Appearing in Google search results is the dream of every website owner. But how does Google find your pages? Which keywords lead users to click on your site? Google Search Console is exactly the free tool that provides answers to these questions. In fact, this tool is your direct communication bridge with Google, allowing you to stay informed about your SEO health and the indexing status of your pages. Below, we walk through a step-by-step guide to connecting your site to this powerful tool:
Initial Setup: Registering Your Website
To begin, you must first register your website address in the Google system by following these steps:
- Step 1 (Sign In): Go to the Google Search Console website and sign in with your Google (Gmail) account.
Step 2 (Select Property Type): Once logged in, you will see two options; select the URL prefix option to start.
- Step 3 (Enter Address): Enter your full website address (be sure to include
https://) in the designated box and click the Continue button.
- Step 4 (Verify Ownership): After entering the address, Google will ask you to verify site ownership.
The four main methods for doing this are explained below:
1. Using an HTML Tag (Suitable Method with the App)
This method is the most convenient way for most users because it does not require technical changes to the theme code or access to complex hosting files.
Steps to follow:
In the Google ownership verification page, click on the HTML tag option to expand it.
- A line of code will be displayed starting with
<meta name=.... You only need to copy the code inside thecontentsection (which is a combination of numbers and letters).
Log in to your website admin panel and open the SEO Buddy AI app.
From the left menu of the app, click on the Google search console option.
- In the first Empty field in Property verification code, paste the copied code and click the Save button.
Finally, return to the Google page and click the blue Verify button.
Google Account Connection Step (Connect Google Account):
After your ownership is verified by Google, you must connect your account so the app can analyze site data and display it directly in your SEO Buddy AI dashboard:
In the Google search console page of the app, scroll down to the Connect your Google account section.Click the Connect button.
Select the Gmail account you used to set up the Search Console to grant the necessary permissions; you should then see a success message for the connection.
2.HTML File Upload
This method requires access to your website’s File Manager on your hosting server.
Steps to follow:
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On the Google page, download the provided HTML file.
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Log in to your hosting panel (such as cPanel or DirectAdmin) and go to the site’s root folder (
public_html). -
Upload the file to this directory.
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Return to Search Console and click Verify.
3.Verification via DNS Record
This method verifies your identity at the domain name level.
Steps to follow:
Select the Domain name provider option and copy the TXT record code.
Log in to your domain management panel (where you purchased your domain).
Create a new TXT record, leave the name field blank or enter the
@symbol, and paste the code into the Value section.After saving, it may take some time for Google to detect this change; then click Verify.
4.Using Google Analytics
If you have already activated Google Analytics on your site, you can use this shortcut.
Steps to follow:
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From the list of Google methods, select the Google Analytics option.
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Make sure you are signed in to Search Console with the same email that has administrative (Admin) access to your Analytics.
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Click the Verify button to issue the confirmation.