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Google officially renamed "Google Webmaster Tools" to "Google Search Console" and the tag issue came up when we discussed this in chat:

w3d So, errrm, who's going to retag the 1000+ questions tagged google-webmaster-tools?!

dan @w3d Good point. We should probably create another tag with that name and make it a synonym of google-webmaster-tools, and edit the description to mention the renaming, and then merge the two tags later on as people stop referring to it as Google Webmaster Tools.

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    Errrm, I was joking! ;) Well, kind of...
    – MrWhite
    May 29, 2015 at 23:07

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We should create the tag synonym for as soon as possible with being the new preferred name as it matches the new official name.

Once the tag synonym is created, no further action needs to be taken. All questions will have effectively be re-tagged to "google-search-console". When users type "google-webmaster-tools" or "webmaster tools" into the tag box on their question, the new tag name will automatically be suggested.

EDIT: I've created a tag synonym, but google-webmaster-tools is still the master. At some point we need to swap them. I'd rather do it sooner than later, but it sounds like Dan, and w3d would like to wait. How long?

gwt synonym

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    As commented in the chat room (copied above), I'd prefer to see the google-webmaster-tools tag remain on questions for a while longer since most users will still refer to that name in their questions and titles, and likely recognize the tag more readily while reviewing/reading questions. A tag synonym pointing from google-search-console -> google-webmaster-tools would seem to make sense for a few more months until the name is more widely adopted. We don't always have to jump when Google says so :-)
    – dan Mod
    May 29, 2015 at 3:14
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    Yes, I agree with @dan, I think I would like to see google-webmaster-tools for a while longer (what happens when users search directly in the search box? ...for tags?) but google-search-console should certainly be a synonym.
    – MrWhite
    May 29, 2015 at 23:11
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    As Webmasters, we could get technical and use Google Search Trends to measure the number of searches for "Google Search Console" as compared to "Google Webmaster Tools", as was done here for the past 90 days. When it starts registering and increasing in comparison, and our users start referring to it in questions & answers here, then we should swap them. Sometimes renaming a popular term takes a long time to grab hold…I'm guessing a few months or more.
    – dan Mod
    Jun 1, 2015 at 6:18
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    "more used" shouldn't be our standard for tag names when we are talking about the official name of a branded product.
    – Stephen Ostermiller Mod
    Jun 1, 2015 at 9:53
  • It should probably be noted that Google is still (as of 6/10/2105) referring to "Webmaster Tools" in its support documents, snippets, site links, and URLs…so it seems they themselves are being sensitive to the fact that most users are still referring to it as Webmaster Tools. Also, I can see only one question so far that used the term "Search Console", and it was combined as "Webmasters Search Console", and that was by a moderator. So "more used" would seem like a pretty good measurement, though grammatically incorrect ;-)
    – dan Mod
    Jun 10, 2015 at 7:06
  • Note: This was completed in 2017 webmasters.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1489/…
    – dan Mod
    May 9, 2019 at 22:52

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