Google Search Console review: our take
Google Search Console is Google's own report of the queries, clicks, impressions and average position a site earns in Google Search. It is free and needs a Google account plus verified ownership of the site. Beyond the performance report it handles sitemap and URL submission, index coverage, URL inspection, Core Web Vitals, rich results and the sites linking in, with email alerts when indexing, spam or security problems appear.
Its limits are the verified site and Google itself: nothing about competitors, nothing from other search engines. For visitor numbers outside search, Clicky has a free plan for 1 website at 3,000 daily page views. Supermetrics, from €49 a month, pulls analytics and SEO data into Looker Studio or Sheets for teams that report across sources.
What Google Search Console does
Google Search Console reports a site's impressions, clicks, average position and the queries that bring users from Google Search. It lets owners submit sitemaps and individual URLs, review index coverage, inspect how Google crawls and serves a page, and receive alerts on indexing, spam and security issues. It also reports Core Web Vitals, rich results and the sites that link to yours.
Who Google Search Console is for
Best for
- site owners checking how Google indexes and ranks their site
- SEO specialists analysing queries, clicks and CTR
- developers fixing structured data and crawl errors
Not for
- competitor research: it only shows data for sites you have verified
- tracking rankings on search engines other than Google
Google Search Console features
- F1Performance report (Search Analytics)
- F2URL Inspection tool
- F3Sitemap and URL submission
- F4Index coverage review
- F5Email alerts on site issues
- F6Core Web Vitals report
- F7Rich Results reports
- F8Links report
Google Search Console pricing and plans (2026)
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly, per month | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Console | $0 | — | free; requires a Google account and verified ownership of the site |
Free plan: yes. Prices as listed by the vendor, before tax; they change, so check the pricing page before you buy.
Google Search Console interface
Google Search Console FAQ
- Is Google Search Console free?
- Yes. Google Search Console is free to use.
- What are the alternatives to Google Search Console?
- Tools that cover the same jobs include Bing Webmaster Tools, diib, Clicky, Supermetrics.