Google is updating the AMP, Mobile Friendly, and Rich Results testing tools in Search Console with features from the URL Inspection tool.
To solve for inconsistencies between each of these tools, Google is aligning them in terms of design and features.
Technically these are all standalone tools, though they’re powered by the same engine.
The engine has evolved over the years, and those updates have stayed current between all four tools.
What has not kept up, on the other hand, are the user interfaces and features of each tool.
Those advanced separately, which created a less than fluid experience for users when navigating between them.
The AMP, Mobile Friendly, and Rich Results testing tools are now “fully aligned” with the URL Inspection Tool.
What that means is all previous features are now standardized, and new features from the URL Inspection Tool are being added to the tools that didn’t have them yet.
Specifically, from now on the following fields will be reported across all four tools:
- Page availability: Whether Google was able to crawl the page, when it was crawled, or any obstacles that it encountered when crawling the URL.
- HTTP headers: The HTTP header response returned from the inspected URL.
- Page screenshot: The rendered page as seen by Google.
- Paired AMP inspection: Inspect both canonical and AMP URL.
Here’s an example of what test results look like in the updated Rich Results testing tool:
Screenshot from developers.google.com, October 2021.In addition to the updates listed above, the Rich Results tool gained the ability produce a screenshot of the mobile and desktop versions of a page.
To choose between rendering the desktop or mobile page, select the appropriate crawler from the drop down menu as shown below.
Screenshot from search.google.com/test/rich-results, October 2021.Source: Google Search Central Blog
Featured Image: IB Photography / Shutterstock
