Out with the old and in with the new! Google Webmasters announced that it’s rebranding from Google Webmaster to Google Search Central. They’re also releasing a new face alongside the Googlebot mascot in the coming days.
The company’s decision to rename Google Webmasters to Google Search Central is centred on the term “Webmaster” becoming outdated. Plus, professionals are no longer using the name.
Google states, “A user experience study we ran revealed that very few web professionals identify themselves as webmasters anymore. They’re more likely to call themselves Search Engine Optimizer (SEO), online marketer, blogger, web developer, or site owner, but very few “webmasters.”
For Google, the term Search Central more appropriately represents the content published under the Webmaster Central channels. In line with the change of name, John Mueller’s Webmaster Central hangouts is also expected to be called Search Central hangouts in the near future.
This is not to say Search Central will be any more different in its purpose. The focus of content published under the new name will still aim to help site owners improve the visibility of their website in Google Search results.
Google is consolidating blogs and help documentation to one site. Help documentation includes how Google Search works, crawling and indexing, search guidelines, and other search-related topics. They will be transferring to Google’s new Search Central site.
Moving forward, all archived and new blog posts will appear on https://developers.google.com/search/blog. If you’re following Google’s blog updates, Google will redirect the current set of RSS and email you the updated blog URL.
Aside from the name change, Google will also upgrade the Googlebot mascot. They are releasing a new face alongside the Googlebot mascot with a web crawling sidekick—a spider robot.
“When we first met this curious critter, we wondered, “Is it really a spider?” After some observation, we noticed this spider bot hybrid can jump great distances and sees best when surrounded by green light. We think Googlebot’s new best friend is a spider from the genus Phidippus, though it seems to also have bot-like characteristics.”
The character has yet to be named, and Google is currently open for suggestions.
With the new changes rolling out in the coming days, web professionals can expect to discover related content such as help documentation, localised blogs, and event information much easier on the site. Additionally, it’s more convenient to switch between languages as you no longer have to find the localised blog URL. Lastly, the better platform allows Google to maintain its content, localise blog posts more easily, and format posts consistently.
Albeit it takes time getting used to the new name, Google expects SEO professionals to enjoy the pleasant change.
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