How to Connect Google Search Console
Monitor your job board's search engine performance with Google Search Console.
What is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your website performs in search results. For job board operators, it reveals which keywords bring visitors to your board, how your pages rank, and any technical issues blocking Google from indexing your jobs.
Cavuno connects directly to Search Console so you can monitor your search performance without leaving your dashboard.
What Search Console shows
Search Console provides data you cannot get anywhere else:
- Search queries: The exact keywords people type to find your board
- Ranking positions: Where your pages appear in search results
- Click-through rates: How often searchers click your listings
- Index coverage: Which pages Google has indexed (and which have errors)
- Mobile usability: Issues affecting mobile visitors
Connect Search Console
Cavuno uses OAuth to connect directly to your Google Search Console account.
- Go to Board settings in the sidebar, then click the Analytics tab
- Find the Google Search Console section
- Click Connect
- Sign in with your Google account
- Grant access to Search Console data
Your search performance data will appear in Cavuno within a few minutes.
Disconnect Search Console
To remove the connection:
- Go to Board settings in the sidebar, then click the Analytics tab
- Find the Google Search Console section
- Click Disconnect
Requirements
Your board must use the primary Cavuno domain to connect Search Console. If you use a custom domain, configure your primary domain in domain settings first.
What to monitor
Performance report
The performance report shows your search visibility across four dimensions:
- Queries: What people search to find your board
- Pages: Which pages appear in results
- Countries: Where your visitors search from
- Devices: Mobile vs desktop breakdown
Key metrics
- Impressions: Times you appeared in search
- Clicks: Visits from search results
- CTR: Click-through rate
- Position: Average ranking
Index coverage
Index coverage shows whether Google can find and index your pages:
- Valid: Pages Google has indexed successfully
- Warnings: Pages indexed but with potential issues
- Errors: Pages Google cannot index (fix these first)
- Excluded: Pages intentionally or unintentionally left out
How to improve search performance
Use Search Console data to find opportunities
- Find pages ranking 5-15: These are close to page one and worth optimizing
- Fix index coverage errors: Resolve blocking issues so Google can crawl your pages
- Improve low-CTR pages: Rewrite titles and descriptions that searchers skip over
- Track winning keywords: Double down on queries already bringing traffic
Common issues and fixes
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Pages not indexed | Submit your sitemap and check robots.txt for blocks |
| Low click-through rate | Rewrite page titles and meta descriptions |
| Dropping rankings | Review content freshness and check competitor changes |
| Mobile usability errors | Test pages on mobile and fix layout issues |
How to submit your sitemap
Submitting your sitemap tells Google where to find all your job pages.
- In Search Console, go to Sitemaps
- Enter your sitemap URL:
yourboard.com/sitemap.xml - Click Submit
- Check back in 24-48 hours for any errors
Cavuno generates your sitemap automatically. You only need to submit it once.