Leveraging Google Search Console: (+ 7 Powerful Optimisation Techniques)

Last Updated on 25 March 2025 by Stu Edwards

When your website is small, SEO feels simple. You publish content, track a few keywords, and watch your rankings improve.

But as your site grows, things get more complicated. More pages mean more opportunities, but also more challenges. Suddenly, rankings fluctuate, traffic drops without warning, and it’s harder to pinpoint what’s working and what’s not.

In fact, 96.55% of content gets no traffic from Google, often because of technical issues, weak internal linking, or under-optimised pages. Without the right insights, even great content can go unnoticed.

That’s why using Google Search Console (GSC) strategically is essential: it helps you identify hidden SEO opportunities and fix issues before they hurt your traffic.

In this guide, I’ll walk through seven powerful ways to use Google Search Console to improve SEO, from fixing indexing problems to optimising pages for higher rankings. Let’s get started.

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google that provides valuable data and insights to help website owners, marketers, and SEO professionals optimise their site’s performance in Google Search.

While many think of it as just a tool for monitoring rankings, its true power lies in understanding how Google interacts with your website—from crawling and indexing to identifying opportunities for improving search visibility.

Unlike Google Analytics, which focuses on user behaviour, GSC gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how Googlebot sees your site.

It reveals whether search engines can access your content efficiently, which keywords are driving impressions and clicks, and where technical issues might be preventing your pages from ranking as well as they should.

Using GSC regularly can help you diagnose SEO problems before they impact traffic, ensure your site is optimised for Google’s latest updates, and make data-driven improvements that help your pages gain more visibility in search results.

Who can use Google Search Console?

GSC is an essential tool for anyone managing or optimising a website, but its benefits extend beyond just SEO professionals.

• Website owners & business owners – Understand how people find your website in search, monitor search performance, and fix issues that could be limiting traffic.
• SEO specialists & marketers – Analyse keyword performance, optimise content, track CTR improvements, and identify ranking opportunities.
• Web developers – Troubleshoot crawling and indexing problems, identify mobile usability issues, and ensure structured data is implemented correctly.
• Site administrators – Detect security risks such as hacking attempts or malware, resolve server-related errors, and ensure smooth site operation.

Whether you’re running a small blog, an e-commerce site, or a large corporate website, GSC helps you bridge the gap between technical SEO and content strategy, ensuring your site is both discoverable and user-friendly.

What can you do with GSC?

Google Search Console offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help you improve your site’s visibility in search.

Beyond simply tracking rankings, it helps you fine-tune your site’s technical health, content strategy, and user experience.

Some of the key benefits include:

• Discover which keywords bring visitors to your site: See what search terms people are using to find your content, and uncover new opportunities to optimise for high-impression, low-CTR queries.
• Submit sitemaps & request indexing of new pages: Speed up discovery instead of waiting for Google to crawl new pages.
• Fix indexing and crawling errors: Identify issues like “Crawled – currently not indexed” or “Discovered – not indexed,” which could be preventing your pages from appearing in search results.
• Analyse mobile usability & Core Web Vitals: Check if your site meets Google’s performance standards for loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability—factors that directly impact rankings.
• Improve CTR on high-ranking pages: Some pages rank well but get fewer clicks than expected. Tweaking titles and meta descriptions can fix that.
• Find backlink and internal linking opportunities: See which external sites are linking to you and identify underlinked pages that need more internal links to boost authority.

You don’t need GSC to show up on Google. But if you use it the right way, you’ll get more than rankings: you’ll get more traffic, better engagement, and stronger SEO over time.

7 ways to use Google Search Console to improve SEO

SEO isn’t just about publishing content and hoping for the best. Like a well-tuned engine, every part of your site needs to work together—content, structure, and technical SEO—to get the best results.

The right approach means stronger rankings, better user experience, and more organic traffic over time.

By using GSC effectively, you can make smarter, data-driven decisions that push your site ahead.

Here are seven ways to use Google Search Console to improve SEO:

1. Push an already ranking article higher in SERPs by expanding keywords.

One of the easiest ways to boost rankings is to optimise for searches you’re already showing up in. Google Search Console helps you find keywords that bring traffic to your page—even ones you didn’t plan for.

If your page ranks for a keyword but doesn’t fully answer the searcher’s intent, you have an opportunity.

Adding a new section that directly addresses that query can increase engagement, improve rankings, and bring in more traffic.

To find these opportunities, open Google Search Console and go to Search results in the Performance tab.

Click on Pages and select the page you want to optimise.

Then, look at the Queries tab. This shows all the keywords your page ranks for. Look for keywords where your page is getting impressions but may not be fully answering the intent.

Once you’ve found a keyword, update your content by adding a dedicated section that directly answers the searcher’s question.

Then, track performance in GSC to see how your rankings and engagement improve.

2. Find new supporting content ideas to strengthen internal linking.

In the last section, we looked at improving a single page by expanding on the keywords it already ranks for.

This time, we’re taking it a step further: building out separate articles to support that page.

Google Search Console helps you spot these opportunities by revealing queries where your page gets impressions but ranks low.

These often indicate that users are looking for something slightly different from what your page offers.

By creating new, relevant content and linking it back to the original page, you:

✅ Give searchers exactly what they’re looking for
✅ Strengthen your SEO by helping Google understand the relationship between pages

To find supporting content ideas, open Google Search Console and go to Search results in the Performance tab.

Then filter the data for “Total impressions” and “Average position”.

Click on Pages and select the page you want to boost.

Then, switch to the Queries tab. Look for keywords where your page is getting impressions but ranks low—these often indicate a different intent.

Now ask yourself:

Can this keyword be covered in the main article, or does it deserve its own post?

If it needs a new article, write a focused post and internally link it to the original page.

Over time, this network of content will help boost rankings and improve search visibility.

3. Spot pages with poor internal links.

Internal links help Google connect the dots between your pages. They also make it easier for visitors to find relevant content.

But some pages don’t get enough internal links. When that happens, they’re harder for Google to rank, even if the content is solid.

Google Search Console helps you spot these underlinked pages so you can fix them.

Open Google Search Console and go to the Links report.

Look at the Internal Links section. Find pages with fewer than five incoming links—these might need a boost.

Now, check for topically related pages that could naturally link to them. Add links using clear, descriptive anchor text so both Google and your readers understand what the page is about.

Stronger internal links mean better rankings, a clearer site structure, and a smoother experience for your visitors.

4. Fix sitemap issues to help Google find your pages

A sitemap tells Google which pages to crawl. If it’s broken or outdated, some of your best content might never show up in search results.

Google relies on your sitemap to crawl and index pages efficiently. Issues such as broken links, outdated URLs, missing pages, or excessive redirects can lead to poor indexing. If Google can’t properly read your sitemap, some of your best content may never appear in search results.

Open Google Search Console and go to the Sitemaps report.

Look for errors like:

• “Couldn’t fetch” – Google can’t access the sitemap.
• “URLs not indexed” – Pages in the sitemap aren’t appearing in search.
• “Redirect errors” – Sitemap URLs lead to redirected pages.

If you see any issues, click on them for more details.

Then, update your sitemap to remove broken links, fix redirects, and make sure Google has a clear path to your most important pages.

5. Get more clicks from pages already ranking well

Ranking in the top spots on Google is great, but if no one clicks, it’s a missed opportunity. A low click-through rate (CTR) means people see your page in search results but aren’t convinced to visit.

Google Search Console helps you find these underperforming pages so you can fix them.

Open Google Search Console and go to Search results in the Performance tab.

Turn on Average CTR and Average position to spot high-ranking pages that get fewer clicks than expected.

Click on Pages and look for URLs in the top five positions but with a low CTR. Then, switch to Queries to see which keywords bring in impressions but not traffic.

Once you’ve identified a low-CTR page, check what’s competing for attention. Google the keyword and look at the search results—are ads, featured snippets, or image carousels taking up space? If so, your title and description need to work harder to stand out.

Here are 3 ways to improve them:

✅ Make the title more compelling: Use numbers, power words, or a fresh angle. Instead of “How to Improve SEO,” try “SEO in 2025: 5 Expert Strategies for Higher Rankings.”
✅ Match search intent: If searchers expect a tutorial, a sales-focused title won’t work. Adjust to meet their needs.
✅ Use structured data where possible: Adding FAQ or review schema can enhance your snippet, making it visually more appealing.

After updating your title and meta description, track the results in GSC. Even small tweaks can lead to more clicks, without changing your ranking.

6. Refresh underperforming pages to regain lost traffic

Even great content doesn’t rank forever. Over time, rankings drop, traffic slows down, and competitors take over. This can happen when content becomes outdated, Google updates its algorithm, or search intent shifts.

Google Search Console helps you spot pages that are losing traffic so you can refresh them and get back on track.

After opening Google Search Console and going to the Search results report, click on the Pages tab and compare performance over the last six months versus the previous six months.

Look for pages with a significant drop in clicks and impressions.

Once you find an underperforming page, click on it and check the Queries tab. This shows which keywords have lost traffic—revealing where you’ve lost ground and what searchers might be looking for instead.

Now, Google the target keyword and check the top-ranking results. Are competitors offering fresher information, better formatting, or more in-depth answers?

If so, your page might need:

✅ Updated information: Refresh outdated data, add new insights, and replace broken links.
✅ Expanded coverage: Answer additional questions related to the topic and fill content gaps.
✅ Better readability & structure: Improve formatting, use subheadings, and add bullet points to enhance scannability.
✅ Multimedia enhancements: Include relevant images, infographics, or videos to make the content more engaging.
✅ Stronger on-page SEO: Optimise the title, meta description, and internal links to reinforce relevance.

7. Identify pages worthy of backlinks to boost authority

Backlinks remain one of the most powerful ranking factors in SEO. When other websites link to your content, it tells Google your page is valuable and trustworthy.

But not every page on your site has the same chance of earning links—some pages naturally attract more attention than others.

Google Search Console helps you identify high-potential pages so you can promote them strategically.

Start by opening Google Search Console and going to the Links report.

Under External Links, check the Top Linked Pages list.

Pages with existing backlinks have already proven their value. Updating and repurposing these pages can help them attract even more links.

Next, go to the Search Results report under the Performance tab. Switch to the Pages view and look for pages with high impressions and clicks.

If a page gets a lot of traffic but has few backlinks, it’s an untapped opportunity. Cross-check these pages with the External Links report.

Pages with strong search performance but low link equity can benefit from active promotion.

To make these pages more link-worthy, consider:

✅ Adding unique insights: Include original research, expert opinions, or case studies.
✅ Updating data: Refresh outdated stats and references to keep content relevant.
✅ Using visuals: Infographics and data visualisations make your content more shareable.

Once optimised, promote these pages by reaching out to industry blogs, journalists, or relevant sites that might find them useful. Internally linking them from other high-authority pages on your site also helps search engines and users discover them faster.

Boost your SEO with Growth Minded Marketing

Google Search Console is a powerful tool, but knowing how to interpret and act on its insights is what separates average SEO from real growth.

At Growth Minded Marketing, we help businesses cut through the noise and implement data-driven SEO strategies that bring real results. From content optimisation to technical SEO, we ensure your site is fully optimised for search visibility.

Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Let’s talk.