If you have an enterprise in today’s age, you need to know every trick up one’s sleeve of digital marketing. Everything is digitized and online; it all depends on your search engine rankings to determine if you are a successful entrepreneur. So, SEO factors like relevant keywords, on-page, and off-page SEO, and backlink building all come to use.
Though it is hard work for digital marketers and SEO executives, Google always provides the best tools to ease your effort. In this article, we discuss Google Search Console’s latest new tool: the URL inspection API. Read on to know more.
The Google Search Console
If you are new to the world of digital marketing, the term Google Search Console might confuse you. So, let’s understand what exactly it is.
As we mentioned earlier, SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is crucial in digital marketing. Google Search Console, previously known as Google Webmaster Tools, is an efficient service tool by Google that helps SEO in large volumes.
You can use Google Search Console to optimize your site for a better SERP ranking. You can also detect errors in your website that need rectification. Whether indexing the site, finding relevant keywords, identifying flaws or modifying the visibility, Google Search Console is the best pal for all digital marketers.
What Is An API?
The other term from the title that might have raised questions in your mind is API. A Google Search Console API or Application Programming Interface is simply a way of accessing data outside the Search Console. This process is done via external applications and products.
Search Console launches different APIs that serve different purposes. For example, SEOs use some Search Console APIs to amend the properties and sitemaps of a website.
The Role of GSC’s URL Inspection API
Now that that’s out of the question let’s get into the specialty of GSC’s new URL inspection API.
The primary objective of the URL inspection API is to aid developers in debugging and optimizing web pages using Google’s data. It checks vast volumes of data that the Search Console has on the specified URLs.
Previously, Google only permitted users to check a single URL at a time for errors. However, using this newly launched API, you can check any number of URLs, with the underlying condition that you need to have proper access rights to the tool.
Some Exciting Features of GSC’s URL Inspection API
Now, let us talk about some of the most exciting features of GSC’s latest URL inspection API. We have listed these features individually so you can understand their use in detail.
indexingState
If you want to know the current indexing state of your URLs, then you can use this fantastic feature in the URL inspection API. There are a variety of responses you can get during this check. These include the apparent Pass and Fail and Neutral, Partial and Verdict Unspecified.
pageFetchState
On the other hand, if you want to identify URL errors, the pageFetchState is a practical feature. You can detect numerous issues within your pages using this feature, including server errors, invalid URLs, and redirection errors.
coverage state
If you want to know if the specific URL is present in your sitemap and indexed by the Search Console, then use the coverageState feature from GSC’s new URL inspection API. It will instantly tell you the URL status in the website’s sitemap.
robotsTxtState
robotsTxtState feature is used to check if there are any robots.txt rules in your pages that don’t permit Google bots to crawl the pages. This feature is beneficial if you want to check a huge number of pages.
last crawl time
Developers need to know the frequency of Google’s crawling of the website. Using the lastCrawlTime feature from URL inspection API, you can easily find out when was the last time that Google bots crawled your site.
crawledAs
The crawledAs feature identifies which type of user agent, i.e., whether a mobile or desktop crawler crawled your site.
googleCanonical and userCanonical
Another useful tool, this feature, helps you compare and relate both Google’s canonical and general user canonical to optimize your website better.
Using GSC’s URL Inspection API
After gaining access to the URL inspection API, you can effectively use its features to your benefit. However, it is mandatory to note that there are some limits regarding usage. For instance, if you are querying the same website, you can only use 2000 queries in a day, with only 600 queries per minute.
Final Words
That being said, it is comprehensible that GSC’s latest URL inspection API is a massive game-changer in web development and digital marketing. It makes SEO a lot simpler and, thus, aids in creating better opportunities for online ventures all over the globe.
