Create a Google Search Console account at search.google.com/search-console, then add your property. You have two verification options: domain property (covers all subdomains and protocols) or URL prefix property (tracks one specific version). Domain property requires DNS verification and is what we use at Ottawa SEO for 95% of setups. For DNS verification, add the TXT record Search Console provides to your domain's DNS settings through your registrar or host. This takes 10 minutes to 48 hours to propagate depending on your provider. For URL prefix, you can verify via HTML file upload to your root directory, meta tag in your homepage head, Google Analytics tracking code, or Tag Manager container. HTML file is fastest if you have FTP access. Once verified, submit your XML sitemap under Sitemaps in the left menu. Your sitemap URL is typically yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml for WordPress sites with Yoast or Rank Math installed. Check your robots.txt first to confirm the path. Search Console won't index your pages faster, but it helps Google discover your structure and shows you indexing errors immediately instead of waiting weeks. Configure your settings next. Set your preferred country targeting if you're Canada-focused (helps for local rankings in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver). Add all relevant users with appropriate permissions—owner for developers, full access for your SEO team, restricted for report-only stakeholders. Link Search Console to your Google Analytics 4 property under Settings to see search query data alongside GA4 behavior metrics. Common mistakes: Not verifying both www and non-www if using URL prefix method, forgetting to resubmit sitemaps after site migrations, and ignoring the Coverage report where Google tells you exactly which pages it can't index and why. Check Search Console weekly minimum during your first 90 days, then monthly once your site stabilizes. The Performance report is your most reliable keyword data source now that Analytics hides most organic search terms.