The Twitter SEO community is currently alight with conversation about the full rollout of the long-awaited beta Google Search Console.

Seemingly now available to just about everyone, you can check your access status here.

From there, check the top right of the screen, click “search properties” and view whether you are verified for the new console.

The search engine made its official announcement introducing the new console on the Webmaster Central Blog on January 8, a few months after releasing it to a very limited number of users.

So what does the new Search Console include?

As mentioned by Martin Woods in an earlier blog, this new version was built from the ground up, so it is packed with added functionalities and features, and Google states that there is more to come throughout the year.

16 months of data in Search Performance

The new Search Performance report will include 16 months of data, a request that SEOs have been making for a long time.

The new report will enable webmasters to view long term trends, which will hopefully make year-over-year comparisons a lot easier.

In it you can view clicks, impressions, click-through rates and average positions. It also allows for filtering of web, image, or video search results, which can be segmented themselves by query, page, country, or device.

This information shall also be available via the Search Console API before the year is out.

Comprehensive viewing on Google’s indexing

The updated Index Coverage report enables insight into the indexing of URLS, showing those that are correctly indexed, those that have potential issues, and any reason why Google might not be indexing them.

Showing changes over time, by clicking on an error URL, diagnostics tools shall be linked to the user, and there will also be option for index resubmission.

The ability to improve AMP and Job Postings pages

Google’s major AMP push continues and the new AMP status report allows webmasters to view specific URL warnings, a diagnosis of any issues, and provides the ability to fix the matter in hand after testing.

Google also states that there are two extra features in the reports, the first of which enables for faster feedback while fixing an issue, and the second, “is aimed at providing positive feedback during the fix process by expanding the validation log.”

For those who post job listings, there will also be a new Job Posting report that allows people to view statistics around listing results, as well as any indexing issues and ways to resolve them.

A word of warning

Although much of what we see here is great for webmasters and SEOs, it has also provided Google with the ability to highlight websites that might be in breach of its rules, both with greater accuracy and speed.

If you’re one of the many that has seen a Manual Action report in your search console in recent weeks, this could well be why.

Check out our contact page for more information on how SALT.agency can help with lifting Manual Action penalties.