Track local SEO progress with Search Console

Record a starting point

Choose a date range and note the pages that matter most to enquiries. Write down clicks, impressions and the queries shown for those pages. Also record your own calls or form enquiries separately.

1. Open Performance → Search results for the correct website property.
2. Compare equal periods, such as the last complete 28 days against the preceding 28 days. Check seasonal differences before interpreting the change.
3. Filter to one important page, then review its queries. Keep the search type and other filters consistent.

This is a suggested review routine, not a Google requirement. Check the latest complete data rather than making decisions from a partial day.

Read the measures carefully

Clicks show visits from Google Search and impressions show when your result appeared. A change in either measure can reflect seasonality, demand or changes to a page. Do not treat one short period as proof of a cause.

• CTR: clicks divided by impressions. An illustrative 20 clicks from 1,000 impressions gives 2% CTR; it is not a performance benchmark.
• Average position: an average of your topmost result, not a fixed rank every customer sees.
• Scope: this report measures website search performance, not a complete Business Profile calls or Maps visibility report.

Keep enquiry counts separate. A search click is not proof of a lead, and missing query detail is not evidence that nobody searched.

Find one useful action

Look for a relevant page with queries that match its service but leave a customer question unanswered. Improve clarity, examples or contact details. Record what you changed and when.

Repeat a modest review

Return after enough time for fresh data, using comparable date ranges. The Search Console Performance report guide explains the measures and filters. Use the workbook to log a baseline, actions and follow-up checks.

Worked example: choose one next action

Suppose a service page receives impressions for a relevant local query but few clicks. Inspect the query, the page title and the actual page. If the title promises a service the page barely explains, improve the page and its title so they match the customer’s need. If the page receives clicks but no enquiries, check the content, mobile contact route and service area before blaming search visibility.

Write down the starting date, page, query theme, change and reason. Review the same page again after enough time for data to accumulate. Search Console data has limitations and can fluctuate; use it as one signal alongside enquiries rather than a ranking guarantee. The Performance report guide explains the current measures.