Missing Search Console data is Google's bug, not yours
A chunk of June data vanished from Search Console this morning, and it is Google's problem, not yours. Also, traffic estimates in Ahrefs and Semrush may be wrong right now.
What changed
Missing data in a Google report is Google's bug, not yours
Search Console (Google's free tool that shows how your site is doing in search) is missing a chunk of June data from its Page Indexing report (the list of which of your pages Google has stored and can show in results), and its Performance report was showing a spinning wheel for some people this morning. Barry Schwartz says Google's @johnmu has responded and he has updated his story, but the tweet does not say what Google said. Our take: the gap in the chart is Google's bug, not something you did.
Super-new bug in GSC. Page indexing reporting. A large chunk of data is missing this morning. It was there yesterday (or even earlier today).
If you are getting this spinning wheel, you can just click on another report - like Page Indexing and then go back to the Search Performance report and it will work.
Who this affects: Everyone with a website who uses Search Console.
- Do nothing about the missing June data, it is a bug on Google's side.
- If the Performance report shows a spinning wheel, click another report like Page Indexing, then go back, and it will load.
Worth watching
Traffic estimates from popular tools may be wrong right now
Ahrefs (a paid tool that estimates how much Google traffic any website gets) is showing spikes for some sites and drops for others that do not match Search Console (Google's own report of real clicks). Glenn Gabe says Ahrefs' switch to "adaptive traffic" estimates shifted the numbers for some sites and Ahrefs is aware and looking into it. Marie Haynes says a recipe site she checked shows a decline starting Aug 25, and Semrush's graph for her example site is wildly wrong too.
Do NOT trust recent spikes or drops there without checking Semrush and Sistrix.
It's not uncommon for @ahrefs' traffic estimates to be way higher than GSC, but what is with this spike?
Who this affects: Anyone who uses Ahrefs or similar tools to check their own traffic or a competitor's.
- Do not trust a recent spike or drop in Ahrefs on its own. Check whether Semrush and Sistrix show the same thing, and if the three do not match, trust none of them.
- Our take: for your own site, use the Performance report in Search Console, which shows real clicks rather than estimates.
Things to do
Local news may cover your business and link to your site
One SEO, The SEO Guy, says small town news stations have almost nothing to report on, so a business that hands them a story has a good shot at getting on TV. The prize for your website is a backlink (a link from another site to yours) from the station's site, which he says is very powerful. This is one person's advice, not a Google statement.
create some sort of story related to your business and youll be shocked at your ability to get on tv
Who this affects: Small businesses in small towns, or anywhere with a local news station.
- Create a story related to your business and pitch it to your local news station.
- Our take: when they run the story online, ask them to include a link to your website.
Quick hits
Google Analytics now has built-in dashboards
Barry Schwartz reports that dashboards are now available inside Google Analytics (Google's free tool for tracking who visits your site). The tweet does not say what they can do.
Your Business Profile stats appear to be filling in again
Barry Schwartz says data in Google Business Profile insights (the stats screen for your Google Maps listing) now seems to be populating. He has updated his earlier story on the missing data.
Google removed the account behind the Maps phone number scam
Barry Schwartz reports Google has removed the Maps Contributor (a user who adds photos and details to Maps listings) who was spamming photos with fake phone numbers on Google Business Profiles (your listing on Google Maps and search).