Google will let Search Console users mix the old with the new when it launches its updated version of the service in the coming months after confirming plans for a “rethink” for many of its core features.
Google’s senior webmaster trends analyst John Mueller revealed late last week that the refreshed Search Console will not support all legacy features at launch, and some might be a long time in coming as the company is focused on providing a better experience for users.
Webmasters don’t need to worry about a lack of access to these features for now though as they will be able to switch between the old and new Search Console as and when they need to.
Google is yet to make any official announcements about the arrival of the refreshed service, and Mueller said that it will remain coy about providing further details as the company prefers to provide complete and full guidance after a launch, rather than pre-announcing.
Search Console is an important tool for brands as it allows them to check and optimise the visibility of content and webpages.
Mueller said that the new version will continue to help users to better understand how Google ranks sites but will not simply be a copy and paste of previous features as there will be a “rethink” along the way.
He added: “What problems are we trying to help websites with?
Is this still something that needs to be handled in our tools – or has the problem become mostly irrelevant in the meantime?
“Are there other ways to help which might be more efficient?
“Or, perhaps, less confusing?”