How to Verify Your Site with Google Search Console

Do you want to add your site to Google Search Console? All in One SEO makes this really easy so you can use their great free tools.

Here we’ll show you how to authenticate your site with Google Search Console.

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is a free set of tools and reports that helps you monitor and troubleshoot your site’s presence in search results.

You don’t have to use Google Search Console to be listed in search results, but it really helps you understand how Google sees your site, and it’ll alert you to any problems.

Requirements

Before you get started, you’ll need to have a Google account to use Google Search Console. This can be a Gmail or Google Analytics account, or any other type of Google account.

If this is for your business, you may want to think about having a separate Google account for your business, rather than using your personal account.

Verifying Your Site in Google Search Console

To get started, click on General Settings in the All in One SEO menu, then click on the Webmaster Tools tab.

Webmaster Tools screen in All in One SEO

Now click on the Google Search Console block.

Google Search Console block on the Webmaster Tools screen

Click on the Connect to Google Search Console button.

On the Sign in to All in One SEO screen, click the Continue button.

Sign in to All in One SEO screen for Google Search Console

Next, you’ll see a screen where you need to confirm that All in One SEO can access your Google account. This is required in order for All in One SEO to connect to Google Search Console.

Select the Select all checkbox and click the Continue button.

Access permissions screen for Google Search Console

Finally, click the Complete Connection button.

Complete connection screen for Google Search Console

That’s all! Now your site has been added and verified with Google Search Console and your XML Sitemap generated by All in One SEO has been submitted to Google Search Console.

Disconnecting or Reconnecting All in One SEO with Google Search Console

You can disconnect All in One SEO from Google Search Console by clicking on the Disconnect button.

You can reconnect All in One SEO with Google Search Console by clicking on the Reconnect button.

Disconnecting or Reconnecting All in One SEO with Google Search Console

Verifying Your Site With Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager

An alternative way to verify your site with Google Search Console is to use the Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager method.

You’ll need to have added your Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager tracking code to your site.

Not sure how to do this? Check out MonsterInsights which makes this really easy.

Follow these steps to use this method:

Log in to Google Search Console and enter the URL for your site in the URL prefix field.

Enter your full website URL in the URL prefix box in Google Search Console

You should now see the Verify ownership screen. You should see the Google Analytics section. Click this to expand that section.

Click on the Google Analytics section in the verify ownership screen

If you use Google Tag Manager, then expand the Google Tag Manager section instead.

Now click the Verify button and you should see the site verified successfully.

Click the Verify button in Google Search Console to complete the process

Congratulations! You’ve verified your site with Google Search Console!

Are you interested in verifying your site with Bing as well? Visit our article on How to Verify your Site with Bing Webmaster Tools.

If you want to use Google Search Console (previously Google Webmaster Tools) to monitor how Google sees your website, then All in One SEO Pack offers a convenient way of authenticating your site with Google Search Console.

First, go to Google Search Console and log into your Google account.

Once you're logged in, you'll see a Welcome screen as shown below. Enter the domain name or URL of your website.  If you enter the URL, make sure that the HTTP / HTTPS matches what you have set for your website.

Google Search Console Welcome screen

You'll now see a screen with two sections: "Recommended verification method" and "Other verification methods".  You have multiple choices for how to verify your site, we'll cover the two simplest methods below:

Verification using Google Analytics

By far the easiest and best method to verify your site is to select the Google Analytics method.  With this method, all you have to do is set up your site in Google Analytics and then add your Google Analytics Tracking ID in All in One SEO.  This is covered in the tutorial here.

Once you've added your Google Analytics Tracking ID in All in One SEO, or have added Google Analytics tracking code to your site using any other plugin, then click the Verify button in the Google Analytics method as shown below:

Google Search Console Verification using Google Analytics

That's all!  Super easy!

Verification using HTML tag

The alternate method for verifying your site that we recommend is the HTML tag method.  Expand this section on the Verify ownership screen and click the COPY button as shown below:

Google Search Console Verification using HTML tag

Paste this into a text editor application.  It should look something like this:

<meta name="google-site-verification" content="XxXxpSSP9koQfmElGirIuIBGPxcVWMTb6UXxXx" />

Now copy ONLY the string of random text between the quotes that looks like this "XxXxpSSP9koQfmElGirIuIBGPxcVWMTb6UXxXx" and go to All in One SEO > General Settings > Webmaster Verification and paste this text into the Google Search Console field and click Update Options.  It should look like this:

Google Search Console verification field in All in One SEO

Go back to the Google Search Console page and click the Verify button and you're done.

For more information, take a look at the video from Google on verifying site ownership in Google Search Console here.

Useful Links:

  1. Google Search Console
  2. Google help on adding a website property