your title tags, meta descriptions, or content relevancy.
Why Track It?
Monitoring CTR helps you determine how attractive your search snippets are. A falling CTR could indicate that your meta descriptions or title tags need optimization, even if impressions remain high.
4. Average Position
The average position metric shows the average ranking of your website for the keywords it’s appearing for in Google Search. This is critical because higher rankings generally lead to higher traffic.
Why Track It?
Knowing where you rank on average helps you assess how competitive your site is in search results. A higher average position (closer to 1) generally correlates with higher clicks and engagement.
5. Top Queries
GSC shows the keywords that bring traffic to your website. Monitoring top queries can reveal which search terms are most valuable and if new opportunities for content creation or optimization exist.
Why Track It?
By analyzing which keywords generate the most traffic, you can optimize existing pages or create new content tailored to popular queries, increasing your chances of ranking higher.
6. Top Pages
This metric shows which of your web pages are performing best in search results. By identifying your top-performing pages, you can optimize similar content or identify which topics are driving the most traffic.
Why Track It?
Regularly reviewing top pages allows you to see what content is resonating with your audience and if there are any declining trends that require attention. You can also repurpose or expand on content that is performing well.
7. Mobile Usability
Mobile usability highlights any issues users might face when accessing your website from a mobile device. As mobile traffic grows, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is crucial for both user experience and rankings.
Why Track It?
A mobile-friendly website is a ranking factor for Google. Monthly monitoring ensures you catch and resolve any mobile usability issues that could negatively impact your rankings or user experience.
8. Core Web Vitals
Google uses Core Web Vitals to measure the user experience, focusing on loading speed (Largest Contentful Paint), interactivity (First Input Delay), and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift). These are crucial for ranking and for providing a positive user experience.
Why Track It?
If your Core Web Vitals aren’t meeting Google’s standards, you may face a ranking drop. Tracking these metrics monthly ensures you can promptly address any issues before they negatively affect performance.
9. Index Coverage
Index coverage reports show which of your site’s pages are being indexed by Google and which are experiencing issues. Pages with errors may not appear in search results, reducing your site’s visibility.
Why Track It?
Monitoring index coverage allows you to identify any pages that are excluded from the index due to errors, warnings, or manual actions, ensuring your important pages remain visible in search results.
10. Sitemaps and Submitted URLs
Regularly tracking your sitemap submissions and the indexing of submitted URLs is important to ensure that Google is efficiently crawling and indexing your site. It also lets you check if there are any issues with your submitted sitemaps.
Why Track It?
By ensuring your sitemap is correctly updated and submitted, you enhance the chances of all your important pages being crawled and indexed. Monthly checks help you catch any issues early.
11. Backlink Data
Google Search Console provides information on the backlinks your website receives. Backlinks are essential for SEO as they improve your domain authority and help search engines see your site as a trusted resource.
Why Track It?
By analyzing backlink data, you can assess the quality and quantity of links pointing to your site, discover new linking opportunities, or disavow spammy or low-quality backlinks that could hurt your rankings.
Conclusion
Tracking the right metrics in Google Search Console on a monthly basis is crucial to maintaining and improving your website’s search engine performance. By focusing on clicks, impressions, CTR, rankings, mobile usability, and other vital indicators, you’ll be better equipped to fine-tune your SEO strategy and ensure your site remains competitive in the Google landscape.
By staying on top of these essential GSC metrics, you’ll not only boost your search rankings but also improve user experience, drive more traffic, and ultimately achieve your digital marketing goals.