Google Search Console.
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google that shows website operators how their pages perform in Google Search — including clicks, impressions, rankings, and technical issues.
Google Search Console — Explained in Detail
Google Search Console (GSC, formerly 'Google Webmaster Tools') is the most important free SEO tool available. It shows you directly from Google: which search terms your pages appear for (impressions), how often they're clicked (clicks and CTR), at which average position your pages rank, and which technical issues Google finds when crawling your website.
The most important GSC reports for SMEs: The Performance report shows search terms, clicks, and rankings over the last 16 months. The Coverage report identifies indexing issues. The Core Web Vitals report shows loading time problems. Sitemap management allows submitting XML sitemaps. The URL Inspection tool shows how Google sees a specific page. In 2026, GSC also shows data on AI Overviews and Rich Results.
For Swiss SMEs, DLM Digital recommends setting up Google Search Console as the very first SEO tool — even before paid tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. GSC provides the most reliable data since it comes directly from Google. Analyze monthly: which pages bring the most traffic, which keywords have potential (many impressions, few clicks), and whether technical issues exist.
Related Page
SEO StrategiesFrequently Asked Questions About Google Search Console
Yes, Google Search Console is completely free. You only need to verify ownership of your website — most easily via DNS record or HTML tag. There is no premium version and no hidden costs. GSC is recommended for every website, regardless of size.
The most important data: search terms (which keywords your page appears for), clicks and impressions (how often it's clicked vs. displayed), average position (where your page ranks), click-through rate (CTR), indexing status (which pages Google has indexed), Core Web Vitals (loading time evaluation), mobile usability, and structured data (Rich Results).
For SMEs, we recommend: Weekly, check the Performance report for traffic changes. Monthly, check indexing issues and Core Web Vitals. Quarterly, conduct a detailed keyword analysis: Which keywords have many impressions but few clicks? Those are optimization opportunities — better meta titles and descriptions can significantly increase CTR.
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