Google Released a New Search Console — Here’s What You Need to Know

Indexing your pages on Google is about to get a whole lot easier! Google’s most recent announcement reveals that they will be rolling out a new beta version of the Google Search Console, an update that provides users with more comprehensive data which will help businesses optimize their website for Google search. It includes extended search performance figures, index coverage and search enhancements that will help business owners with their AMP and job postings.

Let’s dive into the nitty gritty!

Updated Search Report

The new Google Search Console will allow users to view 16 months worth of data in Search Analytics. This is a huge benefit because you’re now able to see how trends change year over year. You can analyze short term versus long term campaigns and make decisions based on fact. Similar to the classic Analytics reports, the update will track total clicks, total impressions and average CTR over the course of the 16-month time span.

The Inside Look on Google’s Indexing

Google’s Search Console beta will provide users with a deeper understanding of their website’s URLs. The update shows correctly indexed URLs and any potential issues you may face. It even gives users reasons as to why some pages aren’t being indexed and provides tips on addressing these issues. By providing users with background information on what their teams have done right, what they can still improve on and how exactly to improve, the Google Search Console team is giving you all the keys to success.

Here’s how they’re creating this magic:

1. Page details along with a diagnostic tool will pop-up when users click on error URLs. The tool will help you understand what the root of the problem is.
2. Diagnosing and fixing search issues can be complicated. Sometimes it may involve multiple people on your team and your company’s entire digital agency. Why? Because when it comes to resolving issues on a website, lots of elements need to be addressed. Sometimes the imagery or the content needs to be fixed, and other times it’s about changing the Meta description tags. With this update, communicating cross-channels inside Google Analytics has never been easier because you can easily share reports with the new share button.
3. The new Search Console beta will also help you confirm whether or not an issue has been resolved through the validate fix button. This will tell Google to reprocess the affected URLs right away.
4. Sitemaps will also play a large role in the Webmaster tools update because they help users target specific URLs. Google also benefits from the usage of sitemaps because their team can identify which URLs have been updated.

AMP and Job Postings, Enhanced!

Similar to how Google’s Search Console beta informs users of potential issues they may have with their URLs, it also shows errors and warnings for AMP and job postings. There are two features the team at Google focused on for these enhancements:

1. The validate fix button is back, this time ready to run instantaneous tests which will give your company’s team feedback, just like a digital marketing agency. Once your site pages pass these tests, they are reprocessed. If they fall short, the Google team will send you a notification right away.
2. In addition to the validate fix button, there is also a validation log that records all URLs and shows which have failed, which are still pending, and which have passed Google’s tests.

Another added bonus of the update is a job postings report that looks similar to the AMP report. If your website is eligible, Google can pull job listings that are displayed on your website and pull them into Google for jobs. However, for now this is only available in certain countries.

Looking Forward

While Google sent out an invite to certain webmasters to join the beta Google Search Console, this update will be available for all users very soon. The new update also has a feedback feature located on the sidebar with which users can give their opinion and advice to Googlers on how they can best improve their product for user experience. Before you go off and start playing around with the new features, let’s look at the updates one more time:

1. The updated Search Console has a search report that goes back 16 months!
2. Google is now making it easier for website owners to index their pages by providing them with insights as to why or why not their URLs are being indexed.
3. AMP and job postings are getting more attention with the new validate fix and validation log that show users where to focus their efforts.
4. Whether it’s a question or constructive criticism, let Google know what you think about the new search console. They want your feedback!

And you wanna know the best part? Google isn’t done yet! There are still many features from the classic Search Console that Google wants to incorporate into to the new and improved beta version (they’re also working on the mobile version). For updates on new features, don’t forget to subscribe to this Digital Agency’s mailing list!