In SEO, an annotation is a short dated note placed on a chart of performance data. It records an event, such as a release or a content change, so that later changes in the curve can be matched to something that happened. In November 2025, Google added custom annotations to the performance reports in Search Console.
How do annotations work in Search Console?
Google’s announcement says custom annotations are added directly in the performance chart: you right-click the chart, choose “Add annotation”, and write a short note for a specific date. The note then appears on the chart. Everyone with access to the property can see it, so sensitive personal information does not belong in a note. Annotations do not change any data. They are context for whoever reads the chart later.
Dashboards and analytics tools outside Search Console have offered annotations for much longer. The idea is the same everywhere: a log of changes lives next to the numbers it might explain.
What is worth annotating?
- Site migrations, domain changes and URL structure changes
- Template, navigation or title tag rollouts
- Large content updates and new sections
- Technical incidents, for example a robots.txt error or a server outage
- Known Google updates and external events such as campaigns or holidays
Example
A shop sees clicks drop from March 12. Without notes, the cause stays open. With a note “New category template live” on March 11 and “robots.txt fixed” on March 14, the team can see the sequence at once and focus the analysis on the template.
Common mistakes
- Annotating too late. Entries made weeks afterwards rely on memory and miss dates.
- Vague notes. “Changes made” tells nobody what to look for.
- Writing everything. A chart full of markers is as hard to read as one without.
Sources
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