Why Your Google Search Console Data Looks Different This Week

Important Update: Your website rankings haven’t dropped – Google has simply changed what data they show you

If you’ve logged into Google Search Console this week and noticed your data looks dramatically different, you’re not alone. Businesses across the UK and Ireland as well as globally are seeing the same changes. The good news? Your actual website performance hasn’t suddenly declined. Google has simply stopped showing certain types of data in their reports.

The Essential Information (In Plain English)

On 9 September 2025, Google made significant changes to what information they display in Search Console. They’ve removed tracking for several specialised search result features that most websites weren’t using anyway. Think of it like your car dashboard suddenly not showing the outside temperature – your car still runs exactly the same, you just can’t see that particular piece of information anymore.

What this means for your business:

• Your website traffic remains unchanged
• Your search rankings are unaffected
• Your SEO performance is still intact
• You’re simply seeing less detailed reporting for certain features

This change affects every website globally, from small Belfast businesses to major international corporations. It’s not a penalty, not a problem with your site, and not something you’ve done wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why has my Search Console data suddenly dropped this week?

Google has permanently removed reporting for six types of specialised search features (called structured data types). The data appears to have dropped because Google is no longer counting or displaying these specific metrics. Your actual website performance remains the same – you’re just seeing less detailed reporting.

Does this mean my website is losing traffic or rankings?

No. This change only affects what data Google shows you, not how your website performs in search results. Your rankings, traffic, and visibility to potential customers remain unchanged. The search algorithm that determines rankings hasn’t been modified.

What specific data has Google removed?

Google has stopped tracking and reporting on:

• Course information (online learning platforms)
• Claim reviews (fact-checking content)
• Estimated salary information (job sites)
• Learning videos (educational content)
• Special announcements (COVID-era notices)
• Vehicle listings (car sales sites)

Unless your website specifically used these features, you likely weren’t benefiting from them anyway.

Should I panic or take immediate action?

There’s no need for concern or urgent action. This is a global change affecting all websites equally. Your SEO strategy remains valid, and your website continues to perform as before. Consider this an opportunity to focus on the metrics that truly matter for your business growth.

Will this affect my business’s local SEO in Northern Ireland/Ireland or UK?

Your local search visibility across Northern Ireland, or anywhere else remains completely unaffected. Local businesses can continue focusing on their existing SEO strategies without any changes needed due to this update.

Do I need to update my website or remove any code?

No immediate action is required. If your website contains code for these deprecated features, it won’t harm your site to leave it in place. You can remove this code during your next website update if you prefer a cleaner codebase, but it’s not urgent.

How can I explain this to my boss or stakeholders?

Simply put: “Google has streamlined their reporting system by removing metrics for features that were rarely used. Our website performance hasn’t changed – we’re just seeing less detailed reports for certain specialised features we likely weren’t using anyway.”

My competitor’s data seems unaffected. Why is mine different?

Every website used different features. If your competitor never implemented the deprecated structured data types, they wouldn’t see any change. This isn’t about winners and losers—it’s about which specific features each site was using.

Will Google bring these features back?

Based on Google’s announcement, this is a permanent change. These features were removed due to low usage and limited value. Google typically doesn’t reverse such decisions, so it’s best to adapt rather than wait.

Can I still see this data anywhere else?

No, once Google stops collecting this data, it’s not available anywhere. However, your overall performance metrics (traffic, clicks, impressions for regular search results) remain fully available in Search Console and Google Analytics.

Should I inform my SEO agency or consultant?

Yes, share this information with anyone managing your SEO. They should already be aware, but it ensures everyone’s on the same page about why certain metrics have disappeared.

Is this related to AI overviews or SGE?

No, this is completely separate from Google’s AI initiatives. This change is purely about removing underused structured data types and their associated reporting.

What Are Rich Results and Visual Enhancements?

Rich results are the extra bits of information that sometimes appear in Google search listings beyond the standard blue link and description. Think of them as special features that make certain search results stand out—like seeing star ratings for a restaurant, cooking times for a recipe, or salary ranges for a job posting.

Examples of rich results still working:

• Star ratings and review counts for products
• Recipe cards with cooking times and images
• FAQ dropdowns that answer questions directly in search
• Event listings with dates and locations
• Local business information with opening hours

What Google removed (visual enhancements no longer shown):

• Course prices and provider details in search results
• Fact-checking labels on news articles
• Salary estimate boxes on job listings
• Special COVID-19 announcement banners
• Learning video carousels
• Vehicle specification cards

Your standard search listing—the title, URL, and description—remains completely unaffected. You’ve simply lost some of the “extra” visual elements that only specific industries were using.

Understanding the Changes in Detail

What Google Actually Did

Google regularly reviews and updates its search features to improve user experience and system efficiency. This week’s change represents a significant housekeeping exercise where Google removed support for underutilised structured data types. These were specialised markup codes that helped certain types of content appear with enhanced visual features in search results.

The decision to remove these features came after Google’s analysis showed minimal usage across the web. Rather than maintaining complex systems for features that offered little value to users or businesses, Google chose to simplify both their search results pages and their reporting infrastructure.

The Business Impact for SMEs

For most small and medium enterprises in Northern Ireland and across the UK, this change has minimal practical impact. The removed features were primarily used by specific industries:

• Educational platforms used Course Info markup
• News and fact-checking sites used Claim Review
• Job boards utilised Estimated Salary data
• E-learning providers employed Learning Video markup
• Healthcare and government sites used Special Announcements (mainly during COVID)
• Automotive marketplaces implemented Vehicle Listings

If your business doesn’t operate in these sectors, you were likely never using these features. Even if you were, the core visibility and ranking of your content remains unchanged – you’ve simply lost some enhanced visual elements in search results.

What This Means for Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Your existing digital marketing and SEO strategies remain valid and effective. The fundamental principles of good SEO haven’t changed:

• Quality content still ranks well
• User experience remains crucial
• Mobile optimisation is still essential
• Page speed continues to matter
• Local SEO tactics work as before

The metrics you should focus on remain the same: organic traffic, conversion rates, keyword rankings, and user engagement. These core performance indicators haven’t been affected by Google’s reporting changes.

Moving Forward: Focus on What Matters

Rather than worrying about lost data points, this change presents an opportunity to refocus on the metrics that drive real business results. Consider concentrating on:

1. Conversion-focused metrics: Track how visitors become customers, not just specialised appearance features
2. User engagement data: Monitor time on site, pages per session, and bounce rates
3. Revenue attribution: Connect your SEO efforts directly to business outcomes
4. Core Web Vitals: Google’s primary metrics for user experience remain unchanged and important

Alternative Strategies for Affected Industries

If your business was actively using the deprecated features, here are industry-specific alternatives:

Educational Institutions & Course Providers:

• Switch to Event schema for individual courses
• Use Product schema for course packages
• Enhance your Google Business Profile with course information
• Consider Google Ads with course extensions

News & Fact-Checking Organisations:

• Focus on Article schema with clear author information
• Build E-A-T signals through About pages and author bios
• Use NewsArticle schema type (still supported)

Recruitment & Job Boards:

• Include salary information in meta descriptions
• Use JobPosting schema without EstimatedSalary
• Create dedicated salary guide content pages
• Enhance job descriptions with comprehensive details

E-Learning Platforms:

• Use VideoObject schema for educational videos
• Create Course landing pages optimised for regular search
• Implement HowTo schema for tutorial content
• Focus on YouTube optimisation for video content

Automotive Dealers:

• Implement Product schema for vehicle listings
• Enhance Google Business Profile with inventory
• Use Offer schema for pricing and availability
• Create detailed model comparison pages

What ProfileTree Recommends: Your Action Plan

As a leading digital agency serving businesses across Belfast and Northern Ireland, we’ve been monitoring this change closely and helping clients adapt. Here’s our practical action plan:

Immediate Steps (This Week):

1. Check your reports: Log into Google Search Console and note which metrics have disappeared
2. Document the change: Screenshot your current data for reference
3. Inform stakeholders: Use our simple explanation to update your team
4. Annotate dashboards: Add notes to any automated reports explaining the missing data

Short-term Actions (Next Month):

1. Audit your schema: Run Google’s Rich Results Test on your key pages
2. Focus on supported features: Prioritise schema types Google still displays (FAQ, Product, Review, Article)
3. Update tracking: Adjust KPIs to focus on metrics that matter—traffic, conversions, engagement
4. Review your content strategy: Ensure you’re not creating content specifically for deprecated features

Long-term Strategy (Next Quarter):

1. Invest in fundamentals: Strong content and user experience always win
2. Diversify metrics: Don’t rely solely on Search Console—use Google Analytics, conversion tracking, and revenue data
3. Stay informed: Follow Google Search Central for future updates
4. Get professional insight: Consider an SEO audit to ensure you’re optimising for the right features

Need Help? If you have questions about your Search Console reports or want help updating your SEO strategy, ProfileTree’s digital marketing experts can assist. Contact us for a free consultation about your specific situation.

How to Check If You’re Affected

Want to know if these changes impact your website? Here’s a simple process to check:

Step 1: Review Your Historical Data

• Log into Google Search Console
• Go to Performance > Search Appearance
• Look at data from before September 9, 2025
• Check if you had impressions for: Course, ClaimReview, SpecialAnnouncement, Vehicle, Learning Video, or Estimated Salary

Step 2: Test Your Current Schema

• Visit Google’s Rich Results Test tool
• Enter your website URL
• Review which schema types are detected
• Note any warnings about deprecated types

Step 3: Check Your Industry If you’re in these industries, you may be affected:

• Education/Training: Course Info markup
• News/Media: Claim Review markup
• Recruitment: Estimated Salary markup
• E-learning: Learning Video markup
• Automotive: Vehicle Listing markup
• Healthcare/Government: Special Announcement markup

Step 4: Assess the Impact

• If you never used these features: No impact at all
• If you used them occasionally: Minimal impact on visual appearance
• If they were central to your strategy: Time to pivot to supported alternatives

Most SMEs will fall into the “no impact” category, but it’s worth checking to be certain.

Technical Details for Developers and Advanced Users

Technical Details – The Essential Points

For Marketing Teams:

• Reporting data has been removed, not actual performance
• Updates needed for any automated reports pulling deprecated metrics
• Focus shifts to core metrics: traffic, rankings, conversions

For Development Teams:

• Six schema types no longer generate rich results
• No penalty for leaving old code (but clean-up recommended)
• API changes coming December 2025—plan accordingly
• Update database queries from = false to IS NOT TRUE for null values

For Business Owners:

• No impact on search visibility or rankings
• Investment in remaining schema types still valuable
• Regular SEO best practices remain unchanged
• Future-proof by diversifying tracking methods

Timeline Summary:

• Ongoing: Focus on supported schema types
• September 9, 2025: Features removed from search results
• October 2025: Bulk exports return NULL values
• December 2025: Complete API removal

Impact on Search Console Reporting

The following changes have been implemented in Search Console:

• Performance reports: These appearance types no longer appear in filters or data
• Rich Results Test tool: No longer validates these schema types
• Search appearance filters: Removed for affected structured data types
• Bulk data exports: From October 2025, these fields will return NULL values

Schema Markup Cleanup Recommendations

While Google has confirmed that leaving deprecated schema markup in place won’t harm your site, we recommend gradual cleanup:

1. Audit your structured data: Use Google’s Rich Results Test to identify which markup types you’re currently using
2. Prioritise active schemas: Focus on maintaining and optimising supported types like Product, Article, FAQ, and Review markup
3. Schedule removal: Plan to remove deprecated markup during your next major site update
4. Document changes: Keep records of what markup you’ve removed for future reference

Alternative Solutions for Affected Features

If your website relied on these deprecated rich results, consider these alternatives:

• Course Info: Focus on standard Article or Event markup for educational content
• Claim Review: Use standard Article markup with clear fact-checking indicators in your content
• Estimated Salary: Include salary information in your standard job posting text
• Learning Video: Use standard VideoObject markup
• Special Announcement: Incorporate announcements into your regular content structure
• Vehicle Listing: Rely on Product markup for vehicle sales

Monitoring and Adapting to Future Changes

Google has indicated this is part of an ongoing simplification process. To stay ahead:

1. Monitor Google Search Central Blog: Official announcements appear here first
2. Test regularly: Use Rich Results Test monthly to ensure your markup remains valid
3. Diversify tracking: Don’t rely solely on Search Console for performance metrics
4. Build flexibility: Create reporting systems that can adapt to changing data availability

The Bigger Picture: Google’s Evolution

This change reflects Google’s broader strategy of simplifying search while improving core functionality. By removing underused features, Google can focus resources on developing and maintaining the features that provide the most value to users and businesses.

For Northern Ireland businesses, this evolution in Google’s approach reinforces the importance of focusing on fundamental SEO practices rather than chasing every new feature or enhancement. Building a strong, user-focused website with quality content remains the most reliable path to search success.

Professional Support Available

If you’re concerned about how these changes affect your specific website or need help interpreting your Search Console data, professional guidance can provide clarity and peace of mind. At ProfileTree, we specialise in helping Northern Ireland businesses understand and adapt to search engine changes while maintaining strong online visibility.

Our team can conduct a comprehensive SEO audit to ensure your website focuses on the metrics and features that drive real business results. We’ll help you understand what data remains valuable, how to interpret changing reports, and where to focus your digital marketing efforts for maximum impact.

Moving Forward with Confidence

The key message for businesses across Belfast, Northern Ireland, and beyond is clear: this Google Search Console change is about reporting simplification, not performance degradation. Your website continues to serve customers and generate leads exactly as it did before 9 September 2025.

Three Things to Remember:

1. Your performance hasn’t changed—only the reporting detail
2. This affects everyone equally—no competitive disadvantage
3. Core SEO principles remain unchanged—quality content and user experience still win

What Success Looks Like Now: Instead of chasing every Google feature, successful businesses will focus on sustainable growth through proven strategies: creating valuable content, providing excellent user experiences, and building genuine authority in their industry.

Stay Informed: The digital landscape continues to evolve, but fundamental business principles remain constant. Focus on serving your customers well online, and the algorithms will follow.

Get Support When Needed: If interpreting these changes feels overwhelming, remember that professional help is available. At ProfileTree, we help Northern Ireland businesses navigate digital changes while maintaining strong online growth.

For personalised assistance with your Google Search Console data or to ensure your website focuses on the metrics that matter, contact ProfileTree’s expert team. We’re here to help you thrive in the digital landscape, regardless of how Google’s reporting tools evolve.

Remember: Your website is still working hard for your business. This is just Google tidying up their reporting—nothing more, nothing less.