Google Search Console now tracks social, video content data

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

Google expanded its Search Console reporting to include performance data for social media and video content from platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube, the company announced Tuesday.

The global update provides webmasters with new platform properties to track clicks, impressions and insights for content appearing in Google Search and Discover, even when that content lacks an associated website.

Industry expert Aleyda Solís noted the significance of these new reports for understanding content performance beyond traditional web pages, and analyst Brodie Clark highlighted the utility for creators managing content across multiple platforms.

In a separate development, Google updated its documentation for merchant listing structured data, with changes including a new ‘category’ property and clearer guidance for indicating sale prices on products, according to Google.

Google Search advocate John Mueller advised against creating separate markdown versions of websites specifically for AI agents, emphasizing that well-structured HTML remains effective for both human users and machine agents, negating the need for duplicate content.

SEO specialist Simone De Palma echoed Mueller’s advice, stating that maintaining a single, high-quality HTML version of a site is more efficient and beneficial.

Google also reported that its Search platform experienced its highest usage during Argentina’s World Cup comeback victory over Egypt, an event that underscored Search’s role in delivering real-time updates during major live events, according to Google executive Nick Fox.

Martin Splitt, a developer advocate at Google, previously discussed the importance of semantic HTML for search engine understanding, aligning with Mueller’s recent guidance.

Source: Search Engine Journal