The Reports and Tools
A websites performance has direct relation to the performance of the entity that owns the website. When a site is running smooth, and has lots of new users and views, the entity that owns the website also has lots of new business/customers. But on the other hand if a website has a high bounce rate and not many are going to the website, the entity that owns the website is most likely also struggling for new users/customers. To monitor this the Google Search Console has developed many tools for the site owners to use to see how well they’re performing, and what is or is not working. The Search Console has developed many new current reports that have made this process easier and more streamlined, from a full Overview Page to the websites Mobile Usability report. All tools that will help the site owners and developers. But the Search Console has not yet streamlined some tools, these being the “Legacy Tools”. These tools are still important and helpful, although more advanced, for the site owners and developers. The Search Console is currently researching their replacements, but for the time being they’re still around.
Out With the Old in With the New
As the old is phased out and the new is brought in, it is important to remember that every tool available is helpful in understanding the performance of a website. Although the Current Reports are more streamlined and have been updated by the Search Console, the Legacy Tools still hold value to data managers. But int terms of what is on what should be used the Current Reports are much easier to reach and Google is phasing out the Legacy tools and making them harder to use. As noted here from the Google Developers page, “From now on, if you try to access the old homepage or dashboard you’ll be redirected to the relevant Search Console pages. There are only a few reports that will still be available on the old interface for now – check the Legacy tools and reports in the Help Center. We’re continuing to work on making the insights from these reports available in the new Search Console, so stay tuned!” Clearly Google is pushing the new, so that is what should be the first stop for a user when looking at their site data. Then the next stop, if needed, is to the Legacy Tools, and that’s only if they have not created a new updated tool for what someone is looking for. All in all, the Current Reports are more streamlined and have easier access for everyone, while the Legacy Tools are there but not ideal for use.
Google, Google, developers.google.com/search/blog/2019/09/goodbye-old-search-console. https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2019/09/goodbye-old-search-console