Even if you publish your inn’s homepage, you won’t be able to tell what words are being searched for or whether articles are registered on Google just from the WordPress management screen. The official free tool to check this is Google Search Console.
In this article, for those who are using the host for the first time, we will explain how to start managing the inn under the name of the inn, narrow down the numbers you see, and improve the articles and inn information.
Search Console allows you to check the status of your site mainly in Google searches.
What search terms led to the inn site being displayed?
Number of times displayed in search results and number of clicks
Which pages are being read from searches?
Is Google able to register the page?
Could Google read your sitemap?
Notifications about search issues and manual actions
Just introducing it will not improve your search rankings. It’s an instrument that helps you find out what prospective guests want to know and improve your site.
Difference with Google Analytics
Tools
Main things to know
Google Search Console
Until it appears in Google search and until it is clicked from the search results
Google Analytics 4
What pages did you view after coming to your site? What route did you come from?
For example, you can use Search Console to check whether your site was displayed when searching for “Inn with cats in ○○ prefecture,” and Google Analytics 4 to check whether you have read the guest room or reservation information after visiting. There is no problem if you install only Search Console first. How to view after a visit is explained in Introduction to Google Analytics 4.
First, decide on a Google account under the name of the inn.
If you start with only the personal account of a production company or temporary person in charge, there is a risk that you will not be able to see your data after your contract ends or you leave the company.
Decide on the next policy first.
Prepare a Google account that can be continuously managed by the inn
Keep that account as a verified owner
Assign the necessary range of authority to each person in charge individually
Add each Google account without sharing passwords
Set up two-step authentication and recovery methods for your Google account
Record who is the owner in the operation record
The “owner” of Search Console has strong authority, including adding and deleting users. If you only want to browse or perform some tasks, “Full User” or “Limited User” may be sufficient.
1. Add your site to Search Console
Open Google Search Console and log in with the Google account managed by the inn. When you “Add property”, two main methods are displayed.
Domain properties
Register a domain name like example.com.You can check the summary of www, HTTP/HTTPS, and subdomain. Google generally recommends domain properties when appropriate.
However, DNS settings are required to confirm ownership. Add TXT records etc. on the screen of the company managing the domain.
URL prefix property
Specify the beginning of the URL, such as `https://www.example.com/`.Only URLs that match the specified method and host name are targeted. There are multiple ways to check, including HTML files, HTML tags, and Google Analytics.
If you don’t know either, first find out which company the domain is contracted with and who manages the DNS.DNS is an important setting that also relates to email. Do not delete existing records that do not make sense, and follow the official procedures of the rental server company or administrator.
2. Verify ownership
Ownership verification is a process that proves to Google that you really control the site. Search data is not public information and must be verified.
In the domain properties, add the verification record shown by Search Console to DNS.It may take some time for the changes to be reflected. Even after confirmation, do not delete the confirmation record immediately. Google will continually check and permissions may expire if the token is lost.
Consider multiple verification methods or multiple verified owners that your inn can manage in case one method disappears. However, do not add unnecessary owners and review the list regularly.
3. Submit your sitemap
A sitemap is a file that tells search engines the location of your published pages. It may be automatically generated by WordPress or an SEO plugin.
First, open the sitemap URL in your browser and make sure there are no errors. An example format is as follows, but the actual URL will vary depending on your site.
Submit the URL using “Sitemap” in Search Console. Submission does not guarantee placement, but it lets Google know your location and makes it easier to check the reading status.
If your sitemap contains unnecessary tag lists or administrative pages, please check WordPress’ publication policy before submitting. Search Console alone does not decide whether to publish or hide an article.
4. Wait for data for the first few days
Even if you add more properties, you won’t necessarily get enough numbers right away. Google officially advises that it may take several days for the data to start appearing.
When you don’t have data, check the following before changing settings too many times:
Did you register the correct domain or URL?
Is there a mistake in the presence or absence of http, https, and www in the URL prefix?
Is the site publicly available?
Isn’t this a new site that doesn’t show up much in Google searches yet?
The first four numbers you see
When it comes to “search performance”, it is sufficient to understand only the following four things.
Number of clicks
This is the number of times the link to the accommodation site was clicked from Google search. It is not the number of reservations.
Number of views
This is the number of times a link to the accommodation site was displayed in search results. This does not necessarily mean the number of times the image was looked at carefully on the screen.
CTR
Percentage of clicks out of those displayed. Generally speaking, think about the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions. The quality of a site cannot be determined solely by the overall numbers, as it is affected by search rankings, popularity of the hotel name, title, search intent, etc.
Ranking
Average value based on the top position in search results. This does not mean that the same people will always see the same rankings. This varies depending on the region, device, search term, type of search results, etc.
Rather than just tracking rankings every day, read a combination of search terms and pages.
Useful views on accommodation sites
Are people who searched by inn name able to reach the official information?
Search by inn name, old name, or spelling change, and check if the official page is displayed/clicked. If people searching for the inn name are only going to the reservation site or old information, then review the title and basic information.
Search for demand that combines region and purpose
Check the words and phrases that are actually displayed, such as “area name inn with cats,” “cat accommodation,” “resident cat inn,” etc. Instead of just imagining more words that don’t appear in Search Console, think of articles that match the characteristics of the inn and the searcher’s questions.
Review pages that are displayed but not clicked on
If you’re getting lots of impressions but few clicks, make sure your page title and description answer searchers’ questions. However, you don’t need to aim for high CTR for every search. If there is a discrepancy between the search terms and the content of the page, clarify the content without forcing people to click.
Check pages that have gone down from before
Use time comparison to find pages with significant changes in clicks and impressions. There are multiple reasons for this, including seasonality, closure information, local events, changes in search demand, and technical issues. It does not delete articles based on just one number.
How to use URL inspection
You can check the status of new articles and updated pages by checking the URL of them. If it is not registered, check that it is a public page, does not have noindex or crawl refusal, and is linked from within the site.
You can request indexing if you wish, but submitting does not guarantee indexing or ranking. Don’t repeat a large number of URLs one by one, and arrange the site map and internal links.
If you are staying in a small accommodation, you can start by recording once a month rather than looking at the numbers every day.
View the number of clicks and impressions for the previous month and the past 3 months
Check the 5 search terms that have increased and the search terms that have decreased.
Check frequently viewed pages
Select one page that is displayed but the content does not match
Correct the title, opening, business hours, fees, access, etc. to the extent necessary.
Record change date and reason
Compare the next month under the same conditions
If you rewrite many articles at once, it will be difficult to understand what was affected. We will make changes one by one to make the content more accurate and understandable for guests.
Tables exported from Search Console include search terms and URLs. Personal information about the guest is usually not included, but please do not give out non-public information about the property or Google account credentials.
Use Search Console's search performance to
Please organize suggestions for improvement of the accommodation site.
Purpose:
- Find search terms that are getting more impressions
- Search for candidates that are displayed but the page content and search intent are mismatched
- Separate corrections to existing articles and new article candidates
Conditions:
- Does not guarantee rank increase
- Do not make assumptions about the facilities and services of the actual accommodation.
- Don't make any changes, just show the lines that support it and suggestions for improvement
- Do not display confidential information other than the inn name, URL, and search terms.
There is no need to directly give the AI ownership of Search Console. First, narrow down the period and columns and write out a CSV file, etc., and consult with someone after checking the contents.
Introduction/Operation Checklist
The inn has become the owner of a Google account that can be continuously managed.
I set up two-step verification and recovery methods for my Google account.
Recorded domain and DNS management company
You selected the correct property type.
Changed the operation so that the token for ownership confirmation is not deleted by mistake.
Production companies and people in charge were added using individual accounts.
Confirmed that the sitemap opens and submitted.
I waited a few days for the search data to appear.
Check search terms and pages once a month
Record changes and dates
Summary
Search Console is a tool that allows you to see how accommodations are being found through Google searches. First, we arrange the ownership of the inn name and the transfer method, send the site map, and check the number of clicks, impressions, CTR, and ranking based on a combination of search terms and pages.
Don’t just aim to increase the numbers, please improve so that searchers can easily reach the business information they want to know, how to spend time with cats, guest rooms, access, and reservation methods.
Note: Screen names and specifications are subject to change. When installing, please check the official information of Google and your contract partner.
