Last week I explained the benefits of tracking your website visitors with Google Analytics, in part two of this blog post series, I will explore another great application from Google.
2. Google Webmaster Tools
Just as the name lends it to be, Google Webmaster Tools is a web application that is used to check the health and traffic for your website. One of the key parts of Search Engine Optimization is submitting your site to the main search engines. This is typically done by submitting a sitemap which allow crawlers to easily search and navigate through your website. When talking about the health of your site, I’m not talking about if your site is sick, but more along the lines of; are there any issues that the crawlers are having when trying to access your site. Under the health section in Webmaster Tools it will list all pages that crawlers are bringing up in error as they cannot be crawled. This then allows you to fix any errors and once completed will notify the crawlers of the correction.
Unlike Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools does not give a complete breakdown on your visitor traffic, instead it gives information on what words were typed into a search engine in which your website was found. It also informs you of websites that are linking to your site as well as a list of any internal links.
Under the Optimization category, it displays all sitemaps that are currently being crawled for your site, suggestions on HTML improvements, list of keywords found throughout your website, if you have any structured data, and more.
Furthermore, Google Webmaster Tools is yet another way to track and ensure that your website is being found mainly by Google and a variety of other leading search engines. Add your website via this link: www.google.com/webmasters/tools/ and start maintaining your search engine health.
> Read Part 1 of Essential Website Tools – Google Analytics
> Read Part 3 of Essential Website Tools – Backups
R2F Creative LLC provides graphic design + branding and web design solutions for clients nationwide and locally in Ankeny and Des Moines, Iowa.
