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Settings 1Validate your website with Google Search Console

One of the great services that Google offers (free) to webmasters is their Google search console, (formerly called Webmaster Tools), designed to enable you to ensure your site performs at its best for visitors and search engines. Adding your site to your Google Search Console account is easy.

 

Create a Google Search  account

If you don’t already have an account, create a free Google account to use their Search Console service here.

Once your account is created, you’ll add your first website. Click the Add a site button on the Search Console homepage.

Enter the address of your website in the pop-up window, beginning with http://, then click Continue.

add site to webmaster tools
2 copy webmaster tools validation code

Retrieve the Search Console verification code

Once you’ve requested your website be added to your Search Console account, you’ll need to prove that you’re the site owner/webmaster.

This is important, as a lot of important and confidential information about your site will be available in your Search Console account; proving you are the site owner ensures Google provides this information only to those that should have access.

By default, Google will recommend uploading an HTML file to your site to prove you are the site owner.  You can’t place an HTML file at the root of your website, so choose the Alternate methods tab, and select the first option: HTML tag.

Copy the HTML meta tag, then head to your site manager.

Add the Webmaster Tools verification code to your site

Once you’ve copied the code:

  • Head to the Settings > Global settings > Editable zones menu of the site manager.
  • Locate the Additional META tags section
  • Paste the code as is, on a new line
  • Save your changes
3 add verification code website
4 validate your site webmster tools

Validate your site in your Webmaster Tools account

Now that the code has been added to your site manager, it will be automatically added to your pages. This code is what Google will need to “see” to authenticate you as the site webmaster.

To validate the site: 

  • Return to your Search Console account
  • Click the Verify button

You should see a confirmation message that the site ownership has been verified (if not, repeat the steps outlined above and ensure you validate using the HTML tag, pasted correctly in the right section of the site manager.

Click Continue once you’re done – you can start using Search Console for your site straight away.