Google Webmaster tools no longer exists, this service has been replaced by Search Console! Some details about this fabulous tool which is offered for free by Google®.
If you are a bit of an analyst, you may have already noticed that Google Analytics no longer displays (or very little) the keywords of the queries entered by users to reach your website. This is a will of Google and is mainly explained by the secure pages (HTTPS) of Google.
Knowing the queries of your hotel’s customers
The most interesting thing about this tool is that we can analyze the queries and the evolution of our website in the Google ranking. You have often been told that you need to create content to maintain a good place in the indexing and congratulations to those who do! (It’s never too late to get started!)
How to get there :
Simply log into your Search Console by logging in, select your domain name and go to “Search Traffic” and then “Search Analysis” in the left navigation menu.
You will be able to select the labels :
- Clicks = number of clicks on your site with the word in question
- Impressions = Number of views of a page on your site with the query in question
- CTR = Clicks/Impressions
- Position = Google indexing.
As well as giving a period to work on.
If the Search Console is not activated… you’ll have to talk to your digital agency…!
If you have made your own site and you did not think to activate the Search Console, you can do it manually with the address above, simply by adding an html file to the root of your FTP directory (www.) in most cases …
You will have to wait a few days for the first results, but it’s really worth it!
Knowing the requests of the prospects
Along the same lines as the clients, I invite you to simply select “Impressions” & “Position“.
The objective is to sort by impression and find the lowest position. These will be the queries most typed by Internet users … without them really having a chance to land on your site. It’s up to you to see if you can take it or leave it!
How to interpret the Search Console data?
You will have understood, the goal of the game is to be in first position and to know a CTR (Click per view) as high as possible. The best analysis to have is the following:
- Select a long period to analyze (for example 90 days).
- Check the 4 boxes at the top of the chart, the curves and columns will be added to the data.
- Sort in the first instance by “Impressions”, this will allow us to know the main requests of the customers.
- Take into account the positioning and the CTR.
- If the CTR is bad, it is probably that the titles of your pages and descriptions do not correspond to the expectations of your customers. (Text in blue on Google -> Title | Text in black below -> Description)
- If the positioning is low and you are interested, it is probably that the Keyword (the request) is not represented enough on your site, in your pages. (You will have to check that it appears: In the Title, In the description, In the URL, in the Content of the site… If it is already the case on a page, you will have to add inbound links on your site with the keyword in question)
- If the CTR is good (15/20%) and that the positioning is also good (1/5) it is that your site is particularly optimized for this request (Make the same request on google, See the first page that comes out, and take advantage of it to write the next pages in the same spirit).
How to monitor keywords:
You want to deal with a particular keyword (Example: Camping on the Basque Coast) it will be possible. Also, to follow 5 specific keywords it will be possible thanks to this tool.
In the “Queries” part of the search results, I invite you to click on the word you are interested in on the left, or fill it in on top.
If the schema draws dots instead of lines, this can be the result of two factors:
- You are not performing well enough on the keyword in question:
⤑ This can be explained by a low positioning (100 for example)
⤑ You may need to create a new page on your site to highlight this term on the homepage.
- Internet users are not really looking for this keyword…
⤑ It shows, if you are in the first positions but there are not many requests
⤑ It is better to turn to another word optimization (there are exceptions)
To track several keywords at once (20), in a free way, you will have to install a tracking software on your computer “Serposcope“. An article will be published soon.
You also have the possibility to set up a dynamic sheet via “Google Data Studio”. Another article is in progress…
Go further in the search of the Search Console…
As you will have noticed, you have the opportunity to check the Web and Images queries (The opportunity to promote on images, special offers is now almost untapped while yet, when we type “Christmas market Reims” we have a session “images” that appears … (valid on mobiles as on computers)
Another possibility is to check the requests by country. (So? Wouldn’t it be worth translating your site into an additional language?)
Other information collected and communicated by Google
For the more courageous, you will have the possibility to accelerate the indexation of new pages. Go to the “Explorer” tab and then “Explore as Google“. Recommendation, ask to index only the new page! Once you have entered the URL, click on “Explore“, then on “Send for indexing“. This can be useful for events, if you do it late.
If you have a page Avis, with stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and you want, in the same way as the OTA display the notes, go to “Appearance in search results” then “data marker” finally click on “start tagging“
The Rest of the tools is more to check the overall good condition of the site and its proper interpretation by Google.