Best Practices for Analysing Google Search Console Metrics
For senior SEO managers: This guide is designed to help your team members quickly understand critical Google Search Console metrics, filling in their knowledge gaps efficiently. Google Search Console often displays only the top 10 data points. Always check for additional pages that might contain useful insights.
If there’s a sudden shift in metrics, determine the cause. Identify when the change occurred and assess whether it needs further investigation, corrective action, or ongoing monitoring. Often, product managers or developers will need to be consulted.
Knowing when updates go live can help correlate technical changes with fluctuations in Google Search Console data. Stay informed by joining development standups and reviewing release notes.
Don’t Rely on Just Two Data Points
Avoid the mistake of comparing only two points in time (such as last month’s end vs. the previous month). This approach overlooks the fluctuations that occurred throughout the month. Instead, observe trends over time to get the full picture.
Focus on One Metric at a Time
Google’s stacked bar charts can obscure fluctuations in individual metrics. Turn off other metrics in the display to focus on one at a time for clearer insights.
Save Charts for Future Reference
Google’s data retention is limited, so take screenshots and archive them. These records might be valuable for spotting long-term trends.
Regularly Record Data
Use spreadsheets to log key metrics at a consistent point each month. Daily data tracking is impractical unless you’re using an API, so a monthly snapshot is a good alternative.
Look Beyond the Top 10 Metrics
Google Search Console often displays only the top 10 data points. Always check for additional pages that might contain useful insights.
Investigate Significant Changes
If there’s a sudden shift in metrics, determine the cause. Identify when the change occurred and assess whether it needs further investigation, corrective action, or ongoing monitoring. Often, product managers or developers will need to be consulted.
Keep Track of Development Releases
Knowing when updates go live can help correlate technical changes with fluctuations in Google Search Console data. Stay informed by joining development standups and reviewing release notes.
Key Technical SEO Metrics to Monitor
Page Indexing Reports
These reports are fundamental for technical SEO, indicating whether your content is being indexed. Instead of just looking at the total indexed pages at the end of the month, track fluctuations over time.
Indexed Pages
A decline in indexed pages may indicate an issue affecting rankings. Turn off “Pages Not Indexed” in the report for a clearer view of indexed URLs.
Non-Indexed Pages
This metric shows the number of URLs Google knows about but hasn’t indexed. Isolating this metric can help identify underlying issues such as:
- 404 errors
- 5xx server errors
- Redirect problems
- Noindex tags
- Duplicate content
For many of my clients, these metrics remain stable, so I check trend lines quickly. If no significant fluctuations appear, there’s no need to investigate further.
Video Indexing
This section shows how many videos are indexed. A December 2023 update led to many videos being dropped from Google’s index. Track:
- Videos Indexed – Isolate this metric for clarity.
- Videos Not Indexed – Check for reasons Google rejected videos, such as missing thumbnails or unsupported formats.
If video SEO isn’t a current priority, you can skip this section.
XML Sitemap Errors
XML sitemaps are essential for search engines to crawl your site effectively. For small websites, issues here are rarely critical, but enterprise SEOs should monitor them closely. Steps to review:
- Confirm that each XML sitemap shows “Success.”
- Click into XML sitemaps to ensure all high-priority URLs are indexed.
- For large sites, focus on a few key sitemaps that represent various segments (e.g., country, language, business unit).
Mobile Core Web Vitals
Mobile performance is crucial for SEO. Google has higher expectations for mobile than desktop, making this an area of focus. Key metrics:
- Good URLs
- Poor URLs
- Needs Improvement URLs
This report can help developers identify performance bottlenecks by correlating changes in metrics with site updates. Historical trends are short-lived in Google Search Console, so exporting data regularly helps maintain a longer-term view.
Reasons for Poor Mobile Scores
Google provides reasons why certain pages don’t meet Core Web Vitals standards. While this doesn’t tell you how to fix them, it gives insight into common issues like:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) delays
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) problems
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) delays
Google Search Console also provides sample URLs with these issues, but for a complete list, you’ll need to extract data using the API.
Desktop Core Web Vitals
Desktop metrics function the same as mobile but are typically lower priority. However, B2B sites with predominantly desktop traffic should monitor these closely. Occasionally, mobile performance worsens while desktop improves, providing clues for developers to investigate.
Key metrics to watch:
- Good URLs
- Poor URLs
- Needs Improvement URLs
Rich Results from Schema
Schema markup enhances search listings with structured data features like breadcrumbs, FAQs, and product snippets. Google Search Console tracks these under “Enhancements.” Common schema-related reports include:
- Breadcrumbs
- FAQ markup
- Review snippets
- Product and merchant listings
Each enhancement has a report categorising valid, invalid, and problematic URLs. Monitoring these ensures structured data is correctly implemented and benefiting your organic search performance.
Final Thoughts
Google Search Console provides invaluable insights into website performance, but many SEOs overlook its full potential. You can proactively identify and resolve SEO issues by tracking these key metrics monthly before they become major setbacks.
