A new case study from Google demonstrates how Search Console APIs can be utilized to review and modify data within a Content Management System (CMS) or a proprietary SEO dashboard. While the article serves as a case study, it highlights Google’s use of APIs to transform Search Console from a Software as a Service (SaaS) into a data stream that can be manipulated through the graphical user interface (GUI) of your preference.
Application Programming Interface (API)
An API is a widely adopted technology that serves as a link between two applications, enabling one to interact with and manipulate the other. Its usage is pervasive, particularly in WordPress, where an API can enable a plugin to access and manipulate the website data stored in the database.
Wix Case Study
The partnership between Google and Wix integrated Google’s Search Console APIs directly into the Wix dashboard, streamlining the SEO process for millions of Wix users worldwide.
Users benefit from easy access to valuable insights and functionalities provided by Google Search Console, all within the familiar Wix dashboard. This ensures a seamless experience within Wix without the need to learn a different user interface.
Implementation and User Benefits
The implementation strategy employed by Wix primarily revolved around harnessing Google APIs to enhance their existing SEO tools, which users were already familiar with. This process involved carefully selecting and integrating specific Google functionalities that complemented Wix’s user interface (dashboard UI), ultimately resulting in a more user-friendly experience with Google’s search console features.
The case study reveals that users who integrated search console APIs witnessed an average traffic increase of 15% within a one-year timeframe.
For ecommerce websites, there was an even more substantial benefit, with a 24% increase in Gross Product Value compared to similar Wix ecommerce sites that did not utilize the search console API integrations.
As stated in the case study:
“To date, more than 2 million Wix sites have connected their Search Console accounts and submitted sitemaps to Google through this new integration. Furthermore, they have regularly utilized the new features, such as Site Inspection and Analytics Reports, to identify and resolve indexing errors, leading to performance improvements.”
APIs Enables Evolution Of Search Console
APIs are facilitating the evolution of Search Console. The successful incorporation of Google’s APIs into Wix’s platform underscores the significance of collaborations between Google and companies specializing in content management systems, including web hosts that create their own point-and-click web builders based on WordPress.
Additionally, the case study aims to demonstrate how in-house SEO tools and dashboards can seamlessly integrate Google Search Console functionalities through the utilization of APIs.
Towards the end of the case study, Google discreetly issues a call to action, inviting organizations to get in touch with them via a web form or Twitter. The article states:
“If you’re a CMS and interested in collaborating with us, please reach out using this form or through our social media.”
This call to action illustrates how APIs are transforming the accessibility of Google’s search console data and hints at a trend where it becomes less about logging into the search console to view data within Google’s user interface.
APIs already allow for the import of search console data into tools like Screaming Frog, enabling the merging of this data with crawl data. Moreover, there are WordPress plugins that can also make use of these APIs. The Wix case study presents an innovative application that underscores the adaptability of search console data usage in the future, moving beyond its current access methods.
Original news from SearchEngineLand