New Google Webmaster Tools Features

Google’s been busy! In addition to updating their business listings, Webmaster Tools is getting many new features and improvements. You may have already noticed some of these changes on your WMT dashboard. Let’s discuss how these changes will benefit webmasters.

Malware Information Added

Malware information, previously displayed in Google Labs, is now readily available in Webmaster Tools. This is an excellent move on Google’s part. It not only shows their dedication to keeping the Internet free from malicious code, it shows webmasters when malware has been detected on their site so it can be dealt with immediately.

Search Queries Improved
Another great improvement is the enhanced Search Queries section (formerly Top Search Queries). Now, you can see how individual pages rank for specific search terms. You can also view the number of impressions and clicks your pages had, and the click through rate. The pretty chart can be customized to show specific date ranges, so you can monitor overall performance for different keywords.

DNS Site Verification

For those who have a large number of websites, this next change may be your favorite! Google has added another method of verification; DNS verification. If you’re familiar with changing DNS settings, this option will be much, much easier especially if you are a multiple website owner. While this method isn’t instantaneous, it is much more convenient and faster than having to post a line of code into every one of your sites.
We can only wonder what other changes Google plans on making, but hopefully they will continue to be as helpful as they have been so far!