--- title: "Split Google Search Console reports by role and act on each one" description: "Give developers, marketers, and SEO leads their own Google Search Console reports, check schedule, and action list, plus three shared workflows." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/google-search-console-by-role" date: "2026-03-20" modified: "2026-09-25" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Real estate - Real estate - [Real estate](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - Work - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Prepare your six-question brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prepare-your-six-question-brief) - Build - [Site build, content library with SEO, signal desk](https://scalewithsearch.com/work) - For your business - Trades and home services - [Auto body and collision shops](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/auto-body-and-collision-shops) - [Foundation and home repair contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/foundation-and-home-repair) - 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A team adds the site to Google Search Console during launch week. Nobody opens it again. Six months later, organic traffic falls, and the team finds 400 pages that Google stopped indexing in March. Google Search Console (GSC) is free. It shows what happens in Google Search before a user reaches your site. The data covers queries, impressions, clicks, positions, index status, crawl errors, Core Web Vitals, manual actions, and security issues. Google Analytics cannot show this data, because Analytics starts when the visit starts. Each role needs different reports. Developers need crawl and index health. Marketers need traffic and link data. SEO leads need ranking opportunities. This article gives each role its reports, its check schedule, and its actions. ## Know what Search Console tracks Search Console reports six kinds of data: 1. Search performance: the queries and pages that get impressions and clicks, the click-through rate, and the average position. 2. Index status: the pages Google indexed, the pages it did not index, and the reason. 3. Crawl errors: technical problems that stop Google from reaching a page. 4. Core Web Vitals: loading speed, visual stability, and responsiveness from real Chrome users. 5. Manual actions: penalties that a Google reviewer applied for a policy violation. 6. Security issues: hacked content and malware warnings. ## Set up Search Console in five minutes 1. Go to `search.google.com/search-console`. 2. Select `Add property`. 3. Choose the property type. A Domain property covers all subdomains and protocols, for example `https://example.com`, `http://www.example.com`, and `m.example.com`. A URL-prefix property covers one protocol and one host, for example `https://www.example.com` only. 4. Verify ownership. For a Domain property, add a DNS TXT record at your DNS provider. A URL-prefix property also accepts an HTML file upload, an HTML meta tag, a Google Analytics account, or a Google Tag Manager container. 5. Wait 24 to 48 hours for the first data. Use a Domain property when you can. It needs DNS access, but it covers every version of the site. Then add your team. Open `Settings`, then `Users and permissions`, then `Add user`. Give each person the lowest role that lets them do the job: Owner, Full user, or Restricted user. ## Developers: keep the site crawlable and indexable The developer owns technical health. ### Page indexing report Path: `Indexing`, then `Pages`. This report shows two groups: indexed pages and pages that are not indexed. For each page that is not indexed, Google gives a reason. Some reasons are problems. Others are the result of your own directives, such as `noindex` or a canonical tag. Older guides call this the Coverage report and describe error and warning colors. The current report uses the reason list instead. Fix these reasons first: - `Server error (5xx)`: fix the host or the server configuration. - `Redirect error`: remove redirect chains and loops. Change A to B to C into A to C. - `Soft 404`: the page shows an error message but returns a 200 status. Return a real 404 or fix the page. - `Page with redirect`: ignore it if the redirect is intentional. If not, check the redirect rules. Then review these two reasons: - `Crawled - currently not indexed`: Google crawled the page and chose not to index it. Decide whether the page must rank. If it must, improve the content and add internal links. - `Discovered - currently not indexed`: Google knows the URL but has not crawled it. Add internal links and list the URL in the sitemap. Your homepage, product pages, and articles must be indexed. Admin pages, internal search results, and thin archives must stay out of the index through `noindex` or `robots.txt`. Check this report each week. A new problem usually means a recent release broke something. ### Crawl stats report Path: `Settings`, then `Crawl stats`. This report shows how often Googlebot requests pages, how much data it downloads, and how fast the server responds. Watch three numbers: total crawl requests, total download size, and average response time. Aim for a response time under 200 milliseconds. If crawl requests drop suddenly, check `robots.txt` for an accidental block. Then check server logs for 5xx errors, and confirm that the site is up. The [robots.txt and crawl budget guide](/articles/robots-txt-crawl-budget-developers) explains how blocks and crawl budget interact. If response time rises, improve server performance, add caching, or move to a faster host. If many requests end in errors, open the `By response` breakdown and find the failing URLs. Check this report each month, and at once when indexing problems appear. ### Core Web Vitals report Path: `Experience`, then `Core Web Vitals`. This report groups your URLs as good, needs improvement, or poor for mobile and desktop. It uses three metrics: | Metric | What it measures | Good threshold | |---|---|---| | Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | Loading speed | 2.5 seconds or less | | Interaction to Next Paint (INP) | Responsiveness to user input | 200 milliseconds or less | | Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | Visual stability | 0.1 or less | INP replaced First Input Delay as a Core Web Vital in March 2024. The report no longer shows First Input Delay. Select `Open report` to see the failing URL groups. To fix a poor LCP, compress images, serve WebP, and lazy-load images below the fold. Also reduce server response time, and remove render-blocking CSS and JavaScript. To fix a poor INP, reduce JavaScript execution time, debounce event handlers, and move heavy work to web workers. To fix a poor CLS, reserve space for images and ads with `width` and `height`. Do not insert content above existing content, and use `font-display: swap`. Test each fix with PageSpeed Insights at `pagespeed.web.dev` or with Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools. The [Core Web Vitals debugging guide](/articles/core-web-vitals-debugging) covers field and lab differences. Check this report each month, and fix high-traffic pages first. ### Sitemaps report Path: `Indexing`, then `Sitemaps`. If you have not submitted a sitemap: 1. Generate one. Most CMS platforms publish it at `/sitemap.xml`. 2. In Search Console, select `Add a new sitemap`. 3. Enter the sitemap path, for example `sitemap.xml`. 4. Select `Submit`. Check the status. `Success` means Google fetched and processed the file. `Couldn't fetch` means the sitemap URL is broken. `General HTTP error` means the server returned an error; check the server logs. Compare the number of URLs in the sitemap with the number Google discovered. If the sitemap has 500 URLs and Google shows 300, find the other 200. The usual causes are a `robots.txt` block, a `noindex` tag, or no internal links. Update the sitemap when you add pages, remove pages, or launch a new section. The [XML sitemap guide for developers](/articles/xml-sitemap-best-practices-developers) covers sitemap indexes and `lastmod` values. Check this report each month. ## Marketers: follow traffic and links The marketer owns traffic analysis and the link picture. ### Performance report Path: `Performance`, then `Search results`. The report shows four numbers for each query and page: clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), and average position. CTR is clicks divided by impressions. Position 1 is the top result. Work through four tabs: 1. Queries: sort by clicks and list the top 10 to 20 queries. Compare them with Google Analytics 4 to see which queries lead to conversions. 2. Pages: sort by clicks and list the top 10 landing pages. Check their conversion rates in Google Analytics 4. A high-traffic page with a low conversion rate needs conversion work. 3. Countries: find the countries that send the most traffic. A US business with large UK traffic can consider UK-specific content. 4. Devices: compare mobile and desktop CTR and position. Mobile CTR is often lower. If mobile is more than 60 percent of traffic, improve the mobile experience first. A query with many impressions and a low CTR needs a better title and meta description. Consider the query "best CRM for real estate" with 8,500 impressions, 340 clicks, a 4 percent CTR, and position 5. A better title that lifts CTR from 4 percent to 6 percent adds 170 clicks each month. Check this report each week. ### Links report Path: `Links`. The report shows your top linking sites, your top linked pages, and your top linking text. Backlinks are an authority signal, so pages with more backlinks tend to rank better. - Top linking sites: find patterns, such as industry publications or directories. If a strong site links to you once, pitch it for more coverage. Offer an interview, a guest article, or a partnership. - Top linked pages: compare with traffic. A page with 50 backlinks and no traffic probably has a technical or content problem. - Top linking text: check that anchor text matches your content. Spam anchors such as "buy cheap" plus a product name point to low-quality links. Review them with your SEO lead before you disavow anything. Check this report each month. ## SEO leads: find the ranking opportunities The SEO lead owns optimization. ### Performance report: three filters Path: `Performance`, then `Search results`, then `Queries`. Filter 1 finds CTR opportunities. Sort by impressions, then filter to a CTR under 2 percent. Rewrite the title and meta description for each query in the result. For example, "how to choose a CRM" has 12,000 impressions, 180 clicks, a 1.5 percent CTR, and position 8. The current title is "CRM Selection Guide - ABC Company". A better title is "How to Choose a CRM: A 7-Step Framework". If CTR rises to 3 or 4 percent, clicks rise to 360 to 480, about double. Filter 2 finds ranking opportunities. Sort by impressions, then filter to an average position above 10. These queries sit on page 2. Expand the content, add internal links, and earn links. For example, "CRM for real estate" has 5,000 impressions, 50 clicks, and position 14. Add use cases, feature comparisons, and original data, and earn 5 to 10 links from real estate blogs. A move to positions 6 to 8 in 8 to 12 weeks can bring 400 to 600 clicks each month. Filter 3 finds quick wins. Filter to positions 4 to 10. These queries are on page 1 but below the top three. A better title, stronger internal links, and two or three new links can move them up. CTR is much higher in the top three. Check this report each week. ### Page indexing report: content audit Path: `Indexing`, then `Pages`. Export the URLs with the reason `Crawled - currently not indexed`. For each page, decide whether it must be indexed. If yes, improve the content, add unique information, and add internal links from strong pages. Pages under 300 words are often too thin. If no, add `noindex` or remove the page from the sitemap. Export the URLs with the reason `Discovered - currently not indexed`. Add internal links to them, and use the URL Inspection tool to request a crawl for the most important ones. Then find orphan pages. Crawl the site with Screaming Frog and compare the result with the indexed pages in Search Console. An indexed page with no internal links is an orphan. Google probably found it through the sitemap. Link to it, or remove it with `noindex` or a redirect. Check this report each month. ### Enhancement reports: structured data Path: `Enhancements` (the report names depend on the markup Google finds on your site). Common reports include Product, Recipe, Video, and Breadcrumbs. To fix an error: 1. Open the report, for example `Product`. 2. Read the error, for example "Missing field". 3. Fix the markup on the affected pages. 4. Test the page with the Google Rich Results Test. 5. Request a new crawl with the URL Inspection tool. Add Product markup to product pages and VideoObject markup to video pages. The [structured data implementation guide](/articles/structured-data-implementation) covers each type. Two older recommendations no longer apply. In August 2023, Google limited FAQ rich results to well-known government and health sites. In September 2023, it removed How-to rich results. Check these reports each month. ### Manual actions report Path: `Security & Manual Actions`, then `Manual actions`. This report shows penalties from human reviewers, not algorithm changes. The common types are unnatural links to your site, unnatural links from your site, thin content, cloaking or sneaky redirects, and hacked content. If you have a manual action: 1. Read the description. It tells you what Google found. 2. Fix the cause. Disavow bad links with the disavow tool, improve or remove thin pages, or clean and secure a hacked site. 3. Submit a reconsideration request from the report. A reconsideration review usually takes one to four weeks. Most sites never receive a manual action, but a monthly check catches one early. ## Run three shared workflows ### Launch a new page The developer confirms that the page has no `noindex` tag and no `robots.txt` block, and that Core Web Vitals pass. The SEO lead adds the URL to the sitemap and uses the URL Inspection tool to request indexing. The marketer watches the Performance report for the first impressions in 7 to 14 days. ### Investigate a traffic drop The marketer finds the drop in Google Analytics 4 and confirms in Search Console that the drop is organic, not paid, direct, or referral. The SEO lead checks the Page indexing report for lost pages and the Manual actions report for penalties. The developer checks Core Web Vitals, reads server logs for 5xx errors, and confirms that `robots.txt` and the sitemaps are correct. ### Act on a ranking opportunity The SEO lead finds a query at positions 8 to 12 with many impressions and writes an optimization plan. The marketer confirms in Google Analytics 4 that the query leads to conversions. The developer adds the technical changes, such as markup or speed fixes. The SEO lead checks the position each week in the Performance report. ## Set a check schedule and know the limits Developers check errors each week and health reports each month. Marketers check traffic each week. SEO leads check performance data several times each week and look for opportunities each week. Search Console data arrives about two days late, so a daily check shows little new. Search Console and Google Analytics never match exactly. Search Console counts clicks in search results. Analytics counts sessions after the visit starts. Blocked scripts, bot filters, and redirects all cause differences. The [Search Console API guide for data teams](/articles/search-console-api-data-teams) shows how to join the two sources. Search Console does not show conversions. Connect it to Google Analytics 4 to estimate SEO return. It keeps 16 months of data, so export the data on a schedule if you need a longer history. 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Scale With Search 2026 [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com) ```