Improvements to Google Search Queries
Google Top Search Queries has been an essential tool for webmasters who want to see just how people are finding their website; an essential feature for managing an effective SEO strategy.
They’ve recently made some modifications to this tool, allowing people to focus not just on the TOP queries that have brought traffic to their website, but all of them with new functions which include:
1. Average Position Column – because one main focus of many webmasters and SEO pros is the position in Google rankings, this addition offers them a quick overview to gauge just how effective their strategies are. This new addition summarizes the ranking position a site has with each query.
2. Displaying # – an addition that outlines the number of impressions and clicks which is a simple total taken right from the search queries table.
3. Starred tab – this new tab allows users to star specific queries they want to keep track of and view the data that corresponds to each all in one place in an easy way.
All of these additions to Google Search Queries (including a name change from “Top Search Queries” to this new title) are reflective of user feedback and so far, the changes have been well received.
Of course, many of the comments that appear on the Google Webmaster Blog indicate that many users would like to see more, including better localization options, improved traceable history and reports that can be exported to API.
That being said, my favourite change is one that other users seem to greatly appreciate. The ability to star your favourite queries, rather than the ones that Google decides you should be most interested because they rank well, sure is convenient. After all, for an effective SEO strategy there are certain queries that you will focus on improving and you don’t need to dig through the data week after week to see if there have been positive changes.
Of course, at this stage you only want to look at Google Search Queries as a guideline, but you probably shouldn’t attach any monetary bets to your specific query numbers. Some industry experts believe that data on rankings and specific hits and impressions just aren’t 100% accurate, but as long as you know that, the tool is still a great resource and it keeps on getting better.
Google has already proved it’s listening, so hopefully it will incorporate the other features in demand by users as well as the questions of accuracy.
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