How to Set Up Google Search Console for Your New Website

Google Search Console (GSC) is the direct line between your website and Google. It tells you which search queries bring visitors to your site, which pages Google has indexed, and whether there are any technical issues preventing your pages from appearing in search results. It is free, essential, and takes under 15 minutes to set up.

Step 1: Create a GSC Property

Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with your Google account. Click Add property and choose between two property types:

• Domain property — covers your entire domain including all subdomains and both HTTP and HTTPS. This is the recommended option.
• URL prefix property — covers only URLs that begin with the specific prefix you enter.

Step 2: Verify Ownership

Google needs to confirm you own the domain before granting access to its data. The recommended verification method for a Domain property is DNS record verification:

• Google gives you a TXT record to add to your domain's DNS settings
• Log into your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, BigRock, etc.)
• Add the TXT record to your DNS configuration
• Return to GSC and click Verify

For Draftly sites, you can also use the HTML tag verification method: Google gives you a meta tag to add to your site's ``. Open Draftly's SEO settings, find the Custom head code field, and paste the meta tag there. Read How to Use Draftly's Built-In SEO Panel for detailed instructions.

Step 3: Submit Your Sitemap

After verification, go to Sitemaps in the left sidebar and enter your sitemap URL. Draftly automatically generates a sitemap at `yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml`. Submitting this tells Google the full structure of your site and accelerates indexing.

Step 4: Request Indexing for Key Pages

Do not wait for Google to discover your pages organically. Use the URL Inspection tool:

• Enter your homepage URL in the search bar at the top
• Click Request Indexing
• Repeat for your most important pages (services page, about page, blog posts)

What to Monitor in GSC

Performance report: Shows clicks, impressions, average position, and CTR for every query your site appears for. Review this weekly once your site has been live for a month.

Coverage report: Shows which pages Google has indexed and which have errors. A page with a "Not indexed" status needs investigation.

Core Web Vitals report: Shows how your pages perform on the three key speed and experience metrics. Any pages showing "Poor" status need immediate attention. For more detail, read Core Web Vitals for 3D Websites Guide.

Manual actions: If Google has penalised your site for any reason, it will show here. Check this whenever you make significant changes to your site.

Connecting GSC to Google Analytics

Link your Google Search Console property to your Google Analytics 4 account to see search performance data alongside user behaviour data. Go to GSC → Settings → Associations → Google Analytics.

For more on setting up Google Analytics on your Draftly site, read How to Set Up Google Analytics on Your Draftly Site.