Not so long ago, you could look at your Google Analytics account and easily see the search phrases being used to find your site. Don't confuse these with the keywords meta tag, which Google has said it doesn't use for ranking. Metadata keywords in and of themselves are not really of much value, but using them in your content...well, that is the real "Google juice". Google calls these search phrases "queries", but years ago, the most critical ones vanished from Analytics, showing "unavailable". If you were using AdWords, you could see them, so it looked like a heavy-handed approach to marketing Google AdWords. It was really more like a move to Google Webmaster Tools, which Google renamed Google Search Console in May 2015.
If you are not familiar with Search Console, don't be alarmed. It is an SEO geek tool--used primarily by web design/development companies like 3by400, the most serious site owners, or the good SEO consultants. Originally, it was a fairly crude view into the way that Google indexes our sites, or even manage it to a limited degree, and it took a stiff upper lip to wrangle through the terminology to accomplish anything of value. But once Penguin, the cutsie name for the Google algorithm, was released in 2012, Webmaster Tools became critical for disavowing backlinks that Google considered inappropriate enough to damage the overall reputation of your site, thus reducing your position in search results.
Over time, Search Console has grown into a wealth of information that rivals Google Analytics (Analytics) for really understanding the "viewability" of your site. One of the most appealing sets of data for our clients is the Performance report. Its Queries list shows each query with clicks, impressions, and average position at which your site appears. It is always interesting to see the queries for which Google places your site as the #1 position, and is frequently a surprise.
Search Console used to have a Mobile Usability report too. Google retired it on December 1, 2023, but mobile-friendly design still matters.
If all of these reports and lists are just too much to deal with, or, like me, you find that you could spend several hours in every nook and cranny, you can at least see your Search Console queries in Google Analytics by linking the two. In Google Analytics 4, go to Admin, then Product links, then Search Console links, and follow the steps. It helps if both accounts use the same Google login.
Once linked, Search Console reports become available in Analytics.
Now, if Google could only give you the list of results your site SHOULD have appeared in, online promotions would be much simpler! If you really want first-hand knowledge of making your site Google-friendly, thus highly findable, take a look at Google's SEO Starter Guide.
An aside here to 3by400 clients--we have already set up Google Analytics and Search Console for you and submitted your site map!
If you don't already use Search Console, it's free at https://search.google.com/search-console/about. It's really easy to validate, especially if you know your Google Analytics code. Otherwise, you will have to drop a file onto your web site, or use your credentials for major DNS providers. Once you have activated your account, the very first thing you want to do is load a site map. Here is a tool that will allow you to generate one if needed: https://www.xml-sitemaps.com/.