Verify your Site with Google Search Console - Made Easy for Beginners
Set up your Google Search Console now. Here is the Easiest Way How to Verify your Site for absolute beginners!
Updated April 7, 2024.
Time of reading: 5 min
Level of Difficulty: Beginners
🦔 You can skip to a specific step if you have already done a thing or two from the list.
Google Site Verification with Google Analytics is by far the easiest and fastest way to do it. This requires that you have already set up Google Analytics Tag on your website.
If you haven’t set up your Google analytics Tag yet, you can move on to our 2nd method and verify your Site through DNS Settings or verify your Site using HTML tag.
However, if you want to shoot 2 seagulls with one cannonball – here is how to set up Google Analytics Tag on your website and then get back to verify your site in Google Search Console with the first approach.
Verify your Site using Google Analytics
This verification method requires that you have already installed Google Analytics Tag on your Website.
Again if you haven’t set up your Google Analytics yet you can easy verify your Site using HTML Tag instead.
Here is how to verify your Site using Google Analytics with only a couple of quick steps!
4. Write down the complete website URL by adding “https://” in front of it. For example, if the website is “www.yourwebsitename.com“, the complete URL would be “https://www.yourwebsitename.com“.
5. Choose ‘Google Analytics‘ as a verification method and ‘Verify’
That’s all. Now your website should be verified by Google using the Google Analytics Site Verification Method.
In case you prefer to install a HTML tag in your <Head> move on to our second approach which is quite straightforward.
Verify your Site through DNS Settings
Here is another easy method how to verify your site in Google Search Console. This method can be used on any website, regardless of the platform or whether it is a custom site.
All you need for this verification method is your hosting provider’s login credentials and access to cPanel as a management platform.
If you haven’t decided on a Hosting Provider yet that offers you a cPanel as a site management platform, we recommend HostArmada due to their instant chat support and user-friendly login area.
Here is how to verify by adding a TXT code in your DNS Settings:
1. Sign in to your Google Account
2. Go to Google Search Console
3. Choose ‘Domain’ as a property type
4. Write down your domain name without any additional prefixes as ‘https’ or ‘www’. For example, a domain name is yourwebsitename.com – so it needs to be placed as it is. Click ‘Continue’ when you are done.
5.Select to get instructions for ‘Any DNS Provider’
6. Select Record Type as ‘TXT (recommended)’. You will get a short TXT snippet from Google that you need to place in your DNS records.
7. Copy the TXT record in your DNS Records.
You will need to login to your hosting provider and go to your cPanel.
Here is how to do it in details:
First, login to your Hosting Provider
Go to your cPanel. There is usually a cPanel icon on your Hosting dashboard. It may ask you to use your Login credentials again.
Once you are in your cPanel, search for ZoneEditor under ‘Domains’ section in the panel. You can scroll down or type ‘ZoneEditor’ in the Search bar of the cPanel in the top right corner.
After you have clicked on ‘ZoneEditor’ you will need to find the domain that you would like to verify and click ‘Manage’ next to it.
Select next + Add Record and choose Add ”TXT” Record.
Click on the button ‘Save Record’
Finally, click ‘Verify’ from the same Google Search Console Window.
You should get this status.
Some Hosting Providers such as HostArmada offer you a 24/7 full-scale chat support. If you don’t want to do all the Steps in your cPanel and verify your site ownership by yourself you can kindly ask them to verify your site for you. You will need to provide them the TXT code from the previous step in Google Search Console’s window.
Verify your Site using HTML tag
Here is a third easy alternative to verify your website in Google Search Console.
For this method, you will need to have a plugin installed on your WordPress site that allows you to insert code snippets in the <head> section of your site pages.
This kind of Plugin is extremely useful and you will certainly need it for other future setups and configurations of your WordPress website such as:
- Facebook Pixel Installation
- Google Remarketing Tags
- Google Analytics Tag
- Others such as using a Heatmap and more!
Here is how to verify your Site using HTML Tag as a verification method:
1. Sign in to your Google Account
2. Go to Google Search Console
3. Choose URL Prefix
4. Write down the complete website URL by adding “https://” in front of it. For example, if the website is “www.yourwebsitename.com“, the complete URL would be “https://www.yourwebsitename.com“.
5. Choose ‘HTML TAG‘ as a verification method.
6. Copy the Meta Tag and add it in the <head> of your Site Pages.
The simplest method to add any code or snippet to the <head> section of your WordPress website is by using a plugin.
We recommend using Header Footer Code Manager that makes it really simple.
Here is how:
First, you will need install the Plugin on your WordPress. Here is a short guide how to install a Plugin on WordPress if you are doing it for the first time.
Once you have activated Header Footer Code Manager, you need to find the plugin in your dashboard and click on ‘Add New’ or ‘Add New Snippet’.
Here is how to add the tracking code in your new snippet.
- Give your snippet a name such as ‘Google Search Console Meta Tag‘ or ‘GSC Tag’ which is up to you.
- Choose for a Snippet Type ‘HTML‘
- Make sure it says ‘SiteWide‘ under Site Display.
- Keep it ‘Header‘ under Location
- Add the Meta Tag code in the snippet and click Save.
7. Click ‘VERIFY‘ in Google Search Console’s Window where you copied the code from.
Your ownership has now been verified using the HTML tag as a verification method. If this doesn’t work for you or you prefer to avoid adding additional HTML tags in your Header – try the other 2 methods that are simple and straightforward!
Here are again the 3 easiest methods to verify your site to which you can jump to: