Open Google Search Console by navigating to search.google.com/search-console and logging in with any Google account. If you're already managing properties, you'll see your dashboard immediately. For first-time users, you'll need to add a property before accessing any data. You have two property type options: Domain (covers all subdomains and protocols) or URL prefix (covers only the exact protocol and subdomain you specify). Domain properties require DNS verification through your registrar, which takes 5-10 minutes but gives you complete coverage. URL prefix is faster if you only need to verify https://www.yoursite.com specifically. Verification methods include: - HTML file upload: Download a file, upload it to your root directory via FTP - DNS record: Add a TXT record through your domain registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.) - HTML tag: Paste a meta tag in your site's <head> section - Google Analytics: If your GA4 or Universal Analytics is already set up with edit permissions - Google Tag Manager: If GTM is installed and you have publish rights At Ottawa SEO, we typically use the HTML tag method for WordPress sites (paste it in Yoast SEO or Rank Math settings) or DNS verification when we manage the full domain portfolio. DNS is cleaner because it doesn't require touching site code. After verification, data takes 24-48 hours to populate. You won't see historical data from before verification, which is why we add Search Console the day a site launches, even if it's not ranking yet. For Canadian businesses, make sure you're also verifying your .ca domain separately if you run both .com and .ca versions. One common mistake: verifying through Google Analytics, then removing GA later and losing Search Console access. Always add a secondary verification method like the HTML tag as a backup. Search Console doesn't auto-renew verification if your primary method breaks, and you'll lose access to critical indexing controls when you need them most.