Google Search Console

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console

Google Search Console also known as Google Webmaster Tools, is one of the most important tools provided by Google. It is one of the basic tools used in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It is a free resource that helps to communicate with Google. It is mainly used to verify the ownership of a website. After verifying the ownership, you will get a dashboard in Google Search Console. All the communication related to that blog or website will be done with Google Search Console. It includes introducing the pages of your website to Google, submitting sitemaps, inspecting URLs (whether Google crawled the URLs or not), requesting for index, etc. If Google didn’t crawl the URLs, you can test it live. After it will be available, you can then request for index.

Google Search Console helps in controlled SEO practice. Because it helps you to target audience based on country, language, age group, etc. So that we can develop and implement optimization practice based on it. Google consider Search Console as a mock point because it acts as a bridge for communication between Google and users. Google will give alerts and warnings about mistakes and errors in websites like broken links, title duplication, meta description duplication, etc. It also helps identifying device compatibility, browser compatibility, mobile compatibility, crawling errors, security issues, etc. Search Console gives information to improve website’s organic performance.

Steps to verify ownership of a website or blog:

  • Copy the URL of the website.
  • Open Google Search Console and click on start now.
  • Here, you can see two choices – Domain prefix and URL prefix. If it is a domain you can select domain prefix. Otherwise, if it is a sub domain, choose URL prefix.
  • Then paste the copied URL in the space provided and click on continue.
  • The ownership will be verified automatically if the Gmail ID used to create the website and the Gmail ID used in Search Console is same. If you try to verify using a different Gmail ID, Google Search Console will provide you verification methods.
  • Then click property to verify.
  • Select the URL inspection option and paste the copied URL there.
  • If it shows that the URL is not on Google, click on test live option. Then it will show that the URL is available.
  • Then click on request indexing. Now the page will be crawled.

Sitemap

Sitemap

Sitemap is an XML document submitted in Google Search Console as part of SEO. It includes all the URLs in a website, last modified date and time, frequency changes and priorities of the URL. Sitemap helps in quick crawling. It helps the bots to understand a page easily than a HTML file. URL of the home page has more priority.

The number of URLs to be included in an XML document is 50000. Including more than 50000 URLs result in invalid document. To include more than the limit, categorization of URLs can be done (like splitting into two or three sitemaps and add URLs). The capacity of file size is 10MB. If size of the file is more than 10MB, you can compress it into a Zip file and can be submitted. Google can understand even if is a compressed file.

How to submit your sitemap to Google Search Console?

  • Add /sitemap.xml tag at the end of the main URL of the website.
  • Then you can see the XML document. From it, copy sitemap.xml tag and go to Google Search Console.
  • In the sidebar, select your website.
  • Open sitemaps option and paste it in the space provided.
  • Then click the submit option.

Verification Methods in Google Search Console

There are 5 different methods to verify a website with Google Search Console:

  1. HTML File
  2. HTML Tag
  3. Google Analytics
  4. Google Tag Manager
  5. Domain Name Provider 

HTML File

It is the most recommended verification method by Google because there is no chance for breaking the communication with Google even if changes occur. In this method, you have to download the HTML file provided by Google Search Console and upload it to the root directory of your website. Then click on the verification option. This verification method can only be used when you have access to the file manager in cPanel. Otherwise you can't upload the HTML file and verify.

HTML File verification method

HTML Tag

In this method, Google Search Console provides a HTML meta tag to copy. You have to go to your website and paste the meta tag in the head section of the HTML, before the first body section. You can then verify by clicking on the verify button.

HTML Tag verification method

Google Analytics

It is a free resource provided by Google for SEO. You can track the details of visitors who visit your website. It gives details about website visits, the device used, place and time, interaction details, traffic, troubleshoot, etc. Setting up a Google Analytics account using the same Gmail ID used in Google Search Console will help verifying your website easily. You have to install the Google Analytics tracking code to the website which needs to verify.

Google Analytics method

Google Tag Manager

If you have no access to the cPanel or you need the help of webmasters to upload new tags and codes, this is where Google Tag Manager comes in. Tag Manager helps to add tags and tracking codes easily. Tag Managers are codes that can be pasted at the head and body section. It allows you to add as many different tags without having to modify your website or seeking the help of webmasters to make changes.

Google Tag Manager method

Domain Name Provider

Log in to a Domain Name Provider like godaddy.com or namecheap.com. Then copy the DNS (Domain Name System) text provided by the Google Search Console. Paste it in the space provided in the DNS option of the website and verify.

Domain Name Provider method


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