How to check your site ranking in Google: a beginner’s guide

If you’ve ever wondered how to check your site ranking in Google, you’re not alone — it’s one of the most common questions I get from clients.

In this short, beginner-friendly tutorial, I walk you through how to use Google Search Console — a free tool that helps you track your search performance, see which pages are getting attention, and spot opportunities to improve your ranking.

This tutorial will help you:

• See if your site is appearing in Google

• Understand what people are typing in to find your website

• Discover which pages are being seen — and which need work

• Learn how to spot easy SEO wins

• Improve your site ranking in Google and become more discoverable online

Table of Contents

Watch the tutorial

What is Google Search Console?

Time stamp: 01:10

Google Search Console (GSC) is one of the most powerful — and underused — tools for small businesses. It tells you:

• Whether your website is appearing in Google

• What people are typing when they find you

• Which pages are being seen

• How often people are clicking through

It’s all about discoverability — showing you what’s working and what needs a little love.

How to connect Google Search Console to your Squarespace website

Timestamp: 02:15

Getting started is simple:

1. Go to the backend of your Squarespace site

2. Hit / on your keyboard and search for “Connected Accounts”

3. Click Connect Account, then choose Search Console

4. Sign in with your Google account and accept the permissions

Note: Your site must be live and public — this won’t work for password-protected or in-progress websites.

The Performance dashboard: how to check your site ranking in Google

Timestamp: 03:40

Once connected, head to Google Search Console and click on Search Results (or Performance in some versions).

Here’s what you’ll see:

• Impressions (purple) – how many times your site is appearing in search

• Clicks (blue) – how many people are actually clicking through

• Average Position (orange) – your average ranking in Google

I recommend changing the view to the last 28 days to get a recent snapshot.

Understanding queries: what are people searching?

Timestamp: 04:58

The Queries tab is where you find the actual search terms people are typing into Google to find your site. It’s a goldmine for understanding your audience.

You’ll see:

• The search terms themselves

• How many impressions and clicks they’re generating

• Your average ranking for each term

Pages tab: which pages are ranking?

Timestamp: 05:34

Click into the Pages tab to see which pages on your website are performing best in search. Even better — click on a specific page to see which keywords that page is ranking for.

This helps you:

• Identify your strongest content

• Spot gaps or missed opportunities

• Focus your SEO efforts where they’ll have impact

How to read the numbers (without getting overwhelmed)

Timestamp: 06:04

Once you're looking at impressions, clicks, and rankings, here’s how to make sense of it:

Impressions = Your Reach

• The more impressions, the more you’re appearing in search.

Clicks = Your Connection

• If people aren’t clicking, it might be time to tweak your SEO page title and description – you can easily do this in the page settings in your Squarespace site.

Position = Your Ranking

• Positions 1–10 = page one.

• Positions 10–20 = page two (you’re close!).

Quick-win SEO tip

Timestamp: 07:55

Look for:

• Keywords with 50+ impressions

• An average position between 10–20

These are your quick-win keywords. A few updates to your SEO title, page headings, or content could push you onto page one – without a full overhaul.

Check out the Calm Marketing Collection to learn more about how to make these simple kinds of updates.

What to check each month

Timestamp: 08:22

You don’t need to live inside GSC — just check once a month and ask:

• Are impressions growing over time?

• Are you ranking for the right keywords?

• Are clicks increasing?

Then, adjust your SEO page titles, descriptions, or content based on what you find.

Frequently asked questions about how to increase your site ranking in Google search

• How do I check my website SEO on Google?

  The easiest way is to use Google Search Console. It’s a free tool from Google that shows how your site is performing in search — including what keywords people are using to find you, how often your site appears in search results, and how many people are clicking through.

  If you’re on Squarespace, you can connect your site to Google Search Console from inside Squarespace. Just go to Settings → Connected Accounts. Once connected, check the Performance tab to start seeing impressions, clicks, and average ranking data for your site.

• How do I get my website to the top of Google?

  Getting to the top of Google takes time, consistency, and strategy. Here are a few simple ways to improve your chances:

  • Use keywords your audience is actually searching for (you’ll find these in Google Search Console)

  • Write helpful, clear content that answers your audience’s questions

  • Optimise your page titles and descriptions — this is what people see before clicking

  • Keep your site active by updating content or blogging regularly

  • Read this article for 8 helpful steps for ranking higher in Google

  In the tutorial above, I also share a tip for finding “quick win” keywords — terms where your site is already close to page one and just needs a few tweaks to climb higher.

• What is the Google page ranking?

  Your Google page ranking is where your site appears in the search results for a specific keyword. For example:

  • Position 1 = top of page one

  • Position 10 = bottom of page one

  • Position 11+ = page two or beyond

  Google Search Console shows your average position for each search term, so you can track whether your ranking is improving over time.

• How do I check my website ranking?

  To check your ranking, connect your website to Google Search Console. In the Queries tab, you’ll see a list of the keywords your site is showing up for, along with:

  • Impressions (how often your site appears)

  • Clicks (how many people clicked through)

  • Position (your average ranking for that term)

  It’s a simple way to see what’s working — and what might need a few SEO improvements.

• How do I rank my website SEO?

  If you want your website to rank well on Google, focus on these basics:

  • Choose the right keywords for your audience (Google Search Console will help here)

  • Add those keywords naturally to your page titles, headings, and content

  • Make sure your content is clear, helpful, and focused

  • Update your site regularly — fresh content signals relevance to Google

  • Check your performance monthly to adjust and improve

  Start with small tweaks and keep going — SEO is a long game, but it’s worth it.

• How do I check if my website is SEO friendly?

  Here’s a simple checklist:

  • Is your site connected to Google Search Console?

  • Do you have clear, keyword-rich SEO page titles and descriptions?

  • Is your content written in plain language your audience would search for?

  • Are your headings clear, meaningful and contain your keywords?

  • Are your images optimised and using descriptive alt-text?

  • Is your site mobile-friendly and loading fast?

  If you’re unsure, I offer SEO packages designed to help small business owners get found online — no overwhelm, no jargon. Join the waitlist to be the first to know about these packages.

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