Are you using Google Search Console every week and still not seeing the results you expected? You’re not alone. Many website owners log in, check a few numbers, and leave. They miss powerful features hiding in plain sight. What if your most important SEO answers are already sitting inside GSC, but you just don’t know where to look?
One common mistake is treating GSC as a dashboard and not a decision-making tool. People check performance data, ignore the rest, and miss problems Google is already telling them about.
Another issue? The interface limits exports to 1,000 rows, but there’s a workaround through the Search Analytics API, which lets you pull 50,000 rows per day for deeper analysis.
Still, the biggest oversight is this: Google itself says GSC may show only 35% of a site’s performance data. That hits big websites the hardest. Imagine making SEO decisions based on one-third of the picture.
It’s time to change that.
What is Google Search Console and Why It’s Essential for SEO
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google. It shows how your website performs in Google Search. It helps you find issues, measure search traffic, and improve your visibility. But most users don’t go beyond the basic dashboard.
Here are a few reasons why GSC matters:
- See which queries bring traffic to your pages
- Discover how Google crawls and indexes your site
- Fix errors that block your rankings
- Submit sitemaps and monitor coverage
- Track Core Web Vitals and mobile usability
- Understand links to your website (both internal and external)
Many ignore features like regex filters, Discover insights, or crawl stats. These hold the real SEO gems. But let’s go deeper.
Hidden Features in Google Search Console You Should Be Using
Most people use GSC only to check clicks and impressions. That’s not enough. GSC offers more powerful tools, but they’re tucked away in tabs most skip. These are not fancy extras; they are essential for SEO performance.
1. Performance Report Filters You Didn’t Know Existed
Most users filter performance reports by query or page. But did you know you can use regex (regular expressions) to create advanced filters?
For example, you can track only queries starting with “how to” or compare branded vs non-branded search by combining or excluding certain patterns.
Tip: Try using this regex in the query filter: ^(?!brandname).* to exclude branded keywords. That shows you your true SEO performance.
Also, use filters to compare mobile vs desktop CTR, country-level clicks, or specific landing pages. All this can happen within one dashboard.
Export that data and run a deeper keyword gap analysis in Excel. This works better than many third-party tools that just guess.
2. URL Inspection Tool Advanced Uses
The URL Inspection Tool is not just for checking if a page is indexed.
Use it to:
- See when Google last crawled the page
- Check which canonical URL is selected
- Confirm that structured data is detected
- Spot blocked resources
If your page is updated but still showing old content in SERPs, use this tool to test the live version. If it’s correct, request indexing. If it’s wrong, check cache headers, robots.txt, or JavaScript rendering.
For new pages, request indexing right after publishing. Don’t wait days for bots.
3. Enhancements Tab: Structured Data Opportunities
The Enhancements tab helps you monitor structured data across your site. It shows errors, warnings, and valid entries.
Use this tab to:
- Validate product schema for eCommerce pages
- Fix missing fields in the FAQ schema
- Track sitelink search boxes, breadcrumbs, and events
Structured data helps you earn rich snippets. That means more visibility, higher CTR, and stronger trust.
Don’t just fix errors. Use this to test future schema, too. Use Schema.org + Google’s Rich Results Test before live launch.
4. Crawl Stats Report for Diagnosing Site Health
This report is hidden under Settings > Crawl Stats. It shows how often Googlebot visits your pages, response times, and download sizes.
Use cases:
- Spot sudden crawl drops after site changes
- Detect server issues if the response time spikes
- Check if resources (CSS/JS) are being crawled
Use this before major redesigns. After a site migration, crawl behavior often changes. Fix issues before rankings dip.
5. Video Indexing Report (for video SEO)
If your site uses videos, this report shows whether Google can index them.
It breaks down:
- Pages with videos indexed
- Pages where video wasn’t detected
- Thumbnail previews in search
Use structured data and video sitemaps. Make sure videos are above the fold and not blocked by lazy loading. Also, host important videos on YouTube and embed them with proper schema.
6. Discover and News Performance Reports
If you publish blog or news content, these reports show performance in Google Discover and News.
This is not shown in the default Performance tab.
Discover traffic works differently from search. Clicks may spike suddenly and then drop. Optimize titles, use high-res images, and avoid clickbait.
To appear in Google News, apply through Publisher Center. Track impressions and CTR over time.
7. Security & Manual Actions Tab
Manual penalties still happen. The only place Google tells you is this tab.
Also, this shows security issues like hacked pages or malware alerts. These kill rankings change overnight. Check weekly.
If flagged, clean the issue and request a review. Don’t panic. But don’t ignore either.
8. Link Report Insights
The Links tab shows:
- Top linked pages
- Top linking sites
- Internal linking distribution
Use this to:
- Build internal links to low-ranking but important pages
- Find natural backlinks worth replicating
- Spot spammy links for disavow consideration
GSC won’t show anchor text insights. But you can export links and analyse using Excel or Looker Studio.
Advanced Insights from the Coverage Report You’re Probably Missing
The Coverage report shows indexed, excluded, or error pages. Most users stop at fixing the red errors. But that’s surface level.
Look deeper:
- Pages marked as “Discovered – currently not indexed” show Google found the URL but didn’t index it. Possible reasons: thin content, crawl budget, internal linking.
- “Crawled–not indexed” means Google visited but found the page unworthy. Happens when content is poor or duplicates exist.
- A large number of “Soft 404s” may mean weak page templates or outdated content. These should be redirected or improved.
Export the list. Create a table of what to fix, redirect, rewrite, or remove. Don’t fix everything blindly. Check which ones get traffic.
Also, use this report after content pruning or site migration. Compare before and after effects.
Using GSC to Improve Core Web Vitals and Page Experience
Google now uses Core Web Vitals (CWV) as a ranking factor. GSC gives real data for:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
- FID (First Input Delay)
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
Check performance by mobile vs desktop. Use PageSpeed Insights to dig deeper.
Poor LCP? Compress images, use lazy loading, and reduce render-blocking scripts. High CLS? Avoid layout shifts. Reserve space for ads, images. High FID? Reduce third-party scripts, pre-load key assets.
Also, track Mobile Usability and HTTPS tabs under Page Experience.
You may fix CWV, but still fail rankings if real users don’t see improvements. Use Search Console to track CWV over 28-day rolling averages.
Uncommon GSC Use Cases for SEO Professionals
Many advanced SEOs use GSC creatively to uncover growth areas. Here are some examples:
| Use Case | Technique | Tip |
| Long-tail keyword grouping | Regex filters in query reports | Use `how, why, best’ to group intent |
| New content opportunity | Sort pages with low CTR but high impressions | Refresh title/meta and track impact |
| Device targeting | Compare CTR on mobile vs desktop | Optimize UX based on lower-performing side |
| Geo analysis | Filter by country-level data | Match content to regional search trends |
| Post-update recovery | Monitor keyword loss after updates | Map losses to content types |
| Internal link fixing | Check top-linked pages vs poor ranking ones | Rebuild internal links to priority pages |
Use these to build an audit checklist or even a Looker Studio dashboard.
How to Combine GSC Data with Google Analytics for Deeper Insights
GSC tells you what keywords bring users. Google Analytics (GA) shows what they do next.
Steps:
- Link GSC with GA in the Admin panel
- Use the Landing Pages report in GA with Search Console queries
- Match the bounce rate with poor CTR pages
Example: Page has 100k impressions, 1.2% CTR (GSC), and 85% bounce rate (GA)? Fix intent mismatch. Test meta title, add video, update content.
Also, compare conversion paths. Do GSC high-ranking pages actually convert?
Bonus: GSC Reports You Should Check Weekly (But Probably Don’t)
Some of the most ignored but useful tabs include:
- Manual Actions & Security Issues: Check for penalties
- Links Report: Spot weak internal link flow
- Mobile Usability: Watch for layout bugs
- Coverage: New errors after publishing
- Performance by Country/Device: Spot where you lose rankings
- Discover/News: Content reaches outside search
Make a Monday morning checklist. Spend 20 minutes. It’s better than fixing issues months later.
Final Thoughts
Google Search Console is more than a dashboard. It’s your control room. The more time you spend with it, the better your decisions get. It shows what’s working and what’s broken. But most people never explore beyond surface metrics.
Dig deeper. Use regex filters. Export data through APIs. Match GSC data with user behavior in Analytics. Fix the real problems, not just the errors it shows on the surface.
If all of this still sounds too much, don’t worry. We can help. At Rankfast, we audit, optimize, and manage Google Search Console for brands across India. Let us turn your data into results.
FAQs
1. How often should I check Google Search Console?
At least once a week. Daily, if you’re publishing often or in the middle of a site change.
2. Why does GSC show fewer queries than I see in GA or other tools?
Because GSC may show only about 35% of the total data. It filters low-activity queries and rounds off values.
3. Can I see the anchor text of backlinks in GSC?
No. GSC only shows linking pages. For anchor text, use Ahrefs or Semrush.
4. What to do if I see “Crawled – currently not indexed” pages?
Check internal links, improve content, and submit again. Google found it but didn’t index.
5. How to export more than 1,000 rows from GSC?
Use the Search Analytics API. You can extract up to 50,000 rows per day per site.
6. Can I fix Core Web Vitals using only GSC data?
No. Use it for tracking. For fixing, combine with PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse audits.
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