Google Wont Add Featured Snippet Highlight Tracking To Search Console

When Google launched featured snippets anchor and highlight feature, it came with added tracking parameters to the URL you click on from Google. Google adds on #:~:text= to the URL you click on from Google.

This is what it looks like:

Glenn Gabe asked Google if they will add this as a filter to Google Search Console. Google basically said, unlikely. John Mueller from Google said “My feeling is showing those in SC would add a lot of clutter, since the snippet, and with that also the linked fragment, can vary from query to query, even for the same URL.”

My feeling is showing those in SC would add a lot of clutter, since the snippet, and with that also the linked fragment, can vary from query to query, even for the same URL.

— ???? John ???? (@JohnMu) June 4, 2020

Here is a bit more:

I’d see us showing those fragments as a bug, it’s not consistent with the general focus on canonical URLs. I’d prefer we unify everything to canonical URLs rather than add more variations (but I suspect you’d like more variations :-))

— ???? John ???? (@JohnMu) June 4, 2020

Note; back in 2016, Google tested a featured snippet filter in Search Console. But then a year later, Google removed that test. Although, hope should not be lost, Danny Sullivan from Google said it might happen one day.

Forum discussion at Twitter.