Add and Verify Website Property to Google Search Console (Beginners Guide)

Register for Google Search Console account and add and verify your website or blog is a simple process. In this post you will get a quick guide to create an account and add website property in Google search console.

Quick process for start Google Search Console and verify your site:

Open Google Search Console in browser. Click the “Start” button and login with Google account. Now, from the top left corner click the “Add property” option, enter your site URL in the “URL prefix” section and click “Continue”. Apply suitable verification methods on your site for verification and click verify option in Google Search Console.

Above is the quick process to follow. For beginners the following is a detailed process. Let’s start the process…

How to create an account in Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is a Google tool to verify your site for Google search, know your site’s search performance, suggestions and issues.

Register to search console with Google account: register to Google search console is simple using your existing or new Google account. You just need to login with your Google account.

First open Google Search Console page and click the “Start” button on the page. Next, Google will ask for login, here you need to login with your Google account.

That’s it, you are now able to access the search console dashboard. Here, you can manage your site’s property.

How to add and verify a website in Google Search Console?

Add your website or blog to Google Search Console and verify is a simple 3 step process.

1. Create new property in Google Search Console

Create new property in search console: to create property, click “Add property” option from search console dashboard top left corner. Now, you will see popup with two options to add property.

For beginners, the “URL prefix” option is a simple one. You can check the benefits of both options in each section. Next, add your site URL to the “URL prefix” section and click the “Continue” button.

2. Add HTML meta tag on your site

Now, the search console will show different options for your given site verification. Options are – HTML file, HTML tag, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Domain name provider.

Verify website or blog using HTML tag: HTML tag is suggested option for beginners. Here, you need to copy the given Meta tag and paste on your site’s header (before </head> tag).

For WordPress sites or blogs you can edit the “header.php” file from “Appearance > Theme Editor > header.php”. After opening this file in WordPress dashboard, go to </head> tag in file and paste console Meta tag line before it. Next, click “Update File” to save change.

For Blogger site or blog go to “Themes > Customize (Edit HTML)” and paste console Meta tag line after <title>…</title> tag. Next, click the save icon to save changes.

Confirm Meta tag from view-source: After completing above change, open your site home page and check added Meta tag in page view-source.

3. Verify your site on Google Search Console

Verify your site from Google Search Console Settings: to verify your site after adding Meta tag on site, you need to go to “Settings > Ownership verification > HTML tag”. Here, you will find the verify button, click that button to verify your site.

Once you click the verify button, Google will check Meta tag on your site and after successful verification, you will find a green right icon with “Successfully verified” text.

That’s it,

Now, after 1-2 days, you will get your site’s search data on your Google Search Console dashboard.