Google Search Console compare feature in performance reports
This feature can be very useful in debugging Google Search issues with rankings, indexing and potentially crawling.
It turns out this is not new, it has been around for a while and I had some brain fog. I have updated the story to reflect this is not new and decided to leave it up, as it may help others.
What it looks like. Andrew Shotland shared screenshots of this on Twitter showing how the compare feature lets you put in two parameters or strings and compare them against each other. In this example, he is comparing queries containing “new” versus queries containing “tool”.
Here is the comparison tool that you can find when going into any of these parameters.
Here is the report that it generates after you apply these parameters:
More details. There is a help document available that has more details on this saying:
You can compare data between two values in any one grouping dimension, whether or not it is the currently selected grouping. For example, when grouped by Query you can compare clicks between two dates (this week vs last week), or two countries (USA vs France). Comparing by page or search appearance can change the metric calculation for CTR, impressions, and clicks. When comparing values for a single metric, the results table will display a Difference column to compare values in each row.
To compare group data:
- Comparison is managed by filters (for example, Date or Search type). Either edit an existing filter or click New to add a new filter.
- In the filter properties dialog box, choose Compare.
- Add the dimensions or times to compare, and click Apply.
- You can have only one comparison at a time. Adding a new comparison filter will replace an existing comparison. For example, if you are comparing dates and then add a comparison between countries, the country comparison will replace the date comparison.
Why we care. Adding more advanced reporting features that can help you analyze your site’s performance in Google Search is always useful. Being able to drill down into specific queries and compare one to another, or drill down into specific pages and compare one to another, can be super useful in debugging SEO issues.
