Improved Search Queries stats for separate mobile sites
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Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Search Queries in
Webmaster Tools just
became more cohesive for those who manage a mobile site on a separate URL from desktop, such as
mobile on m.example.com and desktop on www. In
Search Queries,
when you view your m. site* and set Filters to "Mobile," from Dec 31, 2013 onwards, you'll now
see:
Queries where your m. pages appeared in search results for mobile browsers
Queries where Google applied
Skip Redirect. This
means that, while search results displayed the desktop URL, the user was automatically directed
to the corresponding m. version of the URL (thus saving the user from latency of a server-side
redirect).
Prior to this Search Queries improvement, Webmaster Tools reported Skip Redirect impressions with
the desktop URL. Now we've consolidated information when Skip Redirect is triggered, so that
impressions, clicks, and CTR are calculated solely with the verified m. site, making your mobile
statistics more understandable.
Best practices if you have a separate m. site
Here are a few search-friendly recommendations for those publishing content on a separate m. site:
On the desktop page, add a special link rel="alternate" tag pointing to the
corresponding mobile URL. This helps Googlebot discover the location of your site's mobile
pages.
On the mobile page, add a link
rel="canonical"
tag pointing to the corresponding desktop URL.
Use the HTTP Vary: User-Agent header if your servers automatically redirect users
based on their user agent/device.
Verify ownership of both the desktop (www) and mobile (m.) sites in Webmaster Tools for improved
communication and troubleshooting information specific to each site.
Be sure you've verified ownership for your mobile site!
Written by
Maile Ohye, Developer
Programs Tech Lead
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["Mobile website (m.) Search Queries data in Webmaster Tools is now consolidated and more accurate, reflecting user experience after Skip Redirect."],["When Skip Redirect is applied, impressions, clicks, and CTR are now calculated using the verified mobile (m.) site data."],["Website owners with separate mobile sites should verify both desktop (www) and mobile (m.) sites in Webmaster Tools for better insights."],["Optimizing mobile sites involves using rel=\"alternate\" and rel=\"canonical\" tags to connect desktop and mobile pages for improved search engine understanding."]]],["Google Webmaster Tools enhanced its Search Queries feature for sites with separate mobile (m.) and desktop (www.) URLs. When filtering for \"Mobile,\" it now displays queries where m. pages appeared in mobile search results, including those utilizing \"Skip Redirect.\" This change consolidates data, ensuring impressions, clicks, and CTR are calculated using the verified m. site. Recommendations for separate m. sites include using `rel=\"alternate\"` and `rel=\"canonical\"` tags, implementing `HTTP Vary: User-Agent`, and verifying both site versions in Webmaster Tools.\n"]]
