With so much volume of potential organic traffic happening in Google, you’ll be missing out on a whole lot of things if your website isn’t properly set up in Google Search Console.
What Is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console, formerly Google Webmaster Tools, is a free service by Google that helps you optimize your website’s visibility for their search engine bots and spiders.
As a webmaster, you can monitor key SEO metrics such as indexing status, keywords, links, and crawl errors through the Search Console. To maximize the Search Console, it’s important that you properly set up your website by adding in all versions of your website’s domain.
Here is a brief guide on how to add website URL versions in Google Search Console:
Go to Google Search Console → click Start Now
Open the property selector dropdown and then select +Add Property
There are two property types to choose from: Domain or URL-prefix:
- Domain properties include all domain-level property (subdomains such as m and www, and protocols such as HTTP or HTTPS) and require only DNS verification.
- URL-prefix properties include URL versions of a property exactly as it appears in the browser bar, including the final / mark and any specified prefix. This type allows for multiple verification methods.
Source: Google
After you’ve added a property, follow its verification steps.
In this post, we’re going to cover 6 different Google site verification methods in two categories:
- Manual methods to verify your site with Google. These methods work for all websites, including WordPress sites.
- WordPress plugins to help with Google site verification. Many SEO plugins offer site verification functionality, so that’s a great option for most WordPress users.
1. HTML Verification File
With this method, you just need to upload an HTML file to the root directory of your website. It’s simple, but the downside is that you will need access to your server to upload the file, either via FTP or something like cPanel File Manager.
Step 1: Download Verification File
After you add your site to Google Search Console, you should see an option to download an HTML verification file in the Recommended method tab. Download this file to your computer.
Step 2: Upload the file that you downloaded from Google to the root folder of your site (this is the folder that contains the wp-content folder, wp-config.php, etc.)
Step 3: Click Verify Button At Google Search Console
Once you’ve uploaded the file to your site, go back to Google Search Console and click on the Verify button to complete the process.
After you add your site to Google Search Console, you should see an option to download an HTML verification file in the Recommended method tab. Download this file to your computer.
Step 2: Upload the file that you downloaded from Google to the root folder of your site (this is the folder that contains the wp-content folder, wp-config.php, etc.)
Step 3: Click Verify Button At Google Search Console
Once you’ve uploaded the file to your site, go back to Google Search Console and click on the Verify button to complete the process.
2. HTML Tag
With the HTML Tag method, you need to add a simple meta tag to your site’s <head> section.
If you are using Blogger just add the code after <head> and before </head>
If you’re using WordPress, you can do this by:
- Adding the tag directly to your child theme’s header.php file
- Using a plugin to inject it into the header
To find the meta tag, go to the Alternate methods tab in the Google Search Console interface. Select HTML tag and copy the value in the box:
Go to https://blogger.com-Theme-Edit HTML-Add the code after <head> and before </head> tag.
For WordPress-
Add Meta Tag Using Insert Headers And Footers
Install the Free Insert Headers and Footers plugin at your site. Then, go to Settings → Insert Headers and Footers and paste the meta tag in the Scripts in Header box.
Click Save.
Step 3: Click Verify Button At Google Search Console
To finish the process, go back to the Google Search Console interface and click Verify.
3. DNS TXT Record
With this method, you’ll add a TXT record at your DNS provider instead of needing to add any code to your site. Because there’s no code involved, this is the best method from a pure performance perspective.
Step 1: Get TXT Record
To get the DNS TXT record that you need, go to the Alternate methods tab in Google Search Console and select Domain name provider.
You can then select your domain provider from the drop-down (if applicable). If you don’t see your domain name provider, you can choose Other.
Step 2: Add TXT Record At DNS Provider
Next, you need to add that TXT record at your domain registrar or DNS provider. You should be able to find specific instructions from your provider.
First, click on the DNS option. Then, click Manage for the site that you want to verify with Google Search Console.
Then, add the DNS record. Make sure to select TXT from the Type drop-down:
Step 3: Click Verify Button At Google Search Console
To finish the process, go back to the Google Search Console interface and click Verify.
4. Google Analytics
If you already have the Google Analytics asynchronous tracking code installed at your site, you can easily verify your site using Google Analytics.
There’s no detailed step-by-step for this one. Just:
Go to the Alternate methods tab
Select the Google Analytics radio button
Click Verify
5. Google Tag Manager
Just like Google Analytics, if you’re already using Google Tag Manager, you can verify your site with just a single click as long as you have the Google Tag Manager container snippet active on your site.
Again, there’s no detailed step-by-step necessary. Just:
Go to the Alternate methods tab
Select the Google Tag Manager radio button
Click Verify
6. Two WordPress Plugins to Help With Google Site Verification
Don’t like the manual methods above?
If you’re using a WordPress SEO plugin, there’s a good chance that your plugin of choice offers an easy tool to help with Google site verification. We’ll show you how to do it with the two most popular plugins – Yoast SEO and All in One SEO Pack.
1. Yoast SEO
To complete the Google Search Console verification process with Yoast SEO, go to SEO → General in your WordPress dashboard and select the Webmaster Tools tab.
All you need to do is paste your Google verification code into the box.
To find your Google verification code:
Go to the Alternate methods tab in the Google Search Console interface
Select the HTML tag option
You can copy the entire tag, the Yoast SEO plugin will automatically strip out the extra, leaving just the code.
Make sure to click Save changes in the Yoast SEO interface when you’re done.
2. All in One SEO Pack
To verify your site in Google Search Console with All in One SEO Pack, go to All in One SEO → General Settings in your WordPress dashboard.
You should see a long list of settings. Scroll down to the Webmaster Verification section and paste your Google verification code into the Google Webmaster Tools box.
Go to the Alternate methods tab in the Google Search Console interface
Select the HTML tag option
You can copy the entire tag, the All in One SEO Pack plugin will automatically strip out the extra, leaving just the code.
Which Method Should You Use?
For the absolute best approach for performance, we recommend using the DNS TXT record method because it doesn’t require you to add any code to your site.But if you don't have DNS management system for your website then choose "HTML Tag Verification".
Beyond that, there’s not any functional difference between the other methods, so you should pick the method that feels easiest to you.
Just remember – Google will periodically check on your site’s verification. So no matter which method you choose, it’s important to leave that method in place – you cannot remove it after verification.
Which URL Versions Should You Add in Google Search Console?
All possible versions of your website, including subdomains, should be added into your Google Search Console for better monitoring and optimization.
Add both non-www (example.com) and www versions (www.example.com)
- Note that If no protocol is defined when adding a property, Google Search Console sets the protocol to its default: HTTP
- You will then have the following properties in Google Search Console:
- http://example.com
- http://www.example.com
Add HTTPS versions
- If your website is served from an HTTPS protocol (which is Google’s recommendation), you must include “https://” when adding the properties to the Search Console.
- You will then have the following additional properties for the same website:
- https://example.com
- https://www.example.com
Add subdomains, such as blog
- The same principle applies here: add both www and non-www versions, and HTTP and HTTPS versions of the subdomains.
- http://blog.example.com/
- http://www.blog.example.com
- https://blog.example.com/
- https://www.blog.example.com
Add language subdirectories, such as EN
- This is especially helpful if you have a website in various languages
- The same principle applies here: add both www and non-www versions, and HTTP and HTTPS versions of each subdirectories.
- http://example.com/en
- http://www.example.com/en
- https://example.com/en
- https://www.example.com/en
Add-content specific subdirectories, such as AMP
- The same principle applies here: add both www and non-www versions, and HTTP and HTTPS versions of the subdirectories.
- http://example.com/amp
- http://www.example.com/amp
- https://example.com/amp
- https://www.example.com/amp
After all website URL versions have been added to the Search Console, Google automatically aggregates the data of all URLs of the same domain name for easier management.
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