Short answer
Google Search Console is a free Google tool that shows how your website performs in Google Search. Setup takes about 20 minutes. It shows clicks, the searches you appear for, which pages are indexed and why others aren’t. Since 31 Aug 2026 it also has a Generative AI report worldwide. It’s Google’s own data, not an estimate.
- Search Console is free. You only need a Google account and access to your website or domain settings.
- Use a Domain property if you can. It covers every version of your site.
- Submit your sitemap once, then check the Pages report every month.
- Make sure you’re an owner, not just your web designer.
Make it about you. I’m a…
Jumps to the part that matters most for you. Nothing is hidden.
What is Search Console, and what isn’t it?
Google Search Console is Google’s free tool that shows how Google sees your website: which searches you appear for, how often people click, and which pages Google has indexed. It also emails you when something breaks. Google’s About Search Console page lists what it covers.
It isn’t Google Analytics. Analytics shows what people do on your site. Search Console shows what happens before they arrive. In June 2026 Google told site owners to treat Search Console as their main source, and said third-party SEO tools can’t see its ranking data.
More NZ businesses are looking for it: about 12,100 searches a month for “google search console” in Sept 2026, up about 49% on a year earlier (Google Ads keyword data for New Zealand).
How do you set it up and submit a sitemap?
You set up Search Console by signing in at search.google.com/search-console, adding your site as a property and verifying it, then submitting your sitemap once. Use your business’s Google account, not your designer’s. There are two kinds of property.
| Item | Domain property | URL-prefix property |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | Every version: http, https, www, no-www and subdomains | Only the exact address you enter |
| How you verify | Add a DNS TXT record at your domain provider | Upload a file, add a meta tag, or use Google Analytics or Tag Manager |
| Best for | Most businesses, if you can reach your domain settings | When you can’t change DNS settings |
- Domain property in 5 steps
- 1
Choose "Domain"1 min
Type your domain without www or https, e.g. yourbusiness.co.nz.
- 2
Copy the TXT record1 min
Google gives you a line of text starting with “google-site-verification”.
- 3
Add it at your domain provider5 to 10 min
Log in to the company that manages your domain’s DNS. Add a new TXT record and paste the text in.
- 4
Click Verify1 min
DNS changes can take a while to show. If it fails, wait an hour and try again.
- 5
Turn on email alerts1 min
Check that alerts go to an inbox you actually read.
Then submit your sitemap
A sitemap is a list of your pages for Google. Most sites have one at yourdomain.co.nz/sitemap.xml. Open that address in a browser first to check it loads.
In Search Console, open Sitemaps under Indexing. Type the sitemap address and click Submit. You want the status to say “Success”. You only need to do this once; Google rechecks it on its own. Google’s Sitemaps report help explains each status.
Which reports should a small business watch?
A small business should check the Performance and Pages reports every month, use URL Inspection after changes, and glance at Core Web Vitals every few months.
| Report | What it tells you | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Clicks, impressions, average position, and the searches you appear for | Monthly |
| Pages (indexing) | Which pages are on Google, and why others aren’t | Monthly |
| URL Inspection | Whether one page is on Google; lets you request indexing | After changes |
| Core Web Vitals | Whether pages load fast enough on phones | Every few months |
| Generative AI | Impressions in Google’s AI features, by page, country, device and date | Monthly |
In Performance, click Queries to see the actual searches. Look for your services and suburbs. If you appear for a search but rarely get clicked, your page title may need work.
New: pick several countries at once
Since 6 Oct 2026 (reported), the Performance report’s country filter lets you tick several countries and see their combined Google traffic. Before, you could only compare two side by side. Google’s filtering help explains it. Useful if you sell online to customers overseas.
Can Search Console show traffic from Google’s AI answers?
Partly. The Generative AI report shows how often your pages appeared in Google’s AI features: AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search, plus AI features in Discover. Google started it with a test group of sites on 3 Jun 2026 and rolled it out to all websites worldwide on 31 Aug 2026, according to Google’s announcement.
You’ll find it as a tab inside the Performance report. These impressions are also counted in your normal Performance totals. If the tab is missing, your site may not have enough data yet.
| Shows | Doesn't show (yet) |
|---|---|
| Impressions: how often your pages appeared in AI features | Clicks or click-through rate |
| Which pages, countries, devices (Search only) and dates | The questions people asked |
From Google’s Search Central blog, Jun 2026 (updated 31 Aug 2026). Google says it may add metrics over time.
Settings also has a Search generative AI control. It’s set to Include by default. Choosing Exclude keeps your pages out of AI Overviews and AI Mode, so you’d get no impressions or visits from them, as Google’s control help explains. We’d leave it on Include.
ChatGPT visits may show as "direct" in Analytics
Search Console only covers Google. ChatGPT visits show up in Google Analytics, usually tagged “chatgpt.com”. In mid Oct 2026 it was reported that ChatGPT links had stopped carrying that tag from early October, so those visits were counted as direct. The analyst later said it looked like a bug and the tag was back by 15 Oct (Search Engine Roundtable). OpenAI hasn’t confirmed it. If direct traffic jumped in October, this may be why.
Fixing “Crawled - currently not indexed” and friends
“Crawled - currently not indexed” means Google read the page and chose not to add it for now, and the usual fix is to make the page more useful and link to it from your other pages. The Page indexing report lists why pages aren’t indexed. Some reasons are normal, such as redirects. Others need a fix. Here are the ones small business sites see most.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Crawled - currently not indexed | Google read the page and chose not to index it, for now | Make it more useful and distinct. Link to it from other pages. Then wait. |
| Discovered - currently not indexed | Google knows the page but hasn’t read it yet | Common on new sites. Link to it internally and give it time. |
| Excluded by “noindex” tag | The page asks Google not to index it | Fine for thank-you pages. Remove the tag on pages you want found. |
| Blocked by robots.txt | Your robots.txt file stops Google reading it | Check yourdomain.co.nz/robots.txt for a stray “Disallow”. |
| Not found (404) | The page no longer exists | Redirect old addresses to the closest new page. |
| Page with redirect | The address forwards to another page | Normal. No action needed. |
Don't keep pressing "Request indexing"
Request indexing once after a real change, using the URL Inspection tool. Asking again and again doesn’t speed things up. Improving the page and linking to it does more.
Keep ownership in your name
You should be a verified owner of your own Search Console property, and anyone helping with your SEO should be added as a user, not given your password. Add them under Settings, then Users and permissions. Google’s help on owners, users and permissions explains each level.
If a past designer set it up, check you’re listed as an owner. If not, verify the site yourself with your own account. See who owns your website and domain.
Where Web Smart HQ fits
Business Plus ($899 + GST) includes Search Console setup, with your analytics set up in your name. Every site we build has a sitemap and robots.txt from day one. Packages start from $499 + GST on our pricing page.
Already have Search Console and not sure what it’s telling you? Try our free website check. We check 12 things and send you the three fixes that matter most, in plain English. For ongoing help, see SEO.