Guide

How to set up Google Search Console for a med spa

Add a Domain property in Google Search Console, verify it with a DNS TXT record at your domain registrar, submit your sitemap, then read the Page indexing report. Give staff and agencies their own user access instead of sharing a login, and import the site into Bing Webmaster Tools. The setup itself is short; the reports fill in over the following days.

By Medical Marketing Wizards · Published October 15, 2026

What do you need before you start?

A Google account the practice owns. Use a practice account, such as an admin account in your Google Workspace, not the personal Gmail of someone who might leave.
Access to your DNS. Find out where your domain's DNS is managed (often the registrar, such as Namecheap or GoDaddy, or a service like Cloudflare) and who can log in.
A list of your domains. Include old domains that redirect, and subdomains such as a booking or patient portal page.

Step 1: Should you add a Domain or a URL-prefix property?

Choose Domain. A Domain property covers every version of your site at once: http and https, with and without www, and every subdomain. A URL-prefix property covers only the exact address you type, so data from other versions is missed. The trade-off is that a Domain property can only be verified through DNS.

Step 2: How do you verify with a DNS record?

In Search Console, add a property, choose Domain and enter your domain without https or www, for example yourmedspa.com.
Copy the TXT record Search Console shows you. It starts with google-site-verification=.
At your DNS provider, add a TXT record for the root of the domain (often written as @) with that value.
Wait a few minutes, then select Verify. DNS changes can take longer to spread; if it fails, wait and try again.
Leave the TXT record in place. Removing it later can remove your verification.

Step 3: How do you submit a sitemap?

A sitemap lists the pages you want search engines to find. Most website builders create one automatically: try yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, or sitemap_index.xml on many WordPress sites. In Search Console, open Sitemaps, enter the sitemap address and submit it. A status of Success means Google could read it; it does not mean every page will be indexed.

Step 4: How do you read the Page indexing report?

The Page indexing report shows which pages Google has indexed and why others were left out. Many exclusions are normal. The ones to investigate are important pages that should be in search but aren't.

Common Page indexing reasons and what they usually mean
Reason	Usually means	Act when
Excluded by 'noindex' tag	The page asks not to be indexed	An important page carries the tag by mistake
Alternate page with proper canonical tag	Google is using another version you chose	Rarely; this is normally fine
Page with redirect	The address redirects elsewhere	Your sitemap or links still point at old addresses
Not found (404)	The page doesn't exist	Important links or old pages point to it; redirect them
Crawled, currently not indexed	Google saw it and chose not to index it for now	Key service pages are affected; improve and consolidate them
Discovered, currently not indexed	Google knows the address but hasn't crawled it yet	It persists for important pages on a small site

Use the URL Inspection tool to check a single important page, such as a new treatment page, and request indexing for it. Requesting indexing doesn't guarantee it, and repeating the request doesn't speed it up.

Step 5: How should staff and agencies get access?

Keep the practice as the owner. Add everyone else as a user with their own Google account: Full access for people who need to submit sitemaps and request indexing, Restricted for people who only need to look. Never share a login. When a vendor or employee leaves, remove their access and check the owners list as well, because verified owners must be removed separately.

Step 6: What else should you turn on?

Email notifications for the property, sent to someone who reads them, so you hear about indexing or security problems.
Core Web Vitals report. It uses data from real visitors, so a small site may show 'not enough data' at first. That is normal.
HTTPS report, to confirm pages are served securely.

Step 7: Should you set up Bing Webmaster Tools too?

Yes, it takes a few minutes. Bing Webmaster Tools can import a verified site directly from Google Search Console, including its sitemaps, so you don't have to verify again. Microsoft's search results then get the same view of your site.

What should you check every month?

A monthly Search Console check for a practice website
Report	What to look for
Performance	Clicks and impressions for your main treatment pages, and the queries that find them
Generative AI performance	Impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode by page
Page indexing	Important pages that dropped out of the index
Sitemaps	Errors or a sudden fall in discovered pages
Experience	Pages flagged as slow or failing Core Web Vitals
Security and manual actions	Any issue at all; these should be empty
Settings	People who no longer need access, and that Search generative AI is still set the way you chose

Questions

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. Search Console is free for anyone who can verify ownership of a site.

Do we need to keep the DNS verification record?

Yes. Search Console checks verification periodically, and removing the record can remove your access to the property.

Is Search Console the same as Google Analytics?

No. Search Console shows how your site performs in Google Search before the click. Analytics shows what visitors do on your site afterwards.

Does Search Console show AI Overview traffic?

Yes. Clicks and impressions from AI features are included in the Performance report under Web search, and the Generative AI performance report shows impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode on their own.

Can someone set this up for us?

Yes. That is our Google Search Console setup service, and the property stays owned by your practice.

Sources

Checked October 15, 2026. These describe rules and guidance, not legal advice for your practice.