Google’s Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a fantastic tool for any web publisher.
It gives you incredibly rich and useful data about how your website is performing in search, what keywords are driving traffic to the site, what pages users spend their time on the most and so much more.
I can’t recommend it enough for anyone who is looking for insight into how Google views its site.
Missing Data In Google Search Console
However, recently I noticed a problem with Search Console data that is missing.
Specifically, data from a period between August 23-24 was lost.
It’s important to note this doesn’t mean there was any drop in traffic or clicks during those days – it just means the data isn’t being captured properly by Search Console.
Here’s an official statement by the Google Search Console team:
“An internal problem caused a data loss in Search and Discover performance during this period. Users might see a significant data drop in their performance reports during this period. This does not reflect any drop in clicks or impressions for your site, only missing data in Search Console.”
Why Does This Matter?
I know many of you might be thinking, “So what? I didn’t lose any traffic. It’s just a bit of data that doesn’t matter.”
While it is true the lack of Search Console analytics does not mean there was less search traffic to your site during those days, this could still cause some serious issues for many web publishers.
First, it’s important to realize the data is gone – you can’t get it back.
Second, if you’re using Search Console for any sort of reporting or analytics on how your site is performing in search results (and I know many people do) then there are some serious gaps in that information right now for this particular time frame.
Third, this problem is affecting everyone who uses Search Console.
The bottom line? Data matters. This data loss issue with Google’s Search Console could have a major impact on how you report your SEO performance to anyone else.
It’s also important to note this data loss issue is not just for a small handful of users – it seems Google has acknowledged the problem affects all Search Console users.
Conclusion
I know many people might be feeling like, “Well that sucks but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
That may be true on an individual level (though you could always switch to another analytics platform if you wanted), but this is not the first time Google has had issues with its search console data.
This is yet another problem in a long line of problems Google has had keeping their search engine healthy and useful for web publishers.
If you noticed a drop in your Search Console, I’d recommend taking a look at the time period between August 23-24 and see if there are any big gaps or drops.
Ali is a digital marketing blogger and author who uses the power of words to inspire and impact others. He has written for leading publications like Business2Community, Inc. Magazine, and Marketing Profs. When not writing, he enjoys spending time with his family.