# Google Search Console for trades: see what customers search

> Search Console shows what people typed into Google before finding your website. How to set it up, read it and use it to win more local work.

Source: https://roughfigure.com/blog/google-search-console-for-trades (updated 2026-11-11)

Google Search Console is a free Google tool that shows **what people searched for** before they found your website, how often you appeared, and how often they clicked. For a trade business it answers practical questions: do people find you for “tree surgeon near me” or only for your business name? Which services get seen but not clicked? Which pages need work?

## Set it up in ten minutes

1. Go to Search Console and add your website as a **Domain** property.
2. Verify it, usually by adding a TXT record at your domain provider. Website builders like Wix and Squarespace often have a one-click option.
3. Submit your **sitemap** (often `/sitemap.xml`) under **Sitemaps**.
4. Wait a few days for data to appear.

## The four numbers in the Performance report

- **Impressions:** how often you appeared in results.
- **Clicks:** how often someone clicked through.
- **CTR:** clicks divided by impressions.
- **Average position:** roughly where you ranked.

Switch on all four, then open the **Queries** tab.

## What to look for

- **Service + place searches** (“fencing Bristol”, “roof repair near me”). These are your best customers. If impressions are high but clicks low, rewrite that page’s title and description to say what you do, where, and that customers can get a price.
- **Questions** (“how much does a new fence cost”). Answer them on your site. Pages that [show prices](https://roughfigure.com/blog/should-tradesmen-put-prices-on-their-website) tend to earn these clicks.
- **Pages** tab: which pages bring visits. A service with no page can’t rank for its own searches.
- **Countries and devices:** most trade searches are on phones, so check your site on one.

## Pair it with your Google Business Profile

Search Console covers your website in ordinary results. The map results come from your [Google Business Profile](https://roughfigure.com/blog/google-business-profile-for-tradesmen). Do both, and link your profile to your website with a tagged link so you can tell the two apart.

## Doing it in RoughFigure

In RoughFigure we’ve built a Google Search Console connection in. Under **Integrations → Ads and analytics**, click **Connect** next to Search Console, sign in with Google, pick your website, and your **Analytics** page shows what people searched before visiting, next to the leads your estimator brought in. We only ask for read-only access. [Read the guide](https://roughfigure.com/help/ads-and-analytics).

## Questions

### Is Search Console the same as Google Analytics?

No. Search Console shows what happens on Google before the click. Analytics shows what people do on your site after it.

### Why don’t I see every search?

Google hides rare searches to protect people’s privacy, so totals in the Queries tab add up to less than the overall figure.

### How long until my site appears?

A new site can take days to weeks to be indexed. Submitting a sitemap and getting a few links from local directories helps.