Google Search Console is more than a tool for checking rankings. 

For SEO professionals, it provides data about: 

  • Search performance  

  • Indexing  

  • Technical issues  

  • Page experience  

  • Search visibility  

  • Content performance  

  • Security  

  • Website health  

In 2026, SEOs should use different Search Console reports for different tasks. 

Here are 10 Google Search Console reports and tools every SEO should know and use. 

 

1. Performance Report 

The Performance report should be the first place to check when analysing organic search performance. 

It shows how your website performs in Google Search and helps you understand which queries and pages are bringing traffic.  

Key metrics include: 

  • Clicks  

  • Impressions  

  • CTR  

  • Average position  

You can analyse performance by: 

  • Search query  

  • Page  

  • Country  

  • Device  

  • Search appearance  

  • Date  

Use this report to: 

  • Find high-performing keywords.  

  • Identify pages with strong impressions.  

  • Find low-CTR pages.  

  • Compare SEO performance over time.  

  • Discover new search opportunities.  

SEO Tip: Do not focus only on average position. Google recommends looking at trends in impressions and clicks as well.  

2. Insights Report 

The Insights report provides a simpler view of important website performance data. 

It can help you quickly understand: 

  • Top-performing content  

  • Search queries  

  • Traffic trends  

  • Top countries  

  • Important changes in performance  

The report is designed to provide a quick overview before you move into deeper Performance report analysis. Google says the Insights report is being gradually introduced and may not yet be available to every property.  

Why SEOs should use it: 

  • It saves time during regular checks.  

  • It highlights important performance changes.  

  • It helps identify content worth analysing further.  

3. Page Indexing Report 

A page cannot perform in Google Search if Google cannot properly index it. 

The Page Indexing report shows which pages Google has indexed and which known pages are not indexed. 

It also provides reasons for indexing problems.  

Check this report for: 

  • Indexed pages  

  • Non-indexed pages  

  • Indexing errors  

  • Duplicate pages  

  • Blocked pages  

  • Pages excluded from indexing  

SEO teams should look for: 

  • Sudden drops in indexed pages.  

  • Unexpected increases in non-indexed URLs.  

  • Important pages that are missing from the index.  

  • Incorrectly excluded pages.  

Remember, not every non-indexed page is a problem. 

Duplicate, alternate, or intentionally excluded pages may not need to be indexed.  

4. URL Inspection Tool 

The URL Inspection tool is useful when you need to investigate one specific URL. 

Instead of looking at your entire website, you can check what Google knows about a particular page. 

You can check: 

  • Whether the URL is indexed.  

  • Whether Google can crawl the page.  

  • The selected canonical URL.  

  • Last crawl information.  

  • Indexing status.  

  • Structured data found on the page.  

  • Page experience information.  

  • Video indexing information, where applicable.  

Google also provides a live test option to check how the page can be accessed and rendered.  

Use it when: 

  • A new page is not appearing in Google.  

  • You updated an important page.  

  • A page has an indexing problem.  

  • You need to inspect canonicalisation.  

  • You want to verify a technical SEO fix.  

5. Sitemaps Report 

An XML sitemap helps Google discover important URLs on your website. 

The Sitemaps report lets you monitor submitted sitemaps and identify parsing issues. 

It can also help you understand how sitemap URLs relate to indexing analysis.  

Use the report to: 

  • Submit XML sitemaps.  

  • Check sitemap status.  

  • Find sitemap errors.  

  • Monitor submitted URLs.  

  • Support large websites with many pages.  

Best practice: 

Keep your sitemap focused on the URLs you want Google to crawl and index. 

Do not treat a sitemap as a guarantee that every submitted URL will be indexed. 

6. Core Web Vitals Report 

Technical performance can affect the experience users have on your website. 

The Core Web Vitals report uses real-user data to show performance for key page experience metrics. 

It helps SEOs identify pages that may need performance improvements. 

Pay attention to: 

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)  

  • Interaction responsiveness  

  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)  

Use the report to: 

  • Find groups of pages with performance problems.  

  • Identify templates that need optimisation.  

  • Work with developers on technical improvements.  

  • Improve the overall page experience.  

Core Web Vitals should not be treated as an isolated SEO score. 

Instead, use the data alongside technical SEO and user experience analysis. 

7. Video Indexing Report 

Video content has its own indexing challenges. 

The Video Indexing report shows how Google handles videos found on indexed pages. 

It can show: 

  • Pages where a video was indexed.  

  • Pages where a video was found but not indexed.  

  • Reasons why videos were not indexed.  

Google notes that the report covers indexed pages where Google detected videos, rather than providing a complete count of every unique video on a website.  

This report is especially useful for: 

  • Video publishers  

  • Media websites  

  • Product websites  

  • Educational websites  

  • Websites with dedicated video pages  

If video is an important part of your SEO strategy, this report should not be ignored. 

8. Search Appearance & Rich Result Reports 

Search Console can show reports for supported search features and structured data found on your website. 

These reports help SEOs understand whether eligible structured data is being detected correctly. 

You can use them to: 

  • Check rich result eligibility.  

  • Find structured data errors.  

  • Identify enhancement issues.  

  • Monitor changes after implementing structured data.  

Search Console's navigation only shows certain enhancement reports when Google has relevant data for the property.  

SEO Tip: 

Do not add structured data simply to generate a rich result. 

Use structured data only when it accurately represents the content on the page and follows Google's guidelines. 

9. Manual Actions Report 

The Manual Actions report is important for website health. 

A manual action can occur when Google's team determines that a website or page violates Google's spam policies. 

This can affect how pages appear in Google Search. 

Check this report when: 

  • Organic traffic drops suddenly.  

  • Important pages disappear from Search.  

  • You suspect a serious search policy issue.  

Google recommends checking the Manual Actions report when investigating whether a site has received a manual penalty.  

Important: 

Do not confuse a manual action with a normal algorithmic ranking drop. 

They are different issues and require different investigation. 

10. Security Issues Report 

SEO performance means little if your website has been compromised. 

The Security Issues report shows whether Google has detected problems such as: 

  • Hacked content  

  • Malware  

  • Unwanted software  

  • Phishing  

  • Other harmful behaviour  

Security problems can lead to warnings in Google Search or browsers.  

SEOs should check this when: 

  • Traffic suddenly collapses.  

  • Strange pages appear on the website.  

  • The website has been hacked.  

  • Google displays security warnings.  

  • Unusual spam content appears in search results.  

Security should be treated as a core part of website health, not just a developer concern. 

How to Use These 10 Reports as an SEO Workflow 

Checking every report every day is not necessary. 

A better approach is to give each report a specific purpose. 

For daily or regular performance checks: 

  • Performance  

  • Insights  

For technical SEO: 

  • Page Indexing  

  • URL Inspection  

  • Sitemaps  

  • Core Web Vitals  

For content and search features: 

  • Search Appearance  

  • Rich Result reports  

  • Video Indexing  

For website safety: 

  • Manual Actions  

  • Security Issues  

This creates a more organised Search Console workflow. 

A Simple Monthly Search Console Checklist 

SEO teams can use this checklist every month: 

1. Check organic performance 

  • Did clicks increase or decrease?  

  • Did impressions change?  

  • Which pages gained traffic?  

  • Which queries changed significantly?  

2. Check indexing 

  • Are important pages indexed?  

  • Are non-indexed pages increasing?  

  • Are there new indexing problems?  

3. Check technical health 

  • Are Core Web Vitals improving?  

  • Are important pages crawlable?  

  • Are canonical URLs correct?  

4. Check search features 

  • Are rich results working correctly?  

  • Are structured data issues increasing?  

  • Are important videos being indexed?  

5. Check website safety 

  • Any manual actions?  

  • Any security issues?  

  • Any unusual changes in search performance?  

How to Turn Search Console Data Into SEO Insights 

Google Search Console provides valuable data about your website’s search performance. However, deeper SEO analysis often requires more than Search Console data alone. 

To understand your website’s overall performance, compare Search Console data with other important data sources, such as: 

  • Google Analytics 

  • Keyword Research Tools 

  • Technical SEO Crawlers 

  • Page Speed Tools 

  • Conversion Data 

  • CRM Data 

Looking at these sources together helps you understand not only what happened, but also why it happened and what you should do next. 

The goal of SEO analysis is not to collect more and more data. 

The real goal is to turn data into actionable insights: 

  1. What happened 

  1.  Why did it happen 

  1.  What should you do next? 

This approach turns Search Console from a simple reporting tool into an effective SEO decision-making tool. 

Turn Search Console Data Into SEO Growth 

Search Console becomes more valuable when you use its data to make decisions. 

Follow this process: 

  • Discover :- Find important queries, pages, and technical issues. 

  • Analyse :- Understand what is changing and why. 

  • Prioritise :- Focus on issues that can have the biggest business impact. 

  • Optimise :- Improve content, technical SEO, internal linking, and user experience. 

  • Measure :- Return to Search Console and compare performance after the changes. 

This creates a continuous SEO improvement cycle. 

Final Takeaway 

Google Search Console is not just a ranking report. 

It can help SEO teams understand: 

  • How users find a website.  

  • Which pages perform best.  

  • Whether important pages are indexed.  

  • Where technical problems exist.  

  • How search features are performing.  

  • Whether the website has security or policy issues.  

The most effective SEO strategy is not about checking every number. 

It is about using the right Search Console report for the right SEO question. 

When Performance, Indexing, Technical SEO, Search Appearance, and Website Health are analysed together, businesses can make better decisions and build a stronger search strategy. 

Need More From Your Search Console Data? 

Search Console gives you the data. 

The next step is knowing what that data means and what action to take. 

iGlobalizer helps businesses turn search data into practical SEO strategies focused on visibility, traffic, and business growth.