Google Changes Name to Google Webmasters to Google Search Console

The 10-year-old Google Webmaster Tools is now Google Search Console. Even though it has changed its name, this free tool is still the same. It’s still a dashboard of several instruments that allow you to manage your own site. If you don’t want to run your online business blindfolded, this tool must be set up and it should be the priority of your webmaster.

By changing its name, it seems like Google is rebranding itself and providing more useful tools to those who care so much about Search. The company has offered this free tool for website owners to help them analyze their site, such as how it’s indexed and its presence online.

In Google Search Console, Search Queries reports will now be called Search Analytics reports. It provides information on how the content of your site shows up to users when they do searches. This is the key of this tool. It’s useful to a wide array of end-users.

Through rebranding, Google is now broadening its appeal to those people who are maintaining a website. With Google Search Console, it can now target almost everyone, not just webmasters. Designers, SEO specialists, hobbyists and marketers can take advantage of its tools. According to the product manager of Google Search Console, sharing your work online is about making it available through Google Search. And this is the goal of the latest tool.

The new brand has been on since May 2015. As mentioned earlier, it’s still equipped with the same tools but with a different name. However, the difference is that the data are no longer designed for tech-savvy individuals; rather they’re more open to those who are less knowledgeable about managing their own sites.

This means that the UI has changed. You’ll also appreciate the new overhauled Search Queries tool.

Should You Use It?

If you haven’t, you should sign up and use it. This tool lets you submit your XML sitemap to the search engine giant – Google. By signing up and using it, you’ll receive feedback about the number of URLs being indexed by Google for your site. You can also test some URLs against your site’s robots.txt. In this way, you can be sure that your site isn’t blocked.

The Search Analytics is still in its beta mode. It’s an upgrade of the Search Queries report as it offers more data and segmentation.

The URL of Google Search Console is still the same as Google Webmaster. However, Google added a short URL for it: g.co/SearchConsole.