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How to set up Google Search Console for a new website

Written by Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo, the founders of Urban Media, Melbourne. Updated .

Search Console is Google's free tool for seeing how your site appears in search. A new website should have it on day one, because it tells you whether Google can find and index your pages.

Based on Google's Search Console documentation, checked on 15 October 2026. Menu labels change, so follow the current help pages if a step looks different.

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Step 1: add the property

Add your site as a Domain property if you can verify at DNS level, which covers all subdomains and both http and https. A URL-prefix property covers only the exact address you enter.

Step 2: verify ownership

Domain properties are verified with a DNS record. URL-prefix properties offer more methods. Verification unlocks the data.

Step 3: submit your sitemap

Make sure the sitemap is reachable, then add its address in the Sitemaps report. Google treats it as a hint, not a promise, but it is the right way to tell it about many pages at once.

Step 4: inspect and request indexing

Paste a page address into the URL Inspection bar to see whether it is on Google. If it is not, you can request indexing, within a daily limit. If the live test says the page cannot be indexed, fix that first.

Step 5: expect a delay

Reports can be empty for several days after verification, and a brand new site often takes weeks to appear for anything beyond its own name. Check in weekly, not daily.

What to watch

  • Pages: how many are indexed and why others are not.
  • Performance: which searches show your site, and at what position.
  • Links: which other sites link to you.

Where Urban Launch fits

Urban Launch sets up Search Console, the sitemap and the checks when it builds your website, so you can see how you appear from the first week.

Official sources

This guide was checked against these official pages on 15 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm on the source before you rely on a detail.

More guides for new businesses

All of them are on the guides page.

Who is behind this

Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo, the founders of Urban Media, on a shoot in Melbourne

Urban Launch is built and run by Urban Media (ABN 28 169 446 902), a Melbourne studio founded by Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo. Urban Media makes video, design and websites for clients including Box Hill United, Brighton Grammar and Porsche Club Victoria.

If you want to talk to the people doing the work, call 0456 785 904. More about who we are, and how to check us, is on the About page.

Jack Harrington, co-founder of Urban Media, on how Urban Launch works. Captions are on screen.

Common questions

Is Google Search Console free?
Yes. Search Console is a free tool from Google.
How do I verify my website in Search Console?
A Domain property is verified with a DNS record, while a URL-prefix property offers more verification methods.
How long until my site shows in Search Console?
Reports can be empty for several days after verification, and a new site often takes weeks to appear for anything beyond its own name.
Does submitting a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. A sitemap is a hint to Google, not a guarantee that it will crawl or index every page.

Start with a Launch Call

Live and generating enquiries within 45 days, or we keep working at no extra cost until you are. The Launch Call is where we check it is the right fit before we book anything in. For a real example, read the Airwize case study (12 conversions, meaning leads that became sales, in the first month of Google Ads from $70 of ad spend, our figures). You can also read how a launch package compares with hiring separately, or go to the packages and prices on the homepage. If you are setting up from scratch, see the business start-up package.

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More: Brand and website package, Melbourne, Startup package for a new business, Melbourne, Branding, website and photography package, Melbourne.