If you sell digital products from your own blog, you can’t improve what you can’t see. Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how your pages appear in Google Search: which searches bring people in, which pages get clicks, and whether Google can read your sitemap.
Here’s a simple setup you can finish in an afternoon.
Step 1: Choose the right property type
Search Console asks you to add a “property,” and there are two kinds:
- Domain property: covers your whole domain, including all subdomains (like www and shop) and both http and https. It can only be verified with a DNS record at your domain registrar or host.
- URL-prefix property: covers only addresses that start with the exact prefix you enter. An http property, for example, doesn’t include your https pages. It offers several verification methods.
For most small shops, a Domain property is the cleaner choice because nothing slips through the cracks. If editing DNS feels intimidating, a URL-prefix property for your https address works fine to start.
Step 2: Be patient for a few days
According to Google, data usually starts to appear within a few days. If nothing shows up after that, double-check that you entered the right address (http vs. https is a common mix-up) and that your site actually appears in Google Search.
Step 3: Submit your sitemap
A sitemap lists the pages you want Google to know about. Most WordPress setups and SEO plugins create one automatically, so check your plugin settings for its address.
Then open the Sitemaps report, paste the sitemap URL into “Add a new sitemap” and click Submit. A few things to know:
- You need owner permissions on the property to submit.
- The sitemap must be publicly reachable, not behind a login.
- Google fetches it right away, but crawling the pages listed can take time, and not every URL is guaranteed to be crawled.
- If the status isn’t “Success,” click the row to see what went wrong.
Step 4: Read the Performance report
This is where the useful insights live. The four main numbers are:
- Clicks: how often someone clicked through to your site from Google results.
- Impressions: how often your site appeared in results.
- CTR: clicks divided by impressions.
- Average position: the average ranking of your highest result.
The report shows the last three months by default. Group the table by queries or pages to see what’s working.
What to do with the data
A few practical habits for digital product sellers:
- Find “almost” pages. Pages with many impressions but few clicks may need a clearer title or meta description.
- Spot buyer-intent searches. Queries like “editable planner template” hint at products or blog posts worth creating.
- Link from traffic to offers. Your most-visited posts are the best places for a lead magnet or a link to a related product.
Check in once a month, make one or two changes, and compare the next month’s numbers. Small, steady tweaks add up.
Sources
- Google Search Console Help: Add a website property to Search Console
- Google Search Console Help: Manage your sitemaps using the Sitemaps report
- Google Search Console Help: Performance report (Search results)
- Google Search Console Help: Get started with Search Console
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