What Search Console shows and how it differs from analytics
Google Analytics or Yandex Metrica tells you what visitors do after they arrive. Search Console covers the step before the visit: how often your site appeared in Google results, for which searches, and how many people clicked. For a shop in Tashkent, that is the difference between “nobody searches for us” and “people search, but pick a competitor”.
One caveat: it only covers Google Search. Traffic from Instagram, Telegram, OLX or Uzum will not show up here, so these reports complement your general analytics rather than replace it.
How to set up Google Search Console properly
Add your site as a domain-level property and verify ownership with a DNS record. That way every variant of the address, with and without www, http and https, is collected in one place. If the site was built on a website builder and you cannot reach DNS settings, a meta tag or a file on the server will also work.
Data only accumulates from the moment of verification, and history cannot be recovered later. Connect the tool before launch or right after it. Also make sure you hold owner rights yourself, not only your contractor: otherwise, changing agencies can cost you access to your own statistics.
The Performance report: your main weekly view
It has four metrics: impressions, clicks, click-through rate and average position. You can break them down by query, page, country and device. Compare the latest week with the one before, and in seasonal niches also with the same period last year. Demand for gifts before Navruz or school uniforms at the end of summer shifts on its own, and that is no reason to panic.
What to look at first:
Example: a clinic notices that its ultrasound page appears often but rarely gets clicked. The cause is frequently a title with no district and no clear offer. Rewrite the title, then compare click-through rate over two equal periods a couple of weeks later. The conclusion rests on evidence, not a hunch.
- Did clicks drop sharply? A fall within a few days is a reason to check indexing and Google messages
- Which queries are growing? They may deserve a dedicated page or article
- Pages with many impressions but few clicks usually have a weak title or snippet
- Queries sitting just below the first page: a small boost to the page can bring noticeable growth
Indexing and the URL Inspection tool
The indexing report answers which pages Google knows about and why some are excluded. Statuses such as “Crawled, currently not indexed” or “Duplicate” are not always a problem: service pages and catalog filters do not need to appear in search. It becomes worrying when service pages and product cards that should bring customers end up on the excluded list.
URL Inspection shows, for a specific address, whether the page is indexed, when it was last crawled and which canonical URL Google chose. After a major edit or the launch of a new section you can request indexing. On a bilingual Russian and Uzbek site, also check that the language versions do not conflict or get treated as duplicates of each other.
Page experience and links
The Core Web Vitals report relies on real visitor data and shows speed and visual stability separately for phones and desktops. Many customers open sites on a smartphone and not always on a fast connection, so heavy images and slow loading cost you enquiries directly.
The Links section needs a look about once a month. It shows which sites link to you and which pages receive the most internal links. If an important service page is barely connected to the rest of the site, add links to it from the menu, articles and catalog.
Messages and manual actions
Google uses messages to warn you about serious issues: security problems, manual actions for violations and sharp changes in indexing. Check the manual actions and security sections separately. Send notifications to an email inbox that someone actually reads. Alerts going to a former webmaster’s address are a common reason problems are noticed far too late.
Your weekly minimum and what to do with the data
The whole routine fits into a short list:
Write down your conclusions and actions: what you changed, on which page and when. After a month it becomes clear what worked. Numbers alone do not grow a business. They become valuable when tied to decisions: which pages to strengthen, which services to promote, where to back up search with paid ads.
If you need to connect Search Console data with advertising, your website and sales in one strategy, the markdev team can help set priorities and build a work plan. Get in touch and we will talk through your task.
- Clicks and impressions compared with the previous period
- Queries that are rising or falling
- New indexing errors
- Messages from Google
FAQ
Is Google Search Console free?
Yes, the tool is free. You only pay if you hand data analysis and implementation of fixes to a specialist or agency.
Will data appear right after I connect the site?
No. Collection starts once ownership is verified, and reports fill in gradually. That is why it is best to connect it as early as possible.
Do I need Search Console if my site has little traffic?
Yes. On a small site it helps you notice sooner that new pages were not indexed and shows which searches already lead people to you.
Does Search Console replace Google Analytics?
No, they answer different questions. Search Console shows what happens in Google Search before a visit, while analytics shows what visitors do on the site itself.
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