Search Console performance report: how to pick the page to look at today
Updated
Short answer
In the Search Console performance report, look for queries with many impressions, a low click-through rate, and a fairly good position. People already see you there but do not choose you, so that is where we start.
The four numbers
The report shows clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position.
The steps
The numbers mean what the official guide says, but the order below is our own approach. The default period is the last three months, and we use the last 28 days.
- Above the chart, turn on click-through rate and average position
- On the Queries tab, sort by impressions
- Mark queries with a low click-through rate for their position
- Select one and open the Pages tab to see which page appears
- Read that page's title and description. Do they use the searcher's words?
Leave low-ranking queries for later
Queries far down the results are seen by few people, so it is hard to tell whether a title change made a difference. We leave them for later. This is also our own approach.
Two rules when you edit
We follow two rules of our own: do not add numbers or claims that are not on the page, and change one thing at a time. One change at a time makes the report easier to compare later. Google generates what appears in results automatically, so your new title may not show as written. Do not read too much into a single rise or fall.