Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a collection of tools and resources to help website owners, webmasters, marketers, and SEO professionals improve their websites. This powerful platform allows users to monitor website performance in the Google search index, providing invaluable insights and actionable data.
An essential tool for anyone serious about improving search performance and visibility, Google Search Console offers a unique window into how Google perceives and interacts with your site, providing data that can’t be found anywhere else. That’s why we’re committed to keeping you informed fast about Google Search Console news.
Key features
Google Search Console offers a huge variety of features that include:
- Search Appearance Information: Gain insights into how your site appears in search results.
- Search Traffic Analysis: Understand your audience better by analyzing your overall search performance.
- Technical Status Updates: Receive notifications about critical issues affecting your site’s performance in search results.
- Crawl Data and Indexing Insights: Monitor how Google crawls and indexes your site.
- Performance Reports: Access detailed data on your site’s search performance. Core Web Vitals reports provide crucial information about your site’s user experience.
- URL Inspection Tool: Examine specific URLs to understand how Google views and indexes them and troubleshoot any issues.
- Links Analysis: Explore internal and external links to your site.
Leveraging Google Search Console effectively can lead to significant improvements in your site’s search performance. For example:
- The Performance Report can help identify underperforming pages that might benefit from content optimization.
- The Mobile Usability Report can guide improvements in your site’s mobile experience, which is crucial in today’s mobile-first indexing environment.
- The Links Report can inform your link-building strategy by revealing the most linked content and the top linking sites.
The evolution
Originally launched as Google Webmaster Tools, the platform was significantly rebranded in 2015 to become Google Search Console. This change reflected its broader utility for various marketing professionals beyond webmasters.
The evolution of Google Search Console mirrors the changing landscape of SEO and digital marketing in general. As search algorithms become more sophisticated and UX takes center stage, the platform has adapted to provide more insights and actionable data.
Maximizing your Google Search Console experience
We invite you to read our guides and tips for using Google Search Console, along with the latest news and feature updates. The goal of our content is to help you make the most of Google Search Console.
For example, you can learn how to use Google Search Console to get easy SEO wins. You can also explore our comprehensive SEO’s guide on the platform, as it offers an in-depth look at techniques and best practices for seasoned professionals.
Stay tuned to Search Engine Land to ensure you’re always up-to-date with the latest features and best practices of Google Search Console, helping you maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving world of SEO.
Your CLS score for your Google Search Console core web vitals report may have just improved
You may have seen a big improvement in your CLS score without you doing anything.
May 22 Google update was big, despite Google’s being mum about it; Wednesday’s daily brief
Core web vitals ranking tidbits and less data in Search Console
Google removing generic rich results filter from Search Console performance report
Google says this is because it now breakouts most rich result types in their own search appearance filters.
Google Search Console performance report gains practice problems
You can now track your performance for your practice problem rich results.
Some new local search changes you should be aware of; Wednesday’s daily brief
Also, Google updated its event structured data report in Search Console.
Google events enhancement report updated to show more errors
You may see an increase in the number of errors in this Search Console report as a result of the reporting change.
Google search rankings algorithm check-in; Friday’s daily brief
Local Service Ads Google bug, speeding up images and the value of our old internet companies.
Instant match rates in Google Ads and when content isn’t king; Monday’s daily brief
Plus, check out our new Google Search Console guide
Let’s get things straight with the Google page experience update; Friday’s daily brief
Also more on the Google product reviews update rolling, local car inventory displaying and soft 404s seem resolved.
SEOs rejoice: Core web vitals release moves to June; plus WordPress might block FLoC; Tuesday’s daily brief
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Google postpones page experience update rollout
The page experience update will now gradually rollout in mid-June and won't be fully live until the end of August.
Google Search Console adds Page Experience report and filters for Search Performance report
These new reports give us more information to prepare for the new timeline for the page experience update rollout.
The Google product reviews update was a big one; Friday’s daily brief
Plus, Google Ads insights page, CLS metric changes and possible soft 404 bugs.
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In search of your most memorable moments; Monday’s daily brief
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Google Search Console performance report image impression change
Google changed how it counts impressions for image search in the performance reporting, you may notice a drop in impressions.
Looks like we made it: Regex finally comes to Search Console; Thursday’s daily brief
Plus, Google updates Merchant Center product data specifications
Google Search Console adds regular expression support and more data filtering to Performance reports
More ways to slice and dice your organic search data in Google Search Console.
Reputation attack sites have plummeted in Google, but can still harm
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The big Google zero click debate; who is right?; Friday’s daily brief
Also we covered new Search Console features, Google Ads types and Microsoft Ads controls.
Google adds practice problems and math solver structured data and Search Console reports
Online education businesses may want to leverage these new structured data types to get more exposure in Google Search results.
Google Search Console users experience crawl stats report data issue
Between March 10th and March 23rd there was a data issue with the crawl stats report, no Google Search performance issues were associated with this data bug.
Google clarifies the SharedArrayBuffer notification
After much confusion, Google explained why it send out these notifications and what your next steps should be.
SharedArrayBuffer warnings in Search Console: Clarifying a new cross-origin isolation security policy
Android Chrome 88 and desktop Chrome 91, plus Firefox 79+ now implement SharedArrayBuffers again after Spectre caused a multiyear security blackout on the feature until new security requirements were in place.
Mobile-first indexing, site downtime, static headlines and rich results; Friday’s daily brief
Plus the Google algorithm updates continue, including a local search update.
Google Search Console rich results report updated
Google tweaked some of the job posting structured data requirements and also how it checks the validity of FAQ and Q&A structured data.
Google won’t build alternate IDs, doubles down on FLoC; Thursday’s daily brief
Plus, how to get your speaking pitches noticed
Server-side rendering: What SEOs need to understand
A guide for search marketers on how rendering JavaScript impacts search results.
Bans lifted, ad outages, feature releases, and more CWV; Tuesday’s daily brief
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Google Search Console adds ‘associations’ so you can link with other Google accounts
These can give you a better and wider view of your data across your various Google services.
Passage based rankings, core web vitals and responsive search ads; Friday’s daily brief
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Clubhouse, Shopify, and unconfirmed algorithm updates; Thursday’s daily brief
Plus, EU search choice screen pleases almost no one
Google updated metric boundaries for core web vitals in Search Console
You may see more green scores in your core web vitals report in Search Console.
Are Core Web Vitals worth the trouble? And confusion around passage ranking; Tuesday’s daily brief
Plus, Bing launches misspelling interpreter
Is Google moving toward being search marketing’s point of singularity: Thursday’s daily brief
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Quest for more coverage: Making a case for larger exports from Google Search Console’s Coverage reporting
Google Search Console's Coverage reporting only allows one thousand row exports, which limits the ability to see pattens on larger-scale sites.
Google publishes new manual actions aimed at Google News and Discover penalties
Google has not yet announced the addition of these new manual actions but they are all visible in the help documents.
Google Search Console Discover performance report now includes all data
Also be on the look out for the new origin referrer for Chrome Google Discover traffic.
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Google News performance report added to Google Search Console
Google Search Console now lets you dive in to how well your news site performs in Google News and the Google News App.