Google have made improvements to the webmasters tools interface. It has incorporated all of the old features that made webmasters tools such a handy tool to use, and merged them with new features suggested by its users.
One of the first aspects of the new interface I noticed is the simplicity of the page, in good old Google fashion they have managed to keep the end user happy whilst still incorporating the functionality.
A significant change to the tool is the integration of "change of address" this sounds simple but it’s not changing your home address if you move house, it means you can inform Google if you change your domain name. This used to be a difficult task when moving to a new domain but this new function eases the stress of worrying how Google will react to your move via 301’s.
The sitemap section of webmasters tools now keeps a record of all previous submitted sitemaps. This time saving aspect and can be used to look back at previous submissions and compare to current versions. The re-vamp also has a more intense search query section and an improved navigational system, just to name a few.
Collectively these improvements are excellent for 4Ps Marketing. We use the tool to monitor client’s websites, submit sitemaps and track any issues or crawl errors that our clients might not be aware of. Overall Google Webmasters Tool is powerful and can be used by any Google account holder to change settings or instruct Google on how to respond to particular websites.