Any downside from using google webmaster tools?

Probably sounds like a silly question to ask but ask i have ive just decided today that i may give it a try and as bizarre as it sounds are there any reason/s that i shouldn't?

Im usually a little bit late in testing something, i prefer to see how other people get along with something first, is it really that useful?

 

I have not had any bad experiences with google webmaster tools I think it's great. It's a very useful tool it provides statistics for the different search terms people use when searching for your site.

 

You can see if Google is detecting any errors on your site and then you can attempt to fix those. Other than that, I don't find it to be particularly useful. Since Google doesn't accurately report the number of backlinks you have to your site then what's the point of them even providing that information in the first place?

 

Thanks kingofsanda and wantmomoney, i think i will still give it a try, i dont know why i wait so long to try some things.

wantmomoney, it is a good point what you say though, regarding them not accurately reporting the number of backlinks.

 

It is useful for checking any errors you may have when your site gets crawled. Also handy for submitting and verifying a sitemap and seeing how many urls from the sitemap are indexed over time.

Google keep adding features to it, in fact today they added 'Generate robots.txt' which some people might find useful.

 

Ive read various things about sitemaps in the past, some saying they helped the site others saying it all went upside down after the use of a sitemap.

 

Not sure how using a sitemap can hurt a website, you are simply telling Google about pages it will probably find by spidering.

 

True, i guess ive just read so many differences in the past, good point though.

 

I don't think that there is any down side for using google webmaster tools.

Atleast I can see my sites there, as I can't see them in google search results

 

Thanks angilina, i tried it for the first time last night with one of my sites, it wasn't as exciting as i was expecting it to be but it looks useful all the same.

 

Using google webmaster tools for a really long time here, no problems so far.
If you're not doing something to shady, you can use them.

 

I only use the webmasters tools for a few of my sites because after I started adding them I realized it might be another way for Google to track and spy on you. Plus, the data is often inaccurate and generally useless but it's worth a peek to see what's inside.

A point to think about: If you are linking between your own sites and you add them all into the webmasters tools, Google will know that you are interlinking between your own sites.

 

It's an easy way to maintain sitemaps etc. It's also a good way to check on your site. Aside of the privacy concerns we all share it's excellent.

 

I don't think sitemaps hurt however I think they are completely useless if all your pages are linked anyway.

 

Don't you all think a much better sitemap is a simple html file with all the links on your site organized rather than an XML file ??

I think that if you create a sitemap.html or sitemap.php file and make it one of the first links on your document root page that all of the search engines will follow that, inculding Google.

 

i dont think so, I dont have any diss.

 

Well, if privacy issues aren't a problem for some of you, for me privacy is a big issue. If you're like me, this is enough to scare you from using any Google service...

The exerpt comes from a site (http://gmail-is-too-creepy.com/) and the site details how Google *does not* delete *any* gmail, even if the user has deleted it and how they are invading your privacy any way they can.

After reading that site, I disabled Adsense in my browser and will never login to any Google account ever again...

 

Privacy is a concern for me but i realise that switching on my pc and coming online already fully opens me up to being monitored, so does having a mobile phone, im very aware of the policed state, big brother squeezing tighter but ive found it can make you scared to live your life if you deny yourself the use of something because of being tracked.

Ive been saying for years how not cool it is that we get watched with everything we do, but the same people that nod their heads to that are niave enough to believe that people in politics are not all on the same team.

Until the rest of the world wants to do something about it i find it easier just to carry on living, watched or not.

 

Great points pipes!! There is a difference between law enforcement or government entities watching over us and a marketing company not unlike Google amassing that body of information. The issue about spying on people, in my eyes, isn't a paranoia based afterthought, and I don't worry about it. I know, for the most part that Google's keeping this data for advertising and marketing purposes and if it did help catch a real criminal, that's all good. The only issue I have is Google's Motto is "Do No Evil" but it seems the miscreancy has been running rampant at the Google factory.

 

I love webmaster tools. I love keeping track of the keywords I'm ranked for. They show the percentage of users that clicked on your site for a specific keyword and show your SERP beside it.
I don't think it can hurt a site at all, it will probably improve your site's rankings because you can keep track of things