Item: Google Search Console
Rating: 10
Author: Jerry Janes

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I mostly use it for my clients' SEO needs. There usually is not marketing or other relevant department, so I am responsible. Business problems it addresses are data/website monitoring.

Pros and Cons

The "new" SC's Overview is great for sharing with clients as it's a simplified presentation of different data with graphs.
Performance is my turf. It is designed for me at a glance to recognize the peaks and valleys of traffic. Clicks v. Impressions remains something central to SEO and other marketing efforts.

This is surely subjective, but as long as I could, I used the old SC but now that I am forced to just use the new, there still is a bit of a learning curve. Again, this is not a fair complaint as in time all will be forgotten, but I really do miss the old version.
One thing I do not like is the loss of the Manual URL Submission. I understand why it's been removed, but sometimes I am doing refreshes of pages and want that new version visited and reindexed ASAP rather than have to wait for Google to revisit.

Return on Investment

ROI for me always boils down to time taken for any given task. SC allows me to quickly get the data I need to share, or at least glance at.

Although StatCounter is more like Google Analytics than Search Console, it still has a lot of overlap. StatCounter is relatively small, so it does not provide anywhere near the functions of SC. But, it's good to have a secondary source of traffic and other related data, one other than what Google is informing.

Support Rating

I've found their SC customer service difficult to find and slow to respond, if ever. I know this has been by design as Google continues to help users answer their own questions/problems, so I agree with that, but there are still times I need to speak or email with a human.

Key Insights

Do you think Google Search Console delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Google Search Console's feature set?

Yes

Did Google Search Console live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Google Search Console go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Google Search Console again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

It is excellent for SMBs as well as large companies. I cannot envision any scenario where it would not be appropriate. Perhaps with Mom and Pop businesses, or individuals' websites, not all the available functionality might be useful, but it certainly can't hurt to have the headroom.

Search Console: I admittedly miss the old version but am learning to love the new

Overall Satisfaction with Google Search Console