Why Can’t I find “Recommendations” in GSC?

“The only constant in life is change,” said ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. This saying is very true in search engine optimization (SEO). Google Search Console (GSC) has introduced a new feature called “Recommendations.” It was announced in August 2024 and rolled out 2 days ago. It offers tips to boost your website’s performance and visibility on Google Search. In “Why Can’t I find “Recommendations” in GSC?” we’ll explain where this stands today.

Now that they’ve announced its rollout, you might wonder, “Why can’t I find recommendations in GSC?” It’s important to know that not everyone will see these suggestions right away. According to Google’s Daniel Waisberg, the availability of these recommendations depends on your website’s needs. They are based on insights from Google’s systems.

As of today, less than 5% of our client base, is seeing active “reccomedations” in thier search console account. So don’t be alarmed if you are not seeing them yet.- Mike Hodgdon, Elite SEO Consulting

Key Takeaways

• Google Search Console introduced a “Recommendations” feature in August 2024.
• Not all users will immediately see recommendations; it depends on your site’s specific needs.
• The Recommendations feature offers tailored suggestions to improve website performance.
• Google Search Console’s evolution reflects ongoing changes and emerging trends in SEO.
• This article will explore reasons for not finding recommendations and how to access them.

Introduction to Google Search Console Recommendations

In August 2024, Google launched a new feature in Google Search Console called “recommendations.” This tool offers tailored advice on improving your site’s performance. With GSC, you can get personalized SEO tips to enhance your website.

The recommendations feature is organized into three main categories:

• Potential Opportunities
• Issues with the Website
• Configuration

This feature can make your work easier. It helps improve your website’s traffic, fix performance problems, and simplify site setup.

Slow to Roll-out

The feature is being rolled out slowly, so not everyone will see it immediately. It’s now available on the GSC dashboard for all users, but it may take a few months to see recommendations based on your site’s data.

• Improve website traffic
• Address performance issues
• Facilitate easier work configurations

Using GSC fully can give you insights into your site’s performance. For instance, Google might suggest adding structured data or sitemaps for better navigation.

The tool aims to simplify complex insights. It uses plain English, making it easier for non-technical users to understand. It offers personalized advice based on your site’s strengths and weaknesses.

Current Status of the Rollout

The rollout status is now stable. Access to the feature depends on whether GSC finds ways to improve your site. It’s important to remember that:

• GSC updates: The feature is still being improved with regular updates.
• Rollout details: Google shares updates and fixes through official channels.
• Recommendations rollout status: The feature’s effectiveness depends on finding ways to improve your site’s search performance.

How to Check for Recommendations in Google Search Console

Are you trying to check GSC’s recommendations to enhance your website’s performance? Accessing GSC recommendations is straightforward when you know where to look. First, log into your Google Search Console account. Then, on the default “overview,” you will see “Recommendations” between Traffic Overview and Indexing Overview tabs. It offers actionable insights based on data points like crawl errors, indexing status, and user engagement metrics. If you don’t see it now, check back regularly.

• Dashboard Navigation: Once logged in, the dashboard displays many metrics, including impressions, clicks, CTR, and average position. The Recommendations tab provides insights tailored to these metrics.
• Recommendation Categories: Recommendations are divided into three key categories: Issues, Opportunities, and Configuration. This structured approach helps you identify areas needing immediate attention and longer-term optimization strategies.
• Data Integration: GSC’s recommendations are based on comprehensive crawling and indexing data, performance metrics, Core Web Vitals, and trends in search behavior.

Make GSC a Regular Stop in Checking SEO Metrics

Consistently accessing GSC recommendations can significantly aid in developing a robust, long-term SEO strategy. The user-friendly interface makes it accessible for everyone, from SEO beginners to seasoned professionals, ensuring that implementing these insights is feasible and effective.

Integrating Google Search Console with Google Analytics can give you a holistic view of your website’s performance. This integration enables you to correlate GSC’s detailed SEO recommendations with traffic sources, user behavior data, and overall site engagement metrics for a comprehensive analysis.

Knowing how to use GSC effectively by navigating to and utilizing the Recommendations tab can be pivotal in recognizing and acting upon the opportunities for SEO success.

Why You Might Not See Recommendations in GSC

As a site owner, you might expect Google’s recommendations to boost your performance. But sometimes, these recommendations don’t appear in your Google Search Console (GSC). Knowing why this happens can help you fix the issue.

Possible Reasons for Absence

There are a few reasons why you might not see recommendations in your GSC:

• Already Optimized Site: If your site is already optimized, GSC might not have new recommendations.
• Lack of New Data: GSC might not have anything to suggest if there are no new changes or issues.
• Bugs and Technical Issues: Bugs, like those on April 16, 2024, and August 5, 2024, can stop recommendations from showing.
• Delayed Reports: Delays, like the 52-hour one in July 2024, can delay recommendations.

What to Do if Recommendations Are Missing

If you’re having trouble finding recommendations in GSC, here’s what you can do:

1. Ensure your GSC account is set up correctly and linked to all your sites.
2. Keep an eye on GSC alerts and updates for any issues or bugs.
3. Check your site data with Google Analytics to see if it matches GSC reports, as mentioned on January 9, 2024.
4. Use Google’s help resources to learn more about missing recommendations.

If your site’s performance changes and you still don’t see recommendations, consider hiring a professional SEO consultant. We are happy to answer questions.

Table: GSC 2024 Glitches

Benefits of Using Google Search Console Recommendations

Google Search Console (GSC) recommendations greatly help website owners. They aim to boost site traffic and keep sites running smoothly. Using GSC insights, you can tackle specific issues and opportunities Google finds. Here are the main advantages of GSC recommendations.

Improving Traffic with Recommendations

GSC recommendations can help increase your site’s traffic. They point out small changes that can make a big difference. For example, the Search Analytics report shows how people interact with your site.

The search queries report is also key. It tells you which keywords bring visitors to your site. By focusing on these keywords, you can draw in more people. As GSC suggests, making your site mobile-friendly is crucial to keeping mobile users happy.

Maintaining Site Performance

Another big plus of GSC recommendations is keeping your site running well. They help you find and fix errors, keeping your site healthy. For instance, the URL inspection tool and sitemap checks help spot crawl errors.

Core Web Vitals in GSC gives you a score for your site’s speed and stability. Better scores mean happier visitors and better search rankings. GSC also alerts you to any problems, like pages not indexed, so you can fix them quickly.

Table: Other GSC Reports to Explore

Examples of Potential Opportunities

GSC recommendations provide a variety of examples of opportunities to boost your site’s performance. Here are some key examples:

• Optimizing Underperforming Pages: Identifying pages that aren’t performing well in search results and providing actionable tips to enhance their visibility.
• Structured Data: Encouraging structured data to improve how your content is displayed in search results, such as rich snippets or knowledge graphs.
• Site Configurations: Advising on necessary adjustments to your site’s configuration to improve crawlability and indexation by search engines.

Importance of Acting on Recommendations

It’s vital to act quickly on these recommendations. The importance of GSC advice is huge, as it directly affects your site’s organic search performance and user experience. Fixing highlighted issues and using opportunities can lead to the following:

You can stay ahead of the competition by using these recommendations in your strategy. Your site will remain optimized and user-friendly.

Common Issues Identified by Recommendations

Google Search Console’s Recommendations feature is a great tool for finding and fixing website problems. It helps you solve site issues GSC points out and improve performance. Here are some common issues the recommendations can help with.

Website Issues Highlighted

Several types of website issues often appear in GSC recommendations:

• HTTP status code errors, like “Server Error (5xx)”, “Not found (404)”, “Unauthorized request (401)”, “Soft 404”, and “Redirect error (3xx)”.
• Crawl-related issues, often caused by errors in robots.txt files.
• Sitemap issues, which can slow down Google’s indexing of your pages.
• Manual actions flagged by Google, like penalties for bad SEO practices.

“404 Not Found” errors happen when the server can’t find the content you’re looking for. These errors can be due to page deletions, URL changes without redirects, or typos.

Fixing Issues to Boost Performance

Fixing these issues is key to improving your website’s performance:

1. For 404 errors, use 301 redirects, update internal links, and check external links. Always submit an updated sitemap to Google.
2. To solve server error (5xx), look for bugs in server-side scripts, review server settings, manage resources, and fix database issues.
3. Correct 401 unauthorized request errors by checking authentication settings, testing access, and reviewing access restrictions.
4. Mitigate soft 404 errors by reviewing page content, verifying redirects, and checking custom error pages.
5. Address redirect errors by checking redirect chains or loops and ensuring users are directed to the right pages.

Fixing these common website issues with Google Search Console’s insights and tools can solve the site problems GSC identifies, helping you boost your site’s performance.

Utilizing Configuration Recommendations

Google Search Console offers great tips to improve your site’s search performance. Here’s how to use them:

• Submit Sitemaps: Regularly submit your sitemaps to Google. This helps new content get indexed quickly and accurately.
• Index Coverage: Use the Index Coverage report to find and fix indexing problems. Addressing issues like 404 errors or blocked pages improves your site’s health.
• Mobile Usability: Make sure your site works well on mobile devices. GSC’s mobile usability tips are crucial, as many searches come from mobiles.
• Performance Reports: Use the Search Performance report to see which queries bring traffic. This helps refine your content and find new keywords.

Configuration Tips Table

Configuring GSC well can change how you manage and optimize your website. Use these tips to boost your site’s visibility and performance on Google Search.

Feedback and Future Expansions of Recommendations

Thanks to user feedback on GSC, Google Search Console (GSC) keeps improving. This feedback helps make the tool better for webmasters and SEO experts. It’s all about giving more specific insights in the future.

GSC Insights is getting more advanced, with exciting changes ahead. Users will see better data visuals and more features. It mixes Google Analytics data with search metrics to create a fuller picture.

Google wants users to share their thoughts and ideas. This feedback helps expand GSC features and make it easier to use.

Data cards in GSC Insights are packed with useful info. The “New content” card shows pages that got their first views recently. The “Most Popular Content” card lists the top pages by views. And the “Referring Links” card shows how people find your site through links.

Thanks to feedback on GSC, the tool keeps getting better. It’s all about making expanding GSC features more precise and useful. Users are key to shaping the future of GSC.

Why Can’t I find “Recommendations” in GSC? Conclusion

Introducing recommendations in Google Search Console is a big step for site owners. It helps find areas to improve, ensuring your site meets current standards. This knowledge lets you make smart choices to boost traffic and site performance.

We covered GSC recommendations, their benefits, and common issues. We also discussed how to use Google Search Console’s features to your advantage. Acting on these suggestions is key to keeping your site running smoothly.

Google keeps improving this feature based on user feedback and new tech. Keeping up with these updates is crucial. By using these tips regularly, your site will thrive. Google Search Console is essential for managing your website and SEO.

Why Can’t I find “Recommendations” in GSC? FAQs