If you run a blog and you’re serious about increasing traffic, ranking higher on Google, and understanding how your audience finds you, Google Search Console (GSC) is a must-have tool. The best part? It’s completely free and designed to give you powerful insights straight from Google itself.
In this guide, we’ll break down how to use Google Search Console step by step to grow your blog, improve your SEO, and get more readers every single month.
1. Set Up Google Search Console (If You Haven’t Already)
Before you can start using its features, you need to set up GSC.
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Sign in with your Google account: Go to Google Search Console.
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Add your blog’s domain: You can either use the "Domain" property type (recommended for complete data tracking) or the "URL prefix" property type.
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Verify ownership: Google gives several verification options — DNS verification (through your hosting provider), HTML tag verification, or even using Google Analytics if you have it connected.
✅ Why this matters: Without proper setup, you won’t be able to access valuable data like clicks, impressions, and keyword rankings that help you grow your blog.
2. Monitor Your Performance Report (Clicks, Impressions, CTR & Average Position)
The Performance Report is one of the most powerful features in GSC. It shows:
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Total Clicks – how many people clicked on your blog from Google search results.
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Impressions – how many times your blog showed up in search results.
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Average CTR (Click-Through Rate) – how many people clicked after seeing your post.
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Average Position – your ranking position on Google for a keyword.
💡 How to use it for growth:
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Identify which keywords bring the most traffic and create more content around them.
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Spot keywords where you rank on positions 5–15 and optimize your post to break into the top 3 (higher clicks!).
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Compare your CTR across posts and improve meta titles and descriptions for posts with low CTR.
3. Discover the Keywords You’re Already Ranking For
One of the biggest mistakes bloggers make is not knowing what keywords they’re actually ranking for. GSC solves this problem.
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Go to Performance > Search Results.
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Scroll down to see queries (keywords) that your blog appears for.
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Export the data for further analysis.
✅ Growth tip:
Use these keywords to update your old posts — add them to headings, include them naturally in your content, or write new posts around them. This is one of the fastest ways to boost organic traffic.
4. Fix Indexing Issues for Maximum Visibility
If Google can’t index your blog posts, they won’t appear in search results.
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Navigate to Indexing > Pages to see which URLs are indexed and which have issues.
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Look for errors like “Crawled – currently not indexed” or “Duplicate, submitted URL not selected as canonical.”
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Fix problems by ensuring your blog posts have proper internal links, unique content, and are submitted in your sitemap.
💡 Pro Tip: Resubmit fixed URLs using the URL Inspection Tool to speed up indexing.
5. Submit Your Sitemap for Better Crawling
A sitemap helps Google understand the structure of your blog and discover new posts faster.
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Go to Sitemaps in GSC.
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Enter your sitemap URL (usually
https://yourblog.com/sitemap.xml). -
Submit it and check for any errors.
✅ Why it matters: A good sitemap ensures that all your blog posts are discoverable, which can speed up rankings.
6. Analyze and Improve Mobile Usability
Most of your readers are likely browsing from mobile devices. If your blog isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re losing traffic.
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In GSC, go to Experience > Mobile Usability.
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Check for issues like “Text too small to read” or “Clickable elements too close together.”
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Fix these issues with responsive design, proper font sizes, and spacing.
💡 SEO Benefit: Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites, so improving mobile usability can boost rankings.
7. Use the Page Experience and Core Web Vitals Reports
Google uses page experience as a ranking factor. GSC gives you detailed reports on:
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Loading Speed (Largest Contentful Paint)
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Interactivity (First Input Delay)
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Visual Stability (Cumulative Layout Shift)
✅ Growth Strategy:
If any of these metrics are poor, optimize images, use a fast hosting provider, enable caching, and use a CDN (Content Delivery Network). A faster site = better user experience = more traffic.
8. Find and Fix Broken Links (404 Errors)
Broken links frustrate users and hurt SEO.
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Use the Coverage report to find 404 errors.
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Fix them by redirecting to a relevant post or updating the broken link.
💡 Pro Tip: Keeping your site clean of broken links improves user experience and can slightly improve rankings.
9. Identify Your Top-Performing Blog Posts
Knowing which posts bring the most traffic helps you focus your energy where it matters.
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Go to Performance > Pages to see which URLs have the most clicks.
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Update those posts regularly to keep them fresh.
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Add internal links from these posts to newer posts to pass link juice and boost SEO.
✅ Growth Hack: Turn top posts into lead magnets by adding email opt-ins and growing your subscriber list.
10. Track Your Blog’s Growth Over Time
One of the most motivating things you can do is track your blog growth month over month.
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Compare performance reports for different date ranges.
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Look at which keywords improved, which dropped, and why.
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Use these insights to double down on what’s working.
Final Thoughts
Google Search Console is not just a tool — it’s like a direct line to Google about your blog’s performance. By regularly using it to monitor performance, find ranking keywords, fix indexing issues, and improve user experience, you can significantly grow your blog traffic over time.
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