How to use Google Search Console for keyword research

When it comes to keyword research, SEO professionals often rely on expensive tools to find the right keywords. 

However, Google Search Console (GSC) provides a completely free way to access insights straight from Google itself.

GSC is a powerful and often underused tool that shows exactly what is working on a site and where improvements can be made.

Unlike other keyword research tools that provide generic suggestions and estimated data, GSC delivers real-life search data based on actual searches leading to a website. It can often uncover interesting insights.

Here’s how to use GSC to find valuable keyword opportunities and improve rankings.

Why use Google Search Console for keyword research?

Google Search Console is a goldmine for keyword insights. Here’s why you should use it.

• Free and requires no subscriptions: Many SEO tools require costly subscriptions, but GSC is completely free, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
• Provides real keyword performance data: Most keyword research tools provide estimated search volumes, but GSC shows actual data on searches that lead users to your site, ensuring accuracy.
• Helps identify keywords with high optimization potential: Analyzing existing keyword rankings allows you to optimize content and improve visibility with small tweaks.
• Uncovers content gaps and new topic opportunities: GSC reveals queries that may not have been intentionally targeted but are already driving traffic, providing ideas for new content.
• Tracks keyword performance over time: You can monitor how rankings fluctuate, which keywords are growing in importance, and how search behavior is evolving.
• Helps understand search intent: By analyzing query data, you can refine content to better match user intent and increase engagement.
• Provides device-specific insights: Performance can vary between desktop and mobile users, and GSC helps fine-tune SEO strategies accordingly.

Dig deeper: 6 vital lenses for effective keyword research

5-step process for using Google Search Console

Step 1: Discover what you’re already ranking for

Rather than focusing solely on new keywords, GSC helps identify keywords that are already ranking but could perform better with some optimization.

How to find ranking keywords

• Log into Google Search Console and select a website.
• Click on Performance > Search Results.
• Scroll down to the Queries section to see the search terms leading visitors to the site.

What to look for

• Keywords ranking in positions 11-30 (Pages 2-3 of Google). These have potential to break into Page 1 with slight optimizations.
• Unexpected keywords that weren’t intentionally targeted but are ranking anyway, presenting new content opportunities.
• High-impression, low-CTR keywords, indicating that page titles or meta descriptions may need optimization to improve click-through rates.
• Seasonal search trends, allowing content to be optimized ahead of high-traffic periods.
• Queries with declining CTRs, which may indicate changing search intent or increased competition.

Dig deeper: Why traditional keyword research is failing and how to fix it with search intent

Step 2: Find new blog topics

GSC is useful for content ideation by revealing long-tail search queries that are ideal for blog topics.

How to do it

• Navigate to the Performance report and look for long-tail search queries.
• Identify keywords that are not well-covered on the site.
• Create dedicated blog posts answering those exact queries.
• Optimize existing content by incorporating these new long-tail keywords naturally.
• Cross-link between related blog posts to build topical authority.

Step 3: Identify and manage irrelevant keywords

GSC can also reveal irrelevant search terms bringing traffic to a site. Some queries may drive traffic that does not align with the intended audience, leading to vanity traffic that skews reports.

How to manage irrelevant search terms

• Identify keywords bringing in non-relevant traffic that do not contribute to conversions or engagement.
• Adjust on-page content and metadata to clarify the intent of the page.
• Use negative keywords in paid search campaigns if these terms are also appearing in PPC reports.
• Monitor engagement rates and session duration for traffic from these terms to assess engagement levels.

Example

• If a bathroom renovation site ranks for “how to clean a kitchen splashback,” that traffic is unlikely to convert into meaningful engagement.
• Identifying and minimizing such cases ensures that a site is optimized for relevant search terms.

Step 4: Track overall keyword performance

GSC provides detailed performance tracking without the need for a paid keyword tracking tool.

Key metrics to check

• Total clicks: The number of visitors coming from search results.
• Total impressions: The number of times a site appears in search results.
• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of users who click after seeing a result.
• Average position: The ranking in Google search results.
• Branded vs. non-branded search terms: Understanding the balance between brand visibility and new audience acquisition.
• Device-specific performance: Identifying whether certain keywords perform better on mobile vs. desktop.

Unlike most SEO tools that limit the number of keywords tracked, GSC offers unlimited data on how a site is performing.

Step 5: Monitor and adjust regularly

SEO requires ongoing monitoring and adjustments. 

Google’s algorithms evolve, competitors optimize, and search trends change. 

Regularly checking GSC data helps refine content strategies over time.

Quick SEO wins using GSC

• Find and optimize underperforming pages with high impressions but low CTR.
• Prioritize content updates for topics already driving traffic.
• Fix technical SEO issues flagged in Search Console, such as slow-loading pages or mobile usability errors.
• Create new content based on keyword discoveries.
• Identify and address keyword cannibalization by ensuring the right page is ranking for a given query.
• Use internal linking strategically to strengthen authority for key landing pages.

Dig deeper: How to use Google Search Console to unlock easy SEO wins

More advanced strategies

While not strictly related to keyword research, ensuring that any errors are dealt with can help with achieving a deeper understanding of keywords. 

After all, if a page isn’t indexed due to a technical issue, then no amount of tweaking to the content will help.

Identifying errors

The URL Inspection tool in GSC is invaluable for understanding how Google views and indexes a specific page. 

You can use it to troubleshoot indexing problems and ensure that pages are properly crawled.

How to use it

• Open Google Search Console and navigate to the URL Inspection Tool.
• Enter the URL of the page you want to inspect.
• Click Enter to see the latest indexing status.
• Review key insights, including:
  • Indexing status: Is the page indexed or not?
  • Crawl errors: Identifies issues preventing the page from appearing in search results.
  • Canonical URL: Ensures that Google recognizes the correct version of the page.
  • Last crawl date: Shows when Google last crawled the page.
  • Rendered page view: Displays how Googlebot sees the page.

If the page is not indexed, click Request Indexing to prompt Google to crawl it again.

If there are errors, follow the recommendations provided and resolve issues such as robots.txt blocking, noindex tags, or canonical conflicts.

By regularly inspecting URLs, you can ensure that critical pages are properly indexed and visible in search results.

Dig deeper: How to fix ‘Crawled – Currently not indexed’ error in Google Search Console

International SEO

For websites targeting multiple countries, understanding geographic search performance can help refine international SEO strategies and localize content for different markets.

How to use it

• In Google Search Console, navigate to Performance > Search Results.
• Click on the Countries tab to see a breakdown of traffic by region.
• Identify which countries are driving the most organic traffic and how search trends vary between locations.

Dig deeper: Advanced SEO: How to level up your keyword strategy

Harness Google Search Console for SEO wins

Google Search Console is a powerful and often overlooked tool for keyword research.

It provides real data directly from Google, showing exactly how a site is performing in search.

• Use it to find quick-win keyword opportunities.
• Identify new content ideas based on real user searches.
• Eliminate vanity traffic that does not convert.
• Track performance trends and adjust SEO strategies accordingly.

By using GSC effectively, you can uncover high-impact opportunities, refine strategies, and drive meaningful improvements in search performance – all without spending a penny on keyword research tools.