Search & discovery

Search Console and Bing Webmaster

Set up on day one so you can see which queries bring people in.

Visit search.google.com
Cost
Free

Free to use. No paid tier is needed to list or post.

Verdict
works

Works as a measurement channel: it shows which searches already bring people in.

Difficulty
Easy

Mostly self-serve. Sign up and post, with light checks.

Effort
Low

About 2 to 4 hours a month.

First result
1 day to set up, data within days

A rough range for one person working on it part-time.

Payoff
Compounds

keeps growing while you keep at it.

Best for

Any product with a public website.

Not for

Products with no public web pages.

Pros

  • Shows which searches already bring people
  • Free

Cons

  • Measurement, not traffic
  • Data takes days to appear

The full guide

Last verified 2026-10-30

Links checked 2026-10-30 · All links answer

01What it is and who is there

Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are free dashboards that show how your site appears in search: which queries bring impressions and clicks, which pages are indexed, and what errors exist. They are a measurement channel more than a source of traffic. Setting them up on day one tells you which searches already bring people, so you can do more of what works.

02Cost and what you actually pay for

Both are free. You need access to your domain or site to verify ownership.

03Is it right for you?

It fits any product with a public website. It fits poorly only if you have no public pages. There is little reason to skip it.

04Before you start

  • Access to your DNS settings or site files to verify ownership.
  • A sitemap file, which most site builders generate.
  • Read each tool's help pages on verification and sitemaps.

05Step-by-step: how to distribute here

  1. Verify your domain in Google Search Console.
  2. Submit your sitemap.
  3. Do the same in Bing Webmaster Tools; it can import a Search Console setup.
  4. After a few weeks, open the performance report and sort queries by impressions.
  5. Find queries where you appear but rarely get clicked, and improve those pages' titles and content.
  6. Check indexing errors monthly and fix them.

06What to post or submit

Monthly review checklist:

1. Top 10 queries by clicks — are they the ones you want?
2. Queries with high impressions, low clicks — rewrite titles.
3. Pages not indexed — why?
4. New queries this month — any new content ideas?

07Common mistakes and do-nots

  • Do not wait months to set it up; data is not collected before verification.
  • Do not ignore indexing errors.
  • Do not chase queries unrelated to your product.

08How to measure it

  • Track clicks, impressions and average position monthly.
  • Track indexed pages.
  • A realistic test: compare month over month after each content change.

09Time budget

  • Before: 1 hour to set up both.
  • Ongoing: 1 hour a month to review.

10Pair it with

11Sources

From X

Data from X.

Sources