How do I verify my site with Google Search Console?

How do I verify my domain?

1. Open Search Console and sign in with your business’s Google account.
2. Add a property and choose Domain. Type your domain without www or https, for example yourbusiness.com.
3. Copy the TXT value Search Console shows. It starts with “google-site-verification=”. It isn’t a secret, so it’s fine to send it to your web team.
4. Find where your DNS is managed. This might be your domain registrar, your web host, Cloudflare, or a Microsoft 365 admin account. If you’re not sure, see who owns your domain.
5. Add a new TXT record there. Leave the host or name blank, or use @, as your provider asks. Paste the value exactly and save.
6. Go back to Search Console and select Verify. You should see a message that ownership is verified.

Stop point: add only the record Google gives you. Don’t change or delete other records while you’re in there. If the DNS screen has records you don’t recognize, stop and ask whoever manages your DNS. A wrong edit can take your website or email offline.

These steps follow Google’s guide to verifying site ownership.

The short version

• Use a Domain property, and add the TXT record Search Console gives you where your DNS is managed.
• Select Verify, and leave the record in place afterwards.

Why does this matter?

Search Console is Google’s own report on your site. It tells you which searches show your site, which pages are in Google, and whether Google has found problems. You can’t see any of it until you prove you control the domain. Our answer on what Search Console is for explains what to look at once you’re in.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• The record is at the wrong DNS provider. It’s an easy one to miss. A domain can be registered in one place while its DNS runs somewhere else. A record added at the registrar does nothing if the name servers point to another company.
• Overwriting another TXT record. A domain can have many TXT records, such as your SPF email record. Add a new one. Don’t replace an existing one.
• Typing the value by hand. One wrong character fails the check. Copy and paste it.
• CNAME instead of TXT. Google sometimes offers a CNAME option. Use whichever type Search Console asks for.
• A URL-prefix property. That’s a different property type with other verification methods, such as an HTML file or tag. It only covers one version of your address. A Domain property is usually the better choice.

What if this didn’t work?

• “Couldn’t verify” right away. DNS changes take time to spread. Google notes it can take a couple of days to see a manually added record. Wait a day and select Verify again.
• Still failing after a day. Check the record is at the provider your name servers point to. ICANN Lookup lists the name servers, which show where your DNS lives.
• You can’t get into the DNS account. Find out who manages it. A past web company or IT provider may hold it. See who owns your domain.

How do I add someone to Search Console?

Following Google’s guide to managing users, only an owner can do this:

1. Open the property and go to Settings, then Users and permissions.
2. Select Add user and enter the person’s Google account email.
3. Choose a permission and save. The person appears in the list.

Pick the lowest level that does the job:

• Restricted user: view access to most data. Right for most people.
• Full user: sees all data and can take some actions.
• Owner: full control, including adding users. Keep this for people in your business.

To remove someone, open Users and permissions, select their row and remove access.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

Search Console is free. Adding the record is a short job once you’re in the right DNS account. Verification can work straight away, or it may need to wait while the DNS change spreads.

How does E-3 handle this?

If E-3 manages your domain’s DNS, we add the Search Console record for you, after saving your existing records. If your DNS is somewhere E-3 can’t reach, such as your own Microsoft 365 admin account, the record has to be added there.

Send us the domain and the TXT value Google showed you. If you’d like E-3 in Search Console as part of our SEO and AI search service, add us as a user. Never send us your Google password or sign-in codes. Call 814-399-4655 or email support@e3help.me.

Related questions

• How do I see how many people visit my website?
• How do I add DNS records for a new email or marketing service?
• How to change DNS safely
• How long DNS changes take