New Year, New You … New Google Search Console

Serina Fignole - January 15, 2018

Earlier this month, Google announced that it will begin to release a new and improved Google Search Console (GSC) globally. The new GSC was rebuilt by using actionable insights from experts and users, and creating an interaction model. This model will guide users through the process of fixing any pending issues.

Throughout 2018, Google will continue to add functionalities to the updated GSC from the classic version. Until the new GSC is complete, both versions will live side-by-side and be interconnected through links in the navigation bar.

To simplify internal collaboration, Google added the ability to share reports within an organization to the new GCS. In addition, Search Performance, Index Coverage, AMP Status, and Job Posting reports are among some of the new functionalities available in the update GSC.

Search Performance Report

Are you a fan of Search Analytics? Well, you’ll love the new Search Performance report then. Due to users consistently asking for more data in Search Analytics, this new report gives users 16 months of data. This should make analyzing longer-term trends and YoY comparisons easier.

Index Coverage Report

With the updated Index Coverage report, users can gain insights into the indexing of URLs from their website. This report will show correctly indexed URLs, warnings about potential issues, and detail why Google isn’t indexing a URL. The new GCS’s Index Coverage report utilizes the same functionalities as Google’s new Issue Tracker, which alerts users when new issues arise and helps monitor the fixing process.

Search Enhancements – AMP Status & Job Posting Reports

One of the main driving factors for the creation of the new GSC is to help users implement search enhancements. These types of reports will provide details into the specific errors and warnings that Google identified for a specific topic, like AMP status or job posting. In addition to the Issue Tracker functionally described in the section above, Google enhanced the reports with these two extra features:

• Providing faster feedback in the process of fixing an issue by running several instantaneous tests once you click the validate fix
• Providing positive feedback during the fixing process through expanding the validation log with a list of URLs that were identified as fixed, failed the validation or might still be pending.

While you might be itching to explore the new GCS and its new functionalities, it may not be available to you just yet. When your website is ready for the new GCS, Google will send you a message. So keep an eye out for this message in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions about the new GSC, please reach out to the experts at MoreVisibility for assistance.