Entries from Search Engine Roundtable tagged with 'google webmaster central'

A couple months ago, Google released an incredibly useful feature in the Webmaster Tools labs named fetch as GoogleBot. It basically allowed you to see what GoogleBot sees, enabling you to see crawl issues, hacks, injected links and other webmaster...

Posted on December 18, 2009 8:48 AM

Since Google has released the Site Performance reports in Webmaster Tools and page speed is Google's 2010 ranking factor promise, Webmasters have been somewhat obsessed with speeding up their sites. Webmasters are concerned with scripts they do not control. Such...

Posted on December 10, 2009 8:46 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread has reports of page load time speeds spiking up to ridiculous numbers in the new Google site performance reports. Google's response to these reports was pretty interesting, I'll get to that soon, firs the context....

Posted on December 10, 2009 8:26 AM

Like all you know, page speed with be a ranking factor in Google in 2010 and if you didn't believe it until now, maybe Google adding a page speed report to Google Webmaster Tools will convince you of that. I...

Posted on December 3, 2009 9:23 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread had one webmaster who received an email from Google warning of a phishing attempt on this person's site. The webmaster asked if it was real. The email said he/she should "submit a safebrowsing report at...

Posted on November 13, 2009 6:53 AM

The Google Webmaster Central Blog announced they have updated the keyword tool and data in Google Webmaster Tools. The new additions include: Data updated dailyHow often is the keyword foundDisplas top URLs that contain the keyword Specifically, the new significance...

Posted on November 12, 2009 8:55 AM

Back in May, Google launched rich snippets that enabled webmasters to markup their HTML with richer data for Google to display. For example, you can often see results from Yelp and other sites like it for reviews that display reviews...

Posted on November 12, 2009 8:17 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread has discussion where one webmaster is having the hardest time removing a URL from the Google index. He/she used the Google Remove URL Tool only to find out that even though Google reported back the...

Posted on November 11, 2009 8:42 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread reports that because .UA domains are currently not considered "root domains" by Google, the change of address tool doesn't work for them. I am not sure if Google did not consider them root domains or...

Posted on November 6, 2009 8:56 AM

Not sure how important this is, but it is one of those minor changes that I particularly enjoy covering. The Google Webmaster Tools API lets you verify and reverify sites directly in the API. The thing is, they have changed...

Posted on October 28, 2009 8:38 AM

A WebmasterWorld thread has new discussion around using the hash tag, in the URL, instead of dynamic parameters such as questionmarks and the like for special tracking purposes. Typically, tracking URLs for ads and campaigns lead to URLs with questionmarks,...

Posted on October 21, 2009 9:14 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread has reports that the fetch as Googlebot feature might display weird characters for some pages that return non-ASCII characters. Specifically, if the pages are not encoded in UTF-8 and use these non-ASCII characters, the tool...

Posted on October 21, 2009 8:36 AM

Google added the fetch as Googlebot feature the other day and now people are really beginning to explore it. One topic I have seen come up was why is the Fetch as Googlebot feature only showing up to 100Kb of...

Posted on October 14, 2009 8:33 AM

The Google Webmaster Central Blog announced the launch of a new "Labs" section in Google Webmaster Tools. Labs is for Google to launch features that might not be fully tested and have bugs, but at the same time give webmasters...

Posted on October 13, 2009 8:45 AM

Last week Google updated their verification process for Webmaster Tools. A known issue was that it broke the ability for Google Sites to verify in Webmaster Tools. Yesterday, Google resolved the issue and now Google Sites can be verified without...

Posted on October 9, 2009 9:00 AM

About three weeks ago, Google added parameter handling to Google Webmaster Tools. It basically gave webmasters another tool to help communicate to Google any duplicate content or URL issues. I spotted two threads from the same webmaster, one at HighRankings...

Posted on October 9, 2009 8:49 AM

In one of Matt Cutts' videos on SEO questions, he answers a question about if you should build an HTML or XML Sitemap. An HTML sitemap is an old school landing page for users to find all (or most) of...

Posted on October 9, 2009 8:36 AM

Dennis from the Google Webmaster Central team informed us in a Google Webmaster Help thread that now, if you have comment code or extra HTML in the verification file used to verify your site in Google Webmaster Tools, it will...

Posted on October 8, 2009 8:34 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread has confirmed reports of a bug with Google Webmaster Tools. The bug is someone technical, where you try to download the verification file via a URL that Google provides. That URL, which seems to be...

Posted on October 6, 2009 7:50 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread reports that some webmasters (at least one) has set his Google Webmaster Tools to geo-target to the UK, but the site is ending up being geo-targeted to France. Here is what the webmaster said: This...

Posted on October 5, 2009 8:31 AM

Google announced that they have updated the verification process for Google Webmaster Tools. The main changes include: (1) META Tag verification is no longer tied to the email address on file, i.e. you can change your email and it won't...

Posted on October 2, 2009 8:25 AM

If you login to Google Webmaster Tools, click on site configuration, then on settings, you will see a new option for "parameter handling." Here is a screen capture: This basically allows you to tell Google which parameters in the URL...

Posted on September 17, 2009 8:49 AM

A webmaster reported in a Google Webmaster Help thread that in his Google Webmaster Tools Keyword report, he noticed that Google is displaying a blank line as one of his more popular keywords used within the site. The blank line...

Posted on September 9, 2009 8:36 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread reports that when using Google Sites and submitting a Sitemap file to Webmaster Tools, you may receive an error. The error some people are seeing is: Your Sitemap appears to be an HTML page. Please...

Posted on September 8, 2009 8:13 AM

In May, Google announced the availability of adding rich snippets to the Google search results through microformats and RDFa aided code. The two major complaints were not being about to: (1) Know if you will be able to see the...

Posted on September 1, 2009 8:52 AM

It appears that some webmasters are now receiving warnings from Google Webmaster Tools about SSL certificate issues. A Google Webmaster Help thread has a couple people reporting receiving the warnings over the weekend. Here is a copy of the SSL...

Posted on August 24, 2009 7:12 AM

Many webmasters and SEOs are reporting seeing an issue with the PageRank distribution report in Google Webmaster Tools. If you login and click on crawl stats, and then scroll to the bottom, you may or may not see data. I...

Posted on August 11, 2009 8:34 AM

There is a brand new Google Webmaster Tools error for Sitemaps files. The new error or warning is named "Duplicate URL" and has been springing up for many webmasters recently. The full error reads: This URL is a duplicate of...

Posted on August 3, 2009 8:28 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread reports that several webmasters trying to use the reconsideration form are experiencing significant difficulties. As the user types in the box, explaining why their site should be reincluded in the Google index, the web page...

Posted on August 3, 2009 8:12 AM

About a year ago, Google introduced the new Google Webmaster Tools API. This API allow developers to communicate with Google Webmaster Tools (GWT), without actually accessing the front end, so they can code reports, verify sites and so on, without...

Posted on July 31, 2009 9:07 AM

Over a year ago, we reported that Google Recommends You Split Sitemap Files By File Type. The issue back then, is the same issue some webmasters are experiencing. When you want to create a geo-sitemap, you have to make that...

Posted on July 30, 2009 10:33 AM

I thought I knew everything there is to know about Google Webmaster Tools, but I guess there was one thing I did not know. A WebmasterWorld thread talks about how one webmaster received a message from Google that his site...

Posted on July 30, 2009 9:57 AM

There are some reports of Google Webmaster Tools not loading for some users. Some of these reports are coming from WebmasterWorld and I also personally have this issue. When I try to access the tool, the URL redirects back and...

Posted on July 23, 2009 8:21 AM

Google Webmaster Tools recently added some features to the toolkit. Those include the ability to quick search for sites in your profile, block sitelinks for subpages, review page removal requests made by others and fading out the unverified sites on...

Posted on July 22, 2009 8:54 AM

A DigitalPoint Forum thread has a copy of a email sent to a webmaster for violating Google's webmaster guidelines. The email specifically shows the webmaster which guidelines they are breaking, in this case, hiding text. Here is a copy of...

Posted on July 1, 2009 7:57 AM

This is your chance to give the Webmaster Central team your ideas and have the SEO community vote on them. The more votes your ideas get, the more likely the Google team will work on them. The Google Blog post...

Posted on June 25, 2009 9:11 AM

There are many threads across the web with webmasters concerned that their sitemaps file is in "pending" status in Google Webmaster Tools. One such thread is at Google Webmaster Help where a few webmasters are complaining about the issue. Google...

Posted on June 22, 2009 8:25 AM

I have been watching a Google Webmaster Help thread for about a week now. The thread was started by a 3rd party individual who volunteers a lot of his time helping webmasters in the Google Webmaster Help forum. He was...

Posted on June 18, 2009 7:13 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread reports the small but yet significant changes made to how Google displays and aggregates the URLs listed in the external link reports within Google Webmaster Tools. The main changes include: Link counts are reduced by...

Posted on June 16, 2009 10:52 AM

If you are currently seeing a warning in Google Webmaster Tools that reads, "Invalid XML tag," don't worry. There are many webmasters reporting the issue and Google has confirmed it is a bug. Google said in an announcement post: Some...

Posted on June 15, 2009 8:32 AM

Yesterday we reported about the new Google Webmaster Tools, with the new change of address feature and a few other new things with it. We also informed you that there were several bugs in the new interface and features. It...

Posted on June 12, 2009 8:19 AM

Back in early 2006, we called for a Google Certified Domain Change solution to allow webmasters to communicate to Google when we move domains. Moving domains is one of the biggest concerns SEOs and webmasters have for when it comes...

Posted on June 11, 2009 8:52 AM

I have excellent news for the SEO world today. It seems like Google has finally pushed through a change with the reconsideration request process that SEOs and webmasters have been asking for since the reconsideration request began. Now, if you...

Posted on June 10, 2009 8:49 AM

Yesterday, Google made two quick announcements about bug fixes with Google Webmaster Tools. The first item was that the URL Removal tool was not working. A Google Webmasters Help thread has confirmation from Susan Moskwa, a Googler, that this was...

Posted on May 28, 2009 7:40 AM

Google Webmaster Tools and Webmaster Central are tools I cannot believe SEOs ever lived without. Early on, many experienced SEOs were skeptical about the tools, but many of us have learned that the tools and advice are here to help...

Posted on May 20, 2009 9:13 AM

On Thursday we reported that the backlink data was out of sync in the redesigned webmaster tools. Well, over the weekend, that was fixed. Googler, Jonathan Simon said in a Google Webmasters Help thread that it is now up to...

Posted on May 18, 2009 1:38 PM

The other day, Google released a redesigned Webmaster Tools area. Soon after it was released, webmasters began noticing that the linkage data found in the new Webmaster Tools was out of sync with the one found in the old Webmaster...

Posted on May 14, 2009 8:28 AM

For the past few days, dozens of threads have been popping up in the Google Webmasters Help discussion forum about how Google Webmaster Tools was showing "Data is not available at this time" for some sites. After many complaints, Google...

Posted on May 13, 2009 9:22 AM

The last time Google Webmaster Tools was redesigned was back in September 2007. It has been a while since the interface was updated. That doesn't mean features weren't added over time, they were, but within the same old interface. Google...

Posted on May 13, 2009 8:39 AM

A Google Webmasters Help thread has a webmaster worried that Google has not downloaded his XML Sitemap file in about five days. I went to check the status of my sitemap file in Google Webmaster Tools and Google has not...

Posted on April 20, 2009 8:31 AM

Back in April 2007, Google gave webmasters a new easy way to remove content in Google, through Google Webmaster Tools. It is a great feature to quickly remove your content in Google, but it is an extremely powerful tool. If...

Posted on April 9, 2009 6:55 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread asks if there is a limit on the number of Sitemap files you can have under a single Google account. Currently, there is no documentation on the limit but there is a 500 limit per...

Posted on March 17, 2009 9:00 AM

Back in September 2005, Google began emailing webmasters about violations to the Google webmaster guidelines. Then in March 2006, Google started stepping up those notifications. Webmasters were loving Google reaching out to them with issues, so they can address them...

Posted on March 3, 2009 8:41 AM

A week ago today, we reported that some webmasters noticed the link reports in Google Webmaster Tools was not being updated or was not allowing for download. On the 19th, Google said in a Google Webmaster Help forum thread that...

Posted on February 25, 2009 8:27 AM

If your Google Sitemap file is in "pending" status and you are worried that it will never come out of that status, I would not worry. Google recently posted an announcement that this is a known issue and they are...

Posted on February 19, 2009 8:41 AM

SEOs and Webmasters should all be huge fans of Google Webmaster Tools, it provides data and insight into our web sites that we did not always have. SEOs and Webmasters that are educated know what to make from these reports...

Posted on February 18, 2009 8:28 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread asks if he is being ripped off because his hosting company wants to charge him to help him verify his site with Google Webmaster Tools. So you know, all it takes to verify a site...

Posted on February 3, 2009 8:27 AM

A site owner has confirmed reports from a Google Webmaster Help discussion thread that his site was completely removed from the Google index by his previous webmaster. It seems like this previous webmaster was upset with the site owner and...

Posted on February 2, 2009 7:41 AM

Googlers, John Mueller and Susan Moskwa put together a very comprehensive Knol page on Google Webmaster Tools verification. So if you are new to Google Webmaster Tools and you are about to verify your site with Google Webmaster Tools. You...

Posted on January 27, 2009 3:14 AM

If you are noticing that your index count in Google Webmaster Tools in your Sitemaps section shows zero pages are indexed, then don't panic. Google has confirmed in a Google Webmaster Help thread that there may be a bug impacting...

Posted on January 26, 2009 6:09 AM

The Google Webmaster Central blog announced the release of a new Google Sitemaps generator available at code.google.com/p/googlesitemapgenerator. The new tool works differently then other sitemaps tools. The tool "finds new and modified URLs based on your webserver's traffic, its log...

Posted on January 14, 2009 8:47 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread reports that Google Webmaster Tools seems to be missing the feature to change the method you would like to verify you site with. Now, I personally don't remember what should or should not be on...

Posted on January 14, 2009 8:41 AM

An SEOMoz post charts the positive impact having a Sitemap file can have on the speed of Google and Yahoo crawling and indexing your web pages. The report seems pretty impressive and I myself feel that Sitemaps are important to...

Posted on January 9, 2009 8:36 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread asks a very interesting question. Should a webmaster consider submitting a reinclusion request if the site is still ranking well in Google? The question seems obvious. Why would you bother submitting a reinclusion request when...

Posted on January 7, 2009 8:49 AM

A WebmasterWorld thread asks why does the site command in Google not match up in the number of "indexed" URLs reported in Google Webmaster Tools. A very valid question, let me show you. A simple site command in Google for...

Posted on January 7, 2009 8:25 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread reports that in some instances, Google will tell you that your Sitemap file is OK, but in reality, it is not. The issue comes up when on the summary page, Google may report that your...

Posted on December 29, 2008 8:29 AM

A Google Webmaster Help thread has a report that Google's preferred domain setting section in Google Webmaster Tools is not working. When some webmasters click on the "Settings" link on the left hand side, they get a response from Google...

Posted on December 29, 2008 7:56 AM

Yesterday we reported there were issues with verifying your site in Google Webmaster Tools. The issues were around using the META tag verification, but that is now resolved, as of yesterday evening. Googler, Susan Moskwa said in the Google Webmaster...

Posted on December 9, 2008 7:53 AM

JohnMu at Google has posted a thread announcement at Google Webmaster Help discussions stating there is an issue with some folks who might be trying to verify their sites with Google Webmaster Tools. Specifically, if you are trying to use...

Posted on December 8, 2008 7:53 AM

Google has made two changes to Webmaster Tools. The first is they consolidated your settings into a single page for a site and the second is they are now giving more control over your crawl rate. There is a new...

Posted on December 5, 2008 8:33 AM

It is now official! Google Webmaster Helps Groups has officially closed yesterday and they have opened up a new discussions area at Google Webmaster Help. Susan from Google explained that the archives at the old group "will remain read-only, but...

Posted on December 5, 2008 8:20 AM

Many Google Webmaster Tools users are complaining about not being able to see their "Top Search Queries" report for a week's worth of time. If you go to Google Webmaster Tools, then go to Statistics, and then click on Top...

Posted on November 20, 2008 8:19 AM

Every day that goes by, I become a bigger fan of setting up an XML Sitemap file for Google and the other search engines to chew on. I think Sitemap files are important for sites to take full advantage of...

Posted on November 18, 2008 8:22 AM

A Google Groups thread asks a wonderful question. Why is it that when there is an issue with Google, often Google won't write about it at one of the Google blogs or at the forums, but rather, respond to the...

Posted on November 10, 2008 7:55 AM

Last month, Google added "crawl source" errors reporting to Google Webmaster Tools. Webmasters were happy with this tool, it gave them actionable items to work on. But now, it seems a bug is preventing the tool from showing the crawl...

Posted on November 6, 2008 8:17 AM

Google held their third webmaster chat session about a week ago. I was unable to provide you coverage of the event, but I knew they would be posting a recap of the event for us all who were unable to...

Posted on October 30, 2008 8:08 AM

The other day we reported Google Webmaster Tools Showing 0 Pages Indexed For Sitemaps Users. In short, some of those who have submitted a Sitemap file via Google Webmaster Tools were having issues with those Sitemaps. Many saw their Sitemap...

Posted on October 27, 2008 7:21 AM

I am not sure about this, but it seems that Google's webmaster trends team is sending out snail mail letters to some Sitemap users in the Google Webmaster Help forums. I believe the letters read: <url> <loc> http://www.google.com/webmasters </loc> <created>...

Posted on October 24, 2008 8:10 AM

If you login to your Google Webmaster Tools account and notice that Google is reporting that they have indexed 0 of your submitted pages through Sitemaps, then don't worry - you are not alone. A WebmasterWorld and Google Groups thread...

Posted on October 23, 2008 7:57 AM

Adam Lasnik of Google announced in a Google Groups thread that they are going to be hosting the third webmaster live chat event this Wednesday, October 22nd and noon (EST) or 9am (PST). I am personally upset at the time....

Posted on October 20, 2008 11:49 AM

If you login to Google Webmaster Tools you may notice that something is missing. Google has removed the date from the Home page crawl field from the site overview page. The field was grouped in the "Home Page Crawl" section....

Posted on October 17, 2008 6:04 AM

Hopefully by the time you read this post, the issue will be resolved. However, yesterday afternoon, a Google representative, JohnMu said there is currently a display issue in the Google Webmaster Tools. A Google Groups thread reports several webmasters who...

Posted on October 9, 2008 7:18 AM

The Google Webmaster Central Blog talks about how you can use Google Webmaster Tools to learn about problems with your site. In the post, JohnMu (yes, that John) explains the variety of issues you can run into when you have...

Posted on October 2, 2008 10:15 AM

Got a lot of websites? Hopefully you don't have to monitor them all. That's because Google has limited the number of sites registered in Google Webmaster Tools to 500, according to Google Groups. Unfortunately, that number will not be lifted...

Posted on October 1, 2008 8:28 AM

Typically, TLDs (top level domains) that end with country specific IDs cannot be geo-targeted in Google Webmaster Tools. For example, if you own domain.co.il, you typically cannot set the Geographic target of that domain to England or the US. But...

Posted on September 23, 2008 8:25 AM

Google Webmaster Tools seems to be generating a lot of fake errors. About a month ago they fixed the false 404 errors and now this month, they are reporting false HTTP errors. Here is a screen capture of the overview...

Posted on September 17, 2008 8:08 AM

It appears like the Google Webmaster Central team is testing a new verification process for Webmaster Tools. A Google Groups thread reports finding the following data in his log file: 66.249.71.119 - - [11/Sep/2008:10:17:09 +0100] "GET / google38b4a154a92b0b4f.html HTTP/1.1" 200...

Posted on September 12, 2008 10:53 AM

We discussed the value of adding a Sitemap file in Google in the past. And we also discussed the various data you can send to Google about each of URLs. In a Google Groups thread, a webmaster created multiple Sitemap...

Posted on September 11, 2008 7:52 AM

Ever wonder how Google generates the unique verification code used for authorizing access to Google Webmaster Tools? There are two ways to verify your site in Webmaster Tools. One way is by adding a meta tag code to your header...

Posted on September 9, 2008 7:55 AM

A Google Groups thread is requesting that Google add a negative keyword filter tool for Google Webmaster Tools. Google AdWords gives advertisers the ability to tell Google, I don't want traffic for these keyword phrases or keywords. At least one...

Posted on August 29, 2008 7:57 AM

A few months ago, we reported on Google Popular Picks -- topics that webmasters are interested in but may not have an "official" voice from the Google Webmaster Team (yet!). In a Google Groups thread, the Google team asks webmasters...

Posted on August 27, 2008 9:35 AM

The Google Webmaster Central Blog has a post about new widgets that Google has created that allow you to "embed a widget in your 404 page that helps your visitors find what they're looking for by providing suggestions based on...

Posted on August 20, 2008 9:30 AM

About two weeks ago, we reported that Google Webmaster Tools had 404 reporting errors. Well, after about two weeks, the 404, page not found, reports in Webmaster Tools is now accurate. I logged in myself and saw that Google was...

Posted on August 13, 2008 8:11 AM

The Google team has just announced that your Google Sites web site -- that is, the sites.google.com properties -- can be submitted to Google Webmaster Central. This fixes a bug with verification that we reported on June 16. Google has...

Posted on July 31, 2008 2:22 PM

A Google Groups thread has confirmation from Google that Google's Webmaster Tools may be reporting incorrect 404 status reports. In fact, for this site, Google has reported over a 150 pages not found, in the webmaster tools section. The fact...

Posted on July 31, 2008 8:01 AM

When a search engine spider, bot, crawler visits your site, they should all be capable of passing what is known as a reverse DNS test. I have details on how this works over at this article. A WebmasterWorld thread reports...

Posted on July 30, 2008 8:47 AM

A Google Groups thread has a webmaster who was very concerned when he logged into Webmaster Tools to find out that his site was not indexed by Google. The reality was, it was indexed by Google, but Webmaster Tools showed...

Posted on July 25, 2008 8:12 AM

Google seems to have been adding new alerts or messages sent via the Google Message Center in Webmaster Tools. We saw an alert for high bandwidth access rates and now I am seeing reports of messages warning of "high response...

Posted on July 24, 2008 7:50 AM

I have a client with a very large database driven site. The site is extremely crawlable, which makes for a really nice amount of pages for very specific search terms. I cannot share the site I am talking about, because...

Posted on July 22, 2008 8:31 AM

I am sad to report that Mark Berghausen, aka Bergy, of Google Webmaster Central, has decided to leave Google to pursue his legal profession. Bergy, as he likes to go by, has responded to well over a 100 questions in...

Posted on July 14, 2008 7:06 AM

JohnMu, an SEO turned Googler, back in August of last year, has been one of the most active Googlers in webmaster communication in the past recent months. On July 4th, he announced he is taking a vacation until July 21st,...

Posted on July 10, 2008 8:17 AM

A WebmasterWorld thread is reporting either a somewhat widespread glitch in Google Webmaster Tools or some sites that are having issues. I am personally able to validate the issues, so let me show them to you. I logged into Google...

Posted on July 8, 2008 8:02 AM

Did you know that Google's Remove Content tool in Webmaster Tools is not HTTPS or WWW specific? Meaning, if you want to use the tool to remove all your HTTPS pages from the Google index, it will also remove your...

Posted on July 3, 2008 8:07 AM

The Google Webmaster Central blog announced that they recently rewrote an article about whether Google recommends SEOs. To summarize, the article says that there are benefits, but there are also things you should look out for in an SEO and...

Posted on July 1, 2008 9:35 AM

A WebmasterWorld thread reports that Google has made a small change to the location where you can find your crawl rate charts. In the past, as I described on May 2nd, Google placed the crawl stats under the "Tools" and...

Posted on June 27, 2008 7:50 AM

Several webmasters are noticing new errors found in their Google Webmaster Tools Sitemaps error diagnostic section. The new error is: All the URLs in your Sitemap are marked as having dynamic content. We have threads at WebmasterWorld and Google Groups...

Posted on June 25, 2008 7:52 AM

The second Google webmaster live chat event is now over. I love these things and I wanted to make sure that you all can listen to what took place, just in case you missed it. The agenda went as follows:...

Posted on June 19, 2008 7:00 PM

Google has announced the details of the second live chat session for webmasters and Googlers. The first live chat session was a huge success, I posted transcripts and so on at our site if you missed it. The next live...

Posted on June 17, 2008 7:43 AM

Google Webmaster Tools seems to have a new bug which does not allow you to delete or remove your sitemaps file from your profile. Several reports came from Google Groups starting on May 27th. All have reported that no matter...

Posted on May 30, 2008 7:56 AM

One constant thread you see at the forums are threads complaining that their sites become automatically unverified in Google Webmaster Tools. So the webmaster needs to go back in and manually click the verify button in Webmaster Tools, to reverify...

Posted on May 27, 2008 5:30 AM

First spotted by John, a new Googler has been added to the Google Webmaster team, to help webmasters in Google. The Googler's name is Chark, he goes by Char, and he is part of the Search Quality team. He promises...

Posted on May 21, 2008 8:37 AM

Google's Malware Review form, which was added back in August of last year had some technical issues this week. First reports came via Google Groups at about 1am on May 15th. Webmasters trying to utilize the form received a "oops,...

Posted on May 16, 2008 8:16 AM

Let's say, you have a subfolder on your domain that gets hacked. The hack causes your subfolder to be penalized by Google, due to the hack. Did you know that in order to issue a request for a review from...

Posted on May 5, 2008 7:45 AM

There seems to be a major bug in Google Webmaster Tools where Google is telling virtually all webmasters that their sites are not indexed in Google. For example, I am personally getting the following message for all my sites: Yes,...

Posted on April 18, 2008 7:20 AM

Google has finally written a formal post at the Google Webmaster Central blog named Best practices when moving your site. It honestly is a nice place to send a client or webmaster when the question comes up. Does it give...

Posted on April 17, 2008 7:33 AM

Just when we were getting over the Google Webmaster Tools Verification bug, when the far east is now suffering with a similar bug. If you have a .ASIA domain, Google has confirmed that you will not be able to verify...

Posted on April 3, 2008 7:52 AM

After about 6 or so days of webmasters not being able to verify their sites in Google Webmaster Tools, Google has finally applied the fix. On March 28th, we reported verification issues with Google Webmaster Tools starting some time before...

Posted on April 1, 2008 7:59 AM

As reported, Google held their first live chat even hosted by the Google Webmaster Help team. I listened and participated in the live chat event, and I can personally attest that it was a huge success. I believe there were...

Posted on March 31, 2008 7:14 AM

Googler, JohnMu, posted a Google Groups thread telling everyone that Google is aware of the verification issue in Google Webmaster Tools and not to worry. He said: I just wanted to give a short heads-up that we're aware of the...

Posted on March 28, 2008 8:21 AM

Monday we reported that Google Webmaster Central Team to Offer Live Chat on Friday, March 28th. As promised, I am updating you with the how to join details of this live chat session. Google's Adam Lasnik posted a bunch of...

Posted on March 27, 2008 8:12 AM

Google Webmaster Central is hosting a live chat session this Friday at 9pm (PST), noon (EST). Adam Lasnik of Google posted some details at the Google Webmaster Central Blog. Date/Time: Friday, March 28 at 9am PDT / noon EDT /...

Posted on March 25, 2008 8:15 AM

Serbia currently has two TLDs, .rs and .yu. The .rs TLD is now replacing the .yu TLD, all .yu TLDs should be transferred over to .rs by September 30, 2009. FYI, .rs stands for Republika Srbija (The Republic of Serbia)....

Posted on March 25, 2008 7:50 AM

Recently, one of the most requested Google Webmaster Tools features I have been hearing through the forums either directly or indirectly is the ability to mark links as links you do not vouch for. Even though we have said time...

Posted on March 20, 2008 7:24 AM

Google recently improved the Webmaster Tools "message center" by having messages wait for you even if you are not verified. But a few reports are coming from Google Groups that the message center is not displaying open messages. Users are...

Posted on March 19, 2008 7:49 AM

The Google Webmaster Tools "external links" report is buggy over the weekend. The tool is not showing any backlinks anymore for, I believe, any site. For example, here are the non-existent backlinks for the Search Engine Roundtable: There are dozens...

Posted on March 17, 2008 6:32 AM

Google announced you can now add Google Webmaster Tools stats directly to your iGoogle home page. It comes from a feature request we linked to in the past and now it is here. Vanessa Fox has an excellent post documenting...

Posted on February 29, 2008 6:55 AM

We reported several days ago that Google hasn't updated their external link counts and data in Google Webmaster Tools since early January. Webmasters and SEOs began to complain so Googlers began looking into it. We now have reports via Google...

Posted on February 28, 2008 9:24 AM

I have been hearing reports from friends in the industry that the external link reports at Google Webmaster Tools have not been updated for an unusually long time. I personally stop tracking those updates back in November 2007. We now...

Posted on February 25, 2008 7:24 AM

Do you love or hate Google Webmaster Tools? Do you have ideas or suggestions for improvements to the tools? Do you want to give Google a piece of your mind? If you log into Google Webmaster Tools and click on...

Posted on February 21, 2008 7:07 AM

Search Engine Watch Moderator, Beu, posted a Search Engine Watch Forums thread noting that Google has published a PDF document named Making the Most of Your Content: A Publisher's Guide to the Web. The PDF document is a printable 13...

Posted on February 11, 2008 8:15 AM

If you login to Google Webmaster Tools and go to your "links" and then "external links" section, you may notice Google removed the "Download This Table" link from the bottom. What remains is the "Download all external links." Why did...

Posted on February 8, 2008 2:19 AM

Last night Google released a new feature for Google Webmaster Tools named Content Analysis. Vanessa Fox's Search Engine Land post named Google's Webmaster Tools Adds More Diagnostic Features and Video Sitemaps is outstanding. Basically, the Content Analysis feature shows you...

Posted on December 14, 2007 7:53 AM

I have been following a WebmasterWorld thread that has a site owner asking why his SEO company is requiring him to remove his verification code and add only access to Google Webmaster Tools for the SEO company. Again, Site Owner...

Posted on December 6, 2007 7:30 AM

Google recently released a new tool in Google Webmaster Tools that enables you to set your Geographic Target market for your site. Since then, we have been waiting to see any real feedback on how exactly it works. We learned...

Posted on November 13, 2007 7:32 AM

Google has updated Google Webmaster Tools with a link update earlier this week. Google typically does these updates monthly, around this time. There is currently discussion at DigitalPoint Forums. Here is a look at our top pages, by links reported...

Posted on November 6, 2007 1:27 PM

Google enabled a way for webmasters to set a geographic target for their site. So if you want to tell Google, most of my visitors are from a specific area, you can do that. This way, if someone searches in...

Posted on November 5, 2007 8:07 AM

Let Google Know The Geographic Location of Your Site from Vanessa Fox at Search Engine Land has nice coverage of Google's new Set geographic target feature in Google Webmaster Tools. In short, if your site is tailored to a certain...

Posted on October 31, 2007 7:30 AM

We talk a ton about Google Webmaster Tools and how important they have become to SEOs and Webmasters over the course of this year. Amanda Camp, who worked with Vanessa Fox (before Vanessa left to Zillow), at the Google Seattle...

Posted on October 25, 2007 8:08 AM

Two days ago we reported, Google Webmaster Tools Link Page Troubles Again. Since then, there has a huge amount of discussion on this topic. Tons of SEOs and Webmasters were really frustrated that the tool wasn't giving them information. They...

Posted on October 25, 2007 7:51 AM

For the past couple days, Google Webmaster Tools has been having issues displaying the detailed links for a particular page of a site. Many people are seeing what I am seeing: When you try to download all external links or...

Posted on October 23, 2007 2:22 PM

Forum members have spotted that the Google Webmaster Central has been updated with some new functionality. The Webmaster Central team has confirmed this and outlines the additions in detail: Up to 6 months of historical data. Percentages of the top...

Posted on October 19, 2007 10:06 AM

Yesterday, I got confirmation that Google is now showing up to 8 Sitelinks for a search result. I tried to find real examples of this in action, and finally found something that works on my computer. A search for search...

Posted on October 19, 2007 7:14 AM

A DigitalPoint Forums thread is reporting yet another recent Google Webmaster Tools Link update. It appears Google is now updating the linkage data, not monthly, but much more frequently, over at Google Webmaster Tools. We typically track only the monthly...

Posted on October 15, 2007 7:41 AM

Google has updated Google Webmaster Tools with a link update last week. Google typically does these updates monthly, around this time. There are additional reports of and ranking changes. There is currently discussion at DigitalPoint Forums. Here is a look...

Posted on October 8, 2007 8:11 AM

Yesterday we reported that Google's link report tool was not working fully. To be specific, the link reports were not downloading to your desktop, when that feature was requested. After about two-plus days, the feature is now back. Webmasters can...

Posted on September 21, 2007 7:23 AM

The Google Link Tool at Google Webmaster Tools is now allowing you to download all external links. I have been trying it myself from several locations for the past two days and no luck. You can the "Download all external...

Posted on September 20, 2007 7:02 AM

When you login to Google Webmasters Tools and click on your "Crawl stats" under the statistics section, you are suppose to see a screen like this: Notice it shows two tables, the first is for "The PageRank of your pages...

Posted on September 18, 2007 7:40 AM

I have been tracking a WebmasterWorld thread about an issue with Google Webmaster Tools. Apparently, the link reporting tool, within Google Webmaster Tools, has issues with pagination. By this I mean, when someone clicks on the "next" page link, it...

Posted on September 12, 2007 6:31 AM

The Google Webmaster Central team has announced a number of changes to the webmaster central landing page. Here's a screenshot: Recall the old version: New features include quick links to Google Analytics, custom search, Google's Developer Tools, and Google Gadgets....

Posted on September 7, 2007 9:29 AM

In April Google released a way to remove URLs in Google from within Google Webmaster Tools. There has been very little chatter about reincluding content that you have removed in the past. With Google it is very easy to reinclude...

Posted on September 4, 2007 7:24 AM

JohnMu, a face we all know too well from the forums we cover here, has officially joined Google as a Webmaster Trends Analyst. He announced his new job at Google Groups and his new personal blog. In two weeks, come...

Posted on August 27, 2007 8:26 AM

As Barry reported on Search Engine Land and as the official Google Webmaster Central blog announced yesterday, Google is working to add the functionality to make webmastering a lot easier. With this update, Google announces that it has enhanced their...

Posted on August 17, 2007 9:26 AM

The Google Webmaster Central Blog announced earlier this week that it will begin starting to offer malware reviews of websites. The process is simple: you can view a list of dangerous URLs in the Webmaster Tools, make any changes according...

Posted on August 15, 2007 10:07 AM

Matt Cutts has written a blog post with a poll to get more information from all webmasters on the next feature for Google Webmaster Central, a great resource for webmasters already that is always improving. He asks users to vote...

Posted on July 24, 2007 9:07 AM

Google has released a new way for them to notify webmasters of possible penalties with their web sites. In the past, Google sent emails, but this was abused by German hackers a couple times, so Google had to change how...

Posted on July 19, 2007 7:31 AM

The Google Webmaster Central Blog announced that they have expanded the error reporting to include less serious errors, which are now called "warnings." If Google finds "minor problems in a sitemap," they will call it a "warning." If Google finds...

Posted on July 16, 2007 8:12 AM

Google has updated Google Webmaster Tools with a link update over the weekend. The last about was about a month ago. There is currently discussion at DigitalPoint Forums and WebmasterWorld. Here is a look at our top pages, by links...

Posted on July 16, 2007 7:39 AM

Google Webmaster Central is an excellent resource for site owners and developers. A Google Groups thread asked if there is a way to give someone else access to your Google Webmaster Tools reports. Why would someone want to do this?...

Posted on July 11, 2007 6:07 AM

The old way to remove pages from Google's index without using 404s or a robots.txt file was to use a page at http://services.google.com:8882/urlconsole/controller. It now appears that if you go to that URL, you are redirected to login to Google...

Posted on July 6, 2007 7:29 AM

There has always been this perception that links from domains with a .EDU TLD is better than links from .COM, .NET, .ORG and so on. Chris Boggs covered the debate with Are Links From .edu and .gov Domains Really "Better?"...

Posted on July 2, 2007 7:05 AM

Google has updated Google Webmaster Tools with a link update and I suppose other data updates as well. There is currently discussion at DigitalPoint Forums and two threads at WebmasterWorld. Here is a look at our top pages, by links...

Posted on June 15, 2007 7:33 AM

By now, I am sure many of you heard the news that Vanessa Fox, the face behind Google Webmaster Central, is leaving Google for Zillow. If you haven't read the various blog posts from the search community on the news,...

Posted on June 15, 2007 7:06 AM

The Google Webmaster Central Blog announced that they have made a few changes to Google Webmaster Tools. The most noticeable change is the new user interface for the dashboard. It has a sleeker look and is a bit neater than...

Posted on June 13, 2007 7:36 AM

A Google Groups thread has Google representative Riona MacNamara stating that Google will be Google Webmaster Tools Help. The most important change they want to make is to improve the way they "organize and present help content," says MacNamara. So...

Posted on June 4, 2007 9:50 AM

A WebmasterWorld thread has one post from one individual who said his banned site was automatically reincluded in Google's index. In short, he did not go to Google and ask for his site to be reincluded, it was done by...

Posted on May 29, 2007 7:35 AM

Adam Lasnik, the original Googler hired to help Webmasters (Yes, Matt Cutts is famous for it, but he wasn't originally hired for it), has promised us that Google will be adding more Google representatives to answer questions about Google search....

Posted on May 18, 2007 8:10 AM

Tamar reported that Google Webmaster Tools Query Statistics Frozen yesterday. Today, they are back to normal. Try checking yours out at http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/. Reports at Google Groups and DigitalPoint Forums show people noticing that they have been updated. My top search...

Posted on May 18, 2007 7:20 AM

Various sporadic reports from both DigitalPoint Forums and WebmasterWorld that Google's Webmaster Central Link Tool is temporarily offline. I tried it myself, just now and it seems to be offline for me as well. I am told "Our system is...

Posted on April 19, 2007 7:41 AM

Vanessa Fox of the Google Webmaster Central team announced that Google Webmaster Central now supports the easy removal of content from their index. In short, if you login to your Google Webmaster Central account, you can easily remove content (individual...

Posted on April 18, 2007 7:30 AM

A WebmasterWorld thread reports that the only way to request reinclusion into the Google index is to admit you violated Google's terms of service. If your site has been removed from the Google index, you can then file a reinclusion...

Posted on March 28, 2007 7:45 AM

Last week we reported that Google Webmaster Central Showing Back Link Anchor Text. But when I checked some of my other sites in Google Webmaster Central, I noticed the anchor text report was missing, even from verified sites. Vanessa Fox...

Posted on March 19, 2007 8:18 AM

The folks over at Google Webmaster Central keep pumping out more and more features. The latest feature is showing how other sites link to you, by showing the "most common words used in anchor text to your site." How do...

Posted on March 16, 2007 7:53 AM

In January, Google starting beefing up malware warnings in the search results. A Search Engine Watch Forums thread asks how does one remove the warning quickly. Danny Sullivan replied to his question by linking to a post at Google Webmaster...

Posted on March 14, 2007 7:02 AM

Are you a huge fan of Google's link tool? Would you like to see more details on the page, such as: PageRank score The anchor text of a link Which links are nofollowed Are the links still live Which links...

Posted on March 12, 2007 7:29 AM

March 7th we reported Google Link Update Within Webmaster Central's Link Tool. But Vanessa Fox informed us the update was not fully complete, that we saw the link count update only and not the actual links update. Meaning, Google showed...

Posted on March 9, 2007 7:02 AM

Yesterday I reported a Google Link Update Within Webmaster Central's Link Tool but I did not dig deeper. Vanessa Fox of Google Webmaster Central left a comment explaining that this is just an update in the number of links reported....

Posted on March 8, 2007 7:03 AM

Vanessa Fox at Google Webmaster Central posted a blog entry named using the site: command where she explains that they are updating the site command to make it more useful for Webmasters. Historically, Google has avoided showing pages that appear...

Posted on March 5, 2007 6:56 AM

Vanessa Fox posted at the Google Webmaster Central Blog that they will now be opening up commenting at that blog. I believe this is the first official Google blog to offering open comments. There is one restriction. You must use...

Posted on February 15, 2007 8:04 AM

Google released a Link Analysis Tool this Tuesday and the forums have had a couple days to digest the tool. I went through many of the forums and gathered all the feedback I can find in terms of suggestions to...

Posted on February 8, 2007 8:20 AM

Google has announced the release of a tool that many thought would never come but always dreamt of - a tool that shows us our links for our sites. It has been sought over since Google changed the link command....

Posted on February 6, 2007 7:28 AM

We have reported time after time again the issues with Google's Webmaster Central tools, specifically Sitemaps. It is a wonderful tool, it allows you to see a ton of data about your site plus submit data back to Google. But...

Posted on December 29, 2006 7:45 AM

A Google Groups thread suggests that Google should not only show the URL, the type of error and the date of the error in the web crawl error report within Google Sitemaps. It should also referrer data, so that the...

Posted on December 22, 2006 8:15 AM

Typically, if you want to make sure your site is indexed in Google, you would use a site command (i.e. site:www.domain.com) to see if Google returns results for your site. You can also search on just the domain (i.e. www.domain.com),...

Posted on December 19, 2006 8:08 AM

Google keeps stocking up on staff dedicated to help with the Webmaster to Google communication aspects of the business. Last night, Vanessa Fox Welcomed Jonathan to the Google Groups forums. Jonathan Simon was introduced as the "newest member of our...

Posted on December 12, 2006 7:19 AM

Simple questions, deserve simple answers, don't they? What is the best way to contact someone at Google? Well, that may look like a simple question, but trust me, it is not. Getting in touch with someone at Google to help...

Posted on December 7, 2006 8:10 AM

Like any new tool, there are bugs, and Google's Webmaster Central tools, including their powerful Sitemaps tool, seems to have its share of bugs. Two different reports come from WebmasterWorld with possible bugs in the tool over the weekend. The...

Posted on November 27, 2006 8:04 AM

This morning, I logged into my Google Webmaster Central Sitemaps tool and noticed all my sites are "pending verification." I then found a thread at WebmasterWorld with an other person reporting this issue. So I dug deeper and found a...

Posted on November 21, 2006 8:03 AM

Folks at WebmasterWorld are reporting that the Google Webmaster Central Sitemaps tool is now showing older data. One member said when he looked at his last visit date to his home page it was November 7th. He then looked again...

Posted on November 10, 2006 7:39 AM

A typical WebmasterWorld thread has a member who is upset about submitting his (I believe) new site to Google Sitemaps and 3 weeks later, Google has still not fully indexed his site. Well, it is a great way to tell...

Posted on November 9, 2006 7:19 AM

A WebmasterWorld thread asks why after he set up his site in Google's Webmaster Central Sitemaps, his site was no longer "verified." Vanessa Fox from Google replied saying; We recommend that you leave the verification file or meta tag in...

Posted on October 27, 2006 8:01 AM