The Google Corner

This season we look at how Google are improving the data they display in Google Webmaster Tools. They are now showing Clickthrough data for organic traffic.

What this means is you can now see what keywords (Query) your website appears for, what ranking (Position in search results), how many times it appears (Impressions) and how many times people click through (Clickthrough) to your website from the search results.

How do I get this data?

If we set-up your website and/or Google Analytics then there is a good chance it is already available to you in your iGoogle account. Look for the Webmaster Tools icon in your Google account. If we haven't set up your Google Analytics or website then all you need to do is add a file to your webserver so Google can be sure you own your website.

What do I do with this data?

If you notice that your website appears on page 1 for many impressions, but your clickthrough rate is very low (less than 1%), then have a look at the description Google is displaying. Type in the query and see what description appears for your website. Look at the descriptions for the other websites on the page. Is their's more compelling?

Changing the description can be a whole new can of worms, as it could be coming from your meta description, Open Directory or the web page itself.