In the wake of one of my latest discussions with clients, the importance of Google Webmaster Tools — or GWT, as it was known until recently — came back with a vengeance.
My take?
Some clients could do with a cold shower at the end of the hottest week of the year.
What Is It?
Google Webmaster Tools — now called Google Search Console (GSC) — is a free tool that any business should use in synch with other marketing tools in order to improve the visibility of their website(s) in Google’s SERPs.
Surprisingly enough, based on my experience, GSC is still an unknown, let alone unused product for clients and agencies alike, in spite of a track record spanning over the last ten years.
The set-up of GSC doesn’t require a high level of expertise.
That said, the verification process, which simply requires clients and agencies to inform Google of which website — theirs, essentially — should be monitored, is a big enough hurdle for prospects not to use it.
Moreover, when the perils of adventuring into such an extreme task have been overcome, and the verification process has actually taken place, I have experienced very little interest in exploiting its features while working at other agencies.
Three Key Points
- Google Must Understand The Structure Of Your Website
Through the GSC’s indexation features you can check out how Google sees your website, increasing the chances of success (as gauged by visibility) with the public. Indexation is faster and more accurate.
Available features includes: Sitemap Submission, Robot Tester, Fetch as Google.
- Google Must Understand The Content Of Your Site
GSC content/crawling features allow users to easily detect search terms and links. They also send alerts on different content and page elements. It may affect the ranking.
Available features includes: Link to your Site, Data Highlighter, Search Analytics.
- Google Will Inform You Of Security and “Penalty” Issues
GSC will inform you if any security issue that could affect the performance of your website has been detected. Notifications will be delivered and displayed on the dashboard.
A comprehensive guide can be found on the Google Official Webmaster Tools Blog.
Elsewhere, similar tools are available on Bing Webmaster Tools.
If you want to discuss this topic with our team, please email us at info@hedgingbeta.com