Your Guide to The New Google Search Console Changes

Google reports and tools will always evolve. In fact, Google said so themselves when discussing the latest Google Search Console (GSC) changes.

Google’s Search Console has always been a free and vital tool for website owners managing SEO and it has finally had a redesign. After testing the GSC interface for quite some time, Google has released the tool to its users.

In this article, we’ll explore the changes and the impacts these alterations have created for business owners, giving you everything you need to prepare yourself.

What is Google Search Console?

So, why do you need Google Search Console? What is this tool all about?

Google Search Console has become a trusted and true go-to for website owners looking to up their game. It helps users monitor, maintain and troubleshoot their site’s presence through Google searches — for free.

Even though you’re not required to sign up for GSC to have your website included in Google’s search results, it can help you fully comprehend how Google views and ranks your site. And that’s important because, after all, knowledge is power.

5 Big Changes to Google Search Console

So, what needed to be changed? According to Google, quite a bit. Let’s check out the improvements:

1. While the older version offered three months of search traffic data, the new GSC includes 16 months.
2. The new version offers detailed information about a specific site page, including canonical URL, index coverage, mobile usability, and much more.
3. The new GSC also includes tracking flows that help users monitor, repair and ask for a recrawl of pages damaged by crawling problems.
4. This updated version has new and improved tools and reports.
5. The tool is now mobile-friendly.

Precautions in Google Search Console

While these changes may seem to be positive from an outsider’s point of view, it is a different story for anyone owning a website. Whether you’re a generalist or a specialist, a newbie or an expert, there are a few precautions you should consider.

Business Owners

Even if you’re a business owner who doesn’t control Search Console personally, it’s smart to remain aware of the changes throughout the migration. This includes becoming familiar with SEO changes and understanding which GSC features are available.

As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to be on top of Google changes in order to work alongside Google. This way you can operate at the same pace for optimal, sustainable results.

SEO Specialists or Marketers

This group of professionals will likely be the first to question the changes, which makes this section that much more important. This migration has created a number of changes, as we’ve seen in the section above.

As an online marketing expert, Search Console has likely helped you monitor your site traffic, make informed decisions about your site’s search result appearance and ultimately, optimize your search engine rankings.

We suggest using the information from both the old and the new Search Console to influence website tech decisions. We also suggest conducting your marketing analysis with other Google tools such as Google Trends, Analytics, and Google Ads.

Site Administrators

As a site administrator, it’s your duty to care about the proper operation of your site or your client’s site.

Once a site migrates from an older version to a new one, the chances of jeopardizing the operations become higher. This makes it vital to keep track of the changes that are being made.

Search Console allows you to easily monitor and solve server errors, fix site loading issues as well as various security issues. In fact, hacking and malware issues caused by migrating may be resolved through the Search Console itself.

Our tip to you?

Use your GSC to ensure smooth adjustments or site maintenance for optimum site performance.

Web Developers

If you’ve created the code or markup for your site, Google Search Console would have been your go-to for any monitoring or markup issue resolutions.

During the migration over to the new GSC, double check absolutely everything to safeguard a smooth transition.

Why were the Changes Made?

If you were a regular user of the old GSC version, you’re probably quite aware that the older version worked just fine. While GSC was just fine in its older form, the thing you have to remember is Google’s ultimate purpose with every change, update or new creation:

To provide an enhanced user experience.

Google wants to ensure the way you decode user search queries evolves with time, keeping everything relevant and up-to-date for the best possible user experience. Furthermore, constant improvements to the platform and supporting tools like GSC will also help marketers generate a better return on their efforts.

So, it’s pretty understandable when you look at it that way.

Google Tools and Reporting Tools are an Ideal Combination

At the end of the day, whether it was changed or not, Google Search Console is a solid reporting tool in the age of analytics. Reports on Search Console allow you to measure your user’s search intent in order to provide accurate results on what actions are working, and which ones aren’t.

Besides user search intent reports, the ultimate tool to have is unfettered access to an extensive report library, whenever you need it.

PPCexpo does this leg work to make your life easier as a business owner. You can use our extensive report library to run as many reports as you want, according to your needs.

By using report libraries and Google tools effectively, while staying up to date in the industry, there’s no limit on what your business can accomplish…no matter what changes Google throws at you next!