Let’s face it: Turning uncooked knowledge into actionable insights might be as cryptic as decoding historical hieroglyphics, particularly for the website positioning rookies in your crew.
That’s the problem I addressed in my SMX Superior 2024 session.
Didn’t catch it? No worries. I’m recapping all of it on this article collection, one juicy nugget at a time. That is Half 2, so should you missed Part 1, test it out.
Prepare for a fast overview of key technical SEO metrics to trace in Google Search Console. Evaluate your checklist with mine – you would possibly spot one thing your website positioning crew has missed.
Senior website positioning managers: This text is in your technical website positioning newcomers. It explains how I might introduce Google Search Console metrics to bridge their data gaps rapidly.
High suggestions for Google Search Console metrics
- Don’t restrict comparisons to simply two knowledge factors: Keep away from evaluating simply two time limits (finish of final month vs. prior month). It’s like two photographs and lacking the entire film – particularly the drama within the center. It is a widespread mistake I see when upskilling SEOs to develop into superior SEOs. It is advisable to have a look at the ups and downs all month.
- Deal with one metric at a time: When trying on the stacked bar charts, have a look at every metric individually. Google likes to stack knowledge in bar charts, typically making fluctuations simpler to miss. This implies you’ll flip off metrics to deal with every technical website positioning metric separately.

- Save charts for later: Screenshot the charts and tuck them away for future reference. Google’s knowledge solely goes again a couple of months, however these photos could also be gold down the road.
- Report knowledge usually: Seize metrics in a spreadsheet that may be calculated in formulation. Select a time limit, since getting each day knowledge isn’t lifelike until you’re utilizing the API. Take into account a date on the finish of every month. It’s not very best, nevertheless it’s one thing that can be utilized compared charts to search for correlations.
- Verify for extra metrics: Many experiences present simply the highest 10 metrics by default. At all times test the underside proper of your display. Extra insights is likely to be hiding on web page two. Don’t miss out.


- Examine adjustments rigorously: Each main shift calls so that you can play detective. Pin down what date the metrics modified and decide if it’s one thing to research, appropriate, overlook or monitor intently. Chances are high, you’ll have to loop in product administration or the dev crew for solutions.
- Monitor tickets in every web site launch: Realizing what went reside and when can be extraordinarily useful for correlating adjustments to fluctuations in Google Search Console knowledge. Product managers and builders can’t be bothered explaining doable causes of each little blip within the knowledge. Keep plugged into what dev is doing and when it’s going reside. This implies it is best to be a part of the dev standups and browse the discharge notes.
Let’s zero in on the important technical website positioning metrics in Google Search Console.
Web page indexing
These experiences are the bread and butter of each technical website positioning. The Web page indexing part of Google Search Console tells you in case your content material is making it to the SERPs.
However don’t simply look on the numbers. Dig deeper than the tip of the month numbers. Search for fluctuations over time, not only a snapshot of at some point on the finish of the month.
Pages listed
This one appears simple, proper? In case your listed pages go down, you might have fewer URLs rating over time. That’s often an issue.
Too many SEOs miss fluctuations in these Google Search Console charts by trying on the default view.
This causes the mixture of non-indexed and listed pages within the chart muddy the waters, inflicting you to overlook what is going on. As a substitute, flip off Pages not listed to have a look at listed pages alone.


Pages not listed
This depend reveals what number of URLs Google is aware of about however hasn’t listed. Keep in mind to toggle off Pages listed for a clearer view of what really occurred over time.
Why pages will not be listed
Right here’s the place the sleuthing kicks in as a result of you may dive into why pages aren’t listed. This part permits you to dig deeper and uncover why these pages aren’t getting listed, together with a listing of causes and instance URLs.
The most typical culprits embrace:
- 404 errors.
- 5xx errors.
- Redirect errors.
- Noindex tags.
- Duplicate content material.
I ignore loads of the standard suspects – until that fourth column pattern line begins shifting.
For my purchasers, these metrics hardly ever budge. So I spend three seconds or much less trying on the pattern line. If issues are trending effectively and there aren’t any fluctuations, then transfer on.


The metrics that solely get three seconds or much less reviewing for main pattern line fluctuations:
- Crawled – at present not listed.
- Found – at present not listed.
- Blocked by robots.txt.
- Tender 404.
- Blocked on account of different 4xx subject.
Be aware: Your Google Search Console won’t present each doable motive for pages not being listed as a result of solely the problems your web site really faces make it to your checklist of explanation why pages aren’t listed. That stated, most enterprise corporations will see all (or almost all) of the explanations above.
Movies listed
That is the place Google breaks down what number of movies are listed.
Within the video mode replace on Dec. 4, 2023, many movies have been booted from the index for numerous causes, which you can see on this part.
- Movies listed: This tally reveals what number of of your movies are within the Google index. Keep in mind to isolate this metric within the chart – change off Pages not listed.
- Movies not listed: This depend exhibits what number of movies didn’t make it into Google’s index. Keep in mind to test this metric solo within the chart – flip off ‘Pages Not Listed’.
Tip: If video indexing isn’t in your website positioning roadmap, skip these metrics.
Why movies will not be listed
That is one other place to determine why Google has rejected your content material (on this case, movies).
Google makes it very clear what should be completed to get your movies listed, and lots of the causes are technical website positioning motion objects.
The most typical culprits embrace:
- Video will not be in the primary content material of the web page.
- Can’t decide video place and measurement.
- Thumbnail is lacking or invalid.
- Unsupported thumbnail format.
- Invalid thumbnail measurement.
- Thumbnail blocked by robots.txt.
(View Google’s complete list of reasons.)
Tip: If video indexing isn’t in your website positioning roadmap, you may breeze previous these metrics. Sadly, many corporations’ video website positioning efforts have been sidelined by different priorities and if that is you, then you may most likely skip this part till you’re able to take motion on video website positioning.
Dig deeper: How to use Google Search Console to unlock easy SEO wins
XML sitemap errors
XML sitemaps are search engine gas, full of essential indicators. For small websites, points right here sometimes don’t create issues.
Enterprise SEOs, watch these like a hawk – any glitches can stop new URLs from being crawled, create hreflang tag confusion for search engines like google and forestall search engines like google from catching updates and crawling contemporary content material.
- Affirm every XML sitemap says “Success.”




- XML sitemaps that index excessive precedence pages, affirm all URLs are listed.
How to do that:
- Go go the XML sitemaps web page.
- Click on on the XML sitemap to look at.
- Web page refreshes.
- Click on on the “Web page Indexing” or “Video Web page Indexing” hyperlink.


- Web page refreshes.
- You’ll see the URLs listed from the XML sitemap you’re analyzing.
Suggestions:
- For enterprise websites with tons of of XML sitemaps, determine bellwether XML recordsdata to observe – these replicated throughout international locations, languages or divisions. Since they’re templated, you might be able to skip reviewing tons of each month.
- If the variety of listed pages drops considerably, you should use these experiences to assist work out which a part of the positioning will not be listed. This turns into significantly helpful if XML sitemaps are bokeh into URLs for a specific listing, nation, template, class, enterprise line, and so on.
Cell Core Internet Vitals
Cell Core Internet Vitals are crucial for website positioning and deserve essentially the most consideration. Google additionally has a lot increased expectations for these URLs, so that is the place you’ll focus most of your Core Internet Vitals consideration.
It is a report I like builders to see usually, as a result of you may see how URLs are flipping between the metrics and on which date. This can assist you troubleshoot by coordinating these dates with adjustments on the positioning, CMS, DAM, community, and so on.
Metrics to observe:
- Cell good URLs.
- Cell poor URLs.
- Cell wants enchancment URLs.


The historic chart is nice for fast traits, nevertheless it’s restricted to a brief window. For the larger image, drop the info right into a spreadsheet and construct your individual chart.
You’ll typically discover that issues look high-quality now, however 5 or 6 months in the past, the metrics have been much better – don’t let that slip previous you.
Tip: It is a good report for growth to see regularly. Take into account a daily metrics readout cadence with growth to debate what’s happening and evaluate it with what they know is going on in releases, server upkeep, third-party code and extra.
Why cell URLs don’t have a ‘good’ Core Internet Vitals rating
This knowledge explains why specific URLs aren’t thought of good by Google. Sadly, it doesn’t let you know learn how to handle the issue (that requires you to do a Core Internet Vitals audit).
In these metrics, you’ll get:
- The depend of URLs scoring low in any of the core internet vitals audit.
- A useful checklist of instance URLs, thoughtfully grouped by Google based mostly on related points. Sadly it’s not all URLs with related points, bit’s sufficient that will help you spot patterns and determine areas for enchancment.
Metrics to observe on this report:
- LCP subject: longer than 2.5s (cell)
- LCP subject: longer than 4s (cell)
- CLS subject: greater than 0.1 (cell)
- CLS subject: greater than 0.25 (cell)
- INP subject: longer than 200ms (cell)
- INP subject: longer than 500ms (cell)
Builders often want extra than simply metrics. They need the total checklist of URLs with low scores.
Fortunately, Google offers you and your devs pattern URLs to judge, although it’s not the great checklist they crave. To dig deeper for extra URL examples, faucet into the Google Search Console API for extra knowledge.
Suggestions:
- Embrace these in your common metrics readout with growth.
- The historic chart is useful for fast traits, nevertheless it’s bought a brief reminiscence. For the total image, toss the info right into a spreadsheet and chart it your self. Don’t let these historic highs and lows slip into the shadows. Even higher should you grap the chart photos as a result of your spreadsheet seemingly gained’t have metrics displaying day-to-day fluctuations all through every month.
Desktop Core Internet Vitals metrics
That is precisely the identical as cell. Normally, I give this a fast gander, however more often than not is spent on cell core internet vitals metrics.
What is commonly attention-grabbing within the desktop metrics is correlations between metrics enhancing in desktop, however getting worse on cell gadgets. It is a good place for growth to determine why cell metrics bought worse, however desktop improved.
Metrics to observe:
- Desktop Good URLs.
- Desktop Poor URLs.
- Desktop Wants Enchancment URLs.
Why Desktop Core Internet Vitals metrics are low
Frankly, this isn’t a precedence for the websites I work on. Not that I by no means have a look at them, however within the grand scheme of issues we prioritize fixing cell points, anticipating that fixing cell points will repair desktop points.
For a couple of of my B2B enterprise purchasers, with a primarily desktop-focused viewers, we dial up the eye on these metrics to ensure nothing slips via the cracks:
- LCP subject: longer than 2.5s (desktop)
- LCP subject: longer than 2.5s (desktop)
- CLS subject: greater than 0.25 (desktop)
- CLS subject: greater than 0.1 (desktop)
- INP subject: longer than 200ms (desktop)
- INP subject: longer than 500ms (desktop)
Wealthy outcomes from Schema
Including Schema markup to your web site unlocks particular options that improve your natural listings, resembling breadcrumb hyperlinks, product info and extra.
In Google Search Console, URLs with code supposed to set off these SERP enhancements are tracked in a bit referred to as “Enhancements.”
The checklist of “Enhancements” listed in Google Search Console will differ based mostly, in your web site’s setup. Listed here are the commonest enhancements you’ll seemingly see:
- Breadcrumbs.
- FAQ.
- Assessment Snippets.
- Movies.
- Unparsable Structured Knowledge.
- Product Snippets.
- Service provider Listings.
- And extra.
Every of those enhancements have a report indicating the variety of URLs which can be legitimate, invalid and points to deal with.
What’s subsequent?
Now that you’ve the important thing Google Search Console metrics, ensure you observe them usually (month-to-month works finest).
Keep in mind to drop these metrics right into a spreadsheet. Google’s restricted historic knowledge would possibly depart you hanging while you want these insights down the highway.
Within the subsequent article of this collection, I’ll present you a couple of metrics tucked away within the “settings” part of Google Search Console that few SEOs discuss, however I wish to regulate.
Dig deeper: 3 underutilized Google Search Console reports for diagnosing traffic drops
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