Tutorial on how to add Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool that allows website owners to monitor and improve their page's results in search engines. It is essentially the only SEO tool that you will definitely need, and all the additional widgets and tools only complement it.

To use it, you must first link your website to Search Console. Below you will find a tutorial on what different options you can use to interface Google Search Console with your website.

Video tutorial

1. Go to the Google Search Console page

If you do not yet have a Google Search Console account, you must first create a new account. Go to Google Search Console website (https://search.google.com/search-console) and sign in with your Google account or create a new account if you don't have one yet. If you are logged in:

1. Click on the drop-down menu in the upper left corner
2. Select "+ Add property" to add the new website
3. If your website is already verified or you have several websites, then all of them will appear there one below the other

2. Add your website

By pressing the "+ Add property" button, 2 options open up: linking the website either through a domain or through a URL or address. Both have their purpose and benefits.

For the domain, write in the box domain.com, for the URL interface the full length address, for example https://domeen.ee. Then press "Continue".

2.1 Domain-specific verification

Adding a domain means adding everything related to your domain to Google Search Console. It also covers subdomains and website versions, which in terms of SEO are all different instances:

• shop.domain.ee or eng.domain.ee
• www.domain.ee and domain.ee
• http://domeen.ee ja https://domeen.ee.

This way, all URLs associated with the domain are automatically covered and you can track and analyze them through Google Search Console. The argument against domain verification is that finding and changing domain records is intimidating and difficult for a beginner.

To verify the domain, you need to add a DNS TXT record to prove that you are the owner of the website. These are the steps to add a DNS TXT record and link your website to Google Search Console:

1. Copy the unique code from the Google Search Console page (Don't close the window!)
2. Log in (in a new window) to your domain management environment (Web hosting support and Zone guide below), where you can access the DNS settings. If you do not know how to do this, contact your domain registrar.
3. Find an option to add a TXT record to your domain. It may be called DNS settings, domain management, or records management.
4. Add a new DNS TXT record by selecting “TXT” as the record type. Copy your code into the destination field.
5. Wait 5-10 min and go back to Google Search Console and press "Verify".
6. Since it takes time for DNS changes to reach the internet, it may take hours until a green window appears with the message that the website has been interfaced. Until then, you just have to try.

Following are the instructions Veebimajutus and about adding a Zone TXT record. Look for the place where you changed the DNS records and you should end up in a place like the one shown in the picture.

1. Add a new domain record
2. Select TXT as the record type from the drop-down menu
3. Copy the Search Console verification code into the destination box
4. Save the changes and go back to the Search Console page.

If the verification was successful, you will see a green message:

2.2 Address-Based verification

Adding a website using an address means adding a specific page or subpage to Google Search Console. This method is suitable if:

1. You only have access to the website but not to the domain settings
2. You prefer an easier method than verification with a domain
3. You are sure that your website is only accessible from one address. (Usually https://domeen.ee, other versions such as https://www.domain.com and http://domain.com are redirected to it)
4. OR you want to monitor the results of a specific subdomain (another language or purpose, e.g. shop.domain.com or eng.domain.com)

I always verifiy via the website address because I don't have access to the clients' domain, but then you have to make sure that point 3 is correct, otherwise you will see partial results. The easiest way to check it is in the address bar of your browser - enter your homepage there in a different form and see if the address always changes to the same form)

There are several ways to verify an address, but the simplest and most common method is to add a verification token through the HTML code of the home page.

1. HTML file - Upload the .html file to the root folder of your website (you will need a file editing plugin or FTP access)
2. HTML tag - The simplest. Add a piece of HTML code to the header of your homepage (you must find the corresponding field on the website settings)
3. Google Analytics - if the GA analytics program is also connected to your Google account, you are lucky - then generally a green message is displayed that the interface has been completed
4. Google Tag Manager - if you use GTM, you need to log in there and copy the corresponding code
5. DNS TXT record - same as 2.1 domain interface, rather go for it already

Here are the detailed steps on how to add the HTML code (2) to your website.

1. Open the HTML tag (2) method and copy the code there (Don't close the window!)
2. Log in (in a new window) to your website and find the SEO (plugin) or theme settings. Options in order of simplicity:
   A: WordPress SEO plugins like Yoast and Rankmath have a corresponding cell (just copy the number in the code)
   B: Find the corresponding field in the theme settings of your website (HTML code, header code, header scripts, etc.)
   C: Add free Header code plugin and copy the code into the box created under the settings
   D: Edit your header HTML file directly and copy the code there
3. Add the copied HTML code to the corresponding cell and save the changes
4. Go back to Google Search Console and click “Verify”.
5. Since changes take time to reach the internet, it can take up to 30 minutes until a green window appears with the message that the website has been interfaced. Until then, you just have to try.

 

If the verification was successful, you will see a green message:

3. What next?

Congratulations! You have verified your website with an important SEO tool. Remember that the results will appear here with a (2-day) delay, so the page will be blank at first. But after just a few days you will be able to watch:

1. The SEO results of your website in the Google search engine, such as the findability of keywords, their average position and the number of visits.
2. Add new homepages to Google for review
3. See page indexing status
4. See Google's rating and recommendations for website speed
5. and in terms of user experience, in terms of SEO results, you can monitor:
6. In the comparison of your selected time period or periods:
7. Keywords and the results of each or all of them for a selected time period, such as
8. Clicks - how many visits from Google the homepage or each keyword brought (visits)
9. Impressions - how many times people saw a homepage or keyword in Google search results (search volume)
10. CTR - how many % of viewers visited the home page (SEO conversion)
11. Average position – the average position of the homepage or keyword among the search results

Do you want to increase the SEO results of your website?

If the world of SEO is exciting and you want to use it to increase your website traffic, then check out our SEO services or see what are the steps for our SEO clients success.