Help guides › Getting found on Google
How to Set Up Google Search Console for Your Shop Website
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your site appears in Google Search: which searches show your site, which pages are indexed, and whether Google found any problems. It takes about 15 minutes to set up.
Step 1: Add your site
- Go to Google Search Console and sign in with a Google account the business controls (ideally the same one as your Business Profile).
- Choose a property type. A Domain property covers every version of your site (with and without www, http and https) but needs a DNS change. A URL prefix property is easier if you can't edit DNS.
Step 2: Verify you own it
Google offers several verification methods: a DNS record at your domain registrar, an HTML file or tag on your site, or your Google Analytics or Tag Manager account. Many website builders have a Search Console setting that handles this. Your web person can also do it in a few minutes.
Step 3: Submit your sitemap
A sitemap is a list of your pages. Most website builders and SEO plugins create one automatically, often at yourshop.com/sitemap.xml. In Search Console, open Sitemaps, enter the address and submit.
Step 4: Check the reports that matter
- Performance: searches that showed your site, clicks, and your average position. Look for your town plus services, like "brake repair springfield".
- Pages (page indexing): which pages are indexed and why others aren't.
- URL Inspection: check one page and request indexing after you update it.
- Core Web Vitals and HTTPS reports once enough data exists.
Step 5: Check in monthly
Look at the Performance report once a month and after any website change. Search Console also emails you about new issues.
Check your own site in seconds
Our free website check for auto repair shops looks at one page for broken links, Google basics, phone setup, HTTPS, image descriptions and business details for Google, and explains what it finds in plain English.
Official sources
- Google Search Console
- Search Console Help: Add a website property
- Search Console Help: Verify your site ownership
- Google Search Central: Build and submit a sitemap
- Search Console Help: Page indexing report
- Search Console Help: URL Inspection tool
Related guides
- Why Is My Auto Repair Shop Website Not Showing on Google?
- After a Website Redesign: Redirects and a Checklist So You Don't Lose Customers
- How to Write a Good Page Title and Meta Description for a Repair Shop
General information for shop owners, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026.