The setup, in order
- Choose a domain property when you control DNS for the whole domain.
- Choose a URL-prefix property when you control one path or subdomain.
- Verify with a method you can repeat, not the fastest one today.
- Add people who need access as restricted users, not owners.
- Submit the sitemap once, then let the crawl work.
A filled record
Brightwater Dental, set up on 2026-09-01.
property: domain property, brightwater.example
verified by: dns txt record
verified on: 2026-09-01
read access: owner, plus two restricted users
sitemap: submitted 2026-09-01, accepted 2026-09-02
first reading, 2026-09-01 to 2026-09-28, 28 days
pages indexed: 14 of 16 submitted
impressions: 1,860
clicks: 41
click rate: 2.20% 41 / 1860
avg position: 18.6
pages with impressions and no clicks
/pricing 220 impressions
/about 140 impressions
/emergency 90 impressions
decision: rewrite the three titles above, one page at a time,
and read each one after 28 days
Why the property type matters
A domain property covers every subdomain and both protocols. A URL-prefix property covers exactly the string you typed.
Choosing the narrower one is fine when you only control one host. Choosing it by accident is how subdomains become invisible.
Acceptance: the setup is complete when
- the property type matches what you control
- verification can be repeated by somebody else on the team
- at least one other person has access, with the right role
- the sitemap shows as read, or the error is open
- one page with impressions has been read against its query
- the first reading is dated, with both ends of the range
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Verification fails | A DNS record was not saved, or it is still propagating | Check the record, then wait |
| No data after two weeks | The property is new, or the site is not indexed | Read the index coverage list first |
| Sitemap shows as not read | The file returns a redirect or a 404 | Fetch the URL yourself |
| A subdomain is missing | The property is URL-prefix, not domain | Add a second property |
| The client’s team cannot see it | They were not added | Add restricted users, one each |
Limits
Search Console reports what Google chose to show, sampled in places. It is the best free source of your own query data, and it is partial.
Missing is not zero. A query that is absent was not necessarily absent from search. No page should be removed on that basis.