Overall Satisfaction with Google Search Console
We use Google Search Console to monitor every one of our websites. We use it in conjunction with Google Analytics as both a search optimization tool and to make sure everything is healthy web development-wise. It has proved especially helpful since the update. Tracking what keywords are actually being used by the people who visit our site and knowing the ins and outs of our link profile are the top use cases for Google Search Console.
- Lists keywords that users find our site with.
- Features how your site appears to site crawlers
- Shows any issues in indexing
- Not the most intuitive UI but greatly approved since the update.
- Gets difficult to manage when domain changes take place or if you have multiple versions of one site
- Needs more resources for SEOs. Training or something to help navigation easier.
- Gives focus to what keywords we should be focusing on or how we should adjust our SEO to show up for the queries we would like to show up for.
- You can't get better than free.
- Once you understand how to navigate Google Search Console, it is quick and easy to get data.
I would say that the two work together. I think that anyone who has a website should have and be knowledgeable of Google Search Console and Google Analytics. HubSpot, SEMRush, and programs like SEO Spider have similar features but Google's free features are unbeatable. The paid versions have nice supplemental information, though, if it fits in your budget.