New Features in Google Webmaster Central

A few new features that have come out, or that are coming out.

1) New error reporting is available. If there is a “minor” problem (note: no definition of what that means) it will be slated as a “warning”. But if a more serious problem occurs (again, no definition) then it will be referred to as an “error”. So far all of my accounts are clean with no errors.

Even though she left, Vanessa Fox reported some clarification.

A warning is something like an invalid date on an entry within the Sitemap file. For something like that, the Sitemap would still be accepted, just the date value wouldn’t be used.

2) A new “message center” will allow for Google to communicate with the account holder. The forum that Google has created as a way for webmasters to communicate with Google has been a mess and can best be described as a disaster. Will this be any better? The only way that it will be is if two-way communication is possible, but from what I understand, it won’t be offered.

You can check out more over at Google’s Webmaster Central Blog.