In this tutorial, I\u2019ll show you how, with the help of plugins, you can be up-and-running with WordPress and Google Search Console in minutes.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what I\u2019ll be going over:<\/p>\n
- \n
- \u201cOkay, Google. What is a Google Search Console for WordPress?\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- Add Your Site to Google Search Console<\/a><\/li>\n
- Going on a Code Trip<\/a><\/li>\n
- That Sync-ing Feeling<\/a><\/li>\n
- Rank You Very Much!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, to really “be in the know” of SEO, feel free to check out our SEO startup guide<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, Google. What is a Google Search Console for WordPress?\u201d<\/h2>\n
Glad you asked\u2026<\/p>\n
According to, well, Google<\/a>, \u201cGoogle Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site\u2019s presence in Google Search results.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to sign up for Search Console to be included in Google Search results, but the Search Console helps you understand and improve how Google sees your site.\u201d<\/p>\n
We all know what WordPress is, so now it\u2019s just combining the two.<\/p>\n
In a nutshell, if you\u2019d like to get your website growing, you should add it to the Google Search Console tool ASAP. It\u2019s much more effective than trying to water it.<\/p>\n
![\"Dev](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Dev_Man_Watering.jpeg\")
This is not the best way of going about growing your WordPress website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Google Search Console\u2019s information, tools, and reports can help you:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Confirm that Google can locate and crawl your WordPress website.<\/li>\n
- Fix indexing issues and request re-indexing of new or updated content.<\/li>\n
- See what sites link to your website.<\/li>\n
- View Google Search traffic data from your website.<\/li>\n
- Get alerts when Google encounters spam, indexing, or other issues on your WordPress site.<\/li>\n
- Troubleshoot any issues for AMP, mobile, usability, and other various Search features.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Is it Right for Me?<\/h3>\n
If you have a website, the answer is \u2018yes.\u2019 It\u2019s beneficial for business owners, SEO specialists, marketers, site administrators, and web developers.<\/p>\n
Even if you\u2019re new to creating websites, it\u2019s for you. Google makes using a Google Search Console with WordPress easy peasy.<\/p>\n
And with that, off we go! <\/em>Here\u2019s how you add a WordPress site to Google Search Console.<\/p>\n
Add Your Site to Google Search Console<\/h2>\n
Head over to the Google Search Console website<\/a> and click on the \u2018Start Now\u2019 button.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Google-search-console-homepage.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNext, sign in with your Google \/ Gmail account. Don\u2019t have one? Just go here<\/a> and get set up. Once you\u2019re signed in, you can continue on with Google Search Console<\/a> and get started.<\/p>\n
Now that you\u2019re logged in, you\u2019ll be prompted to enter your website URL. This is the fun part (at least I think so) where you have to verify that you own the site — or have access to it.<\/p>\n
You have two options for this when it comes to site verification. You can use a domain name or URL prefix.<\/p>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Google-search-console-property-type.png\")
Where you\u2019ll enter your WordPress domain or URL prefix in Google Search Console.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The main difference is this:<\/p>\n
Domain Property<\/strong> is a domain-level property that has all subdomains (www, m, etc) and multiple protocols (https, http, ftp). When it comes to verification, it\u2019s DNS record verification only.<\/p>\n
URL-Prefix Property<\/strong> has only URLs with the specified prefix. This includes the protocol (http:\/http). So, if you\u2019re looking to have your property match any protocol or subdomain, you may want to add a domain property instead. For verification, there are many types; including HTML file upload, HTML tag, DNS record, and more.<\/p>\n
Choose the best option for you, enter your URL, and hit \u2018continue\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Select](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/select-property-type.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOnce entered, you\u2019ll be prompted to download the file and upload it to your website for verification.<\/p>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Google-search-console-site-verification.png\")
Verification download screen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If you go this route, you\u2019ll need to login to your WordPress hosting cPanel or connect to your hosting account using FTP (file transfer protocol).<\/p>\n
Finally, you\u2019ll need to upload the HTML verification file inside the \/public_html\/folder of the website.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait… that sounds complicated. I thought you mentioned this was easy!\u201d<\/h3>\n
Hey, uploading files into your hosting account isn\u2019t THAT bad, but I hear you. If you\u2019re not down with uploading and don\u2019t want to go that route, there are plenty of options. You\u2019ll notice below it says: Other verification methods<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Here, you can choose between an HTML tag<\/strong>, Google Analytics<\/strong>, Google Tag Manager<\/strong>, or Domain name provider<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
You can use the method that works best for you. But okay, it\u2019s easy you want, huh?<\/p>\n
To help make it as simple as possible, we\u2019re going to go with the HTML tag<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n
This option for verification, along with other options, can be found directly below the HTML file download section.<\/p>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/google-search-console-other-verification-methods.png\")
Down below you can see you have other options.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n We\u2019re going this route because this, along with a header and footer plugin, makes it easy to verify your website in a snap.<\/p>\n
How? Well, for one, they allow you to add snippets of code without worrying about breaking your site by adding code in the wrong place.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a convincing enough reason for you, or anyone, looking for simplicity.<\/p>\n
Going on a Code Trip<\/h2>\n
To get you to where you want to go, there are several plugin options:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Header Footer Code Manager<\/a>: An easy interface to add to your header and footer, or above or below your page.<\/li>\n
- Header Footer & Post Injections<\/a>: Simple plugin to copy and paste code in a centralized place to manage them all.<\/li>\n
- Code Snippets<\/a>: An easy and clean way to run PHP code snippets on your site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
They each have their own unique way of pasting the code, but it\u2019s really as simple as it sounds: copying and pasting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Just copy and pasting code into a box. And they all essentially work the same and are all free.<\/p>\n
You can find other examples and more of what you can do with your header and footer in this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n
For this tutorial, we\u2019ll use Header Footer Code Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"Header](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/header-footer-code-manager-homepage.png\")
Header Footer Code Manager download page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n First, download and install the plugin, then activate it.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Header](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/header-footer-code-plugin-install.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThen, once activated, you have an option to add a new Snippet. A Snippet is a box where the code will go.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Add](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/add-new-snippet.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAdd a new one. From there, you can name it whatever you\u2019d like. Considering this is for Google Search Console, you probably want to name it that so it doesn\u2019t get confusing.<\/p>\n
You can also choose a location for it. Go with the default header option. Also, leave the Device Display on ‘Show on All Devices’.<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/new-snippet.png\")
Add the name of the Snippet at the top of the page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If you scroll down a bit, you\u2019ll see the area where you can paste code.<\/p>\n
Simply take the code from the HTML Tag option on Google Search Console, and paste it in the area where it says Snippet\/Code<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
![\"Snippet](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/snippet-code-box.png\")
The Snippet code box.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Be sure to hit \u2018Save\u2019. (Always important, right?)<\/p>\n
When you have your code pasted in your site, you\u2019ll go back to Google Search Console and hit \u2018Verify\u2019. If you did it correctly, it\u2019ll light up in green.<\/p>\n
![\"Verified](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/verified-google-search-console.png\")
What appears when all is well and it’s verified.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n If not, you\u2019ll get red. (Cue sad trombone<\/a>.)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Not](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/not-verified-google-search-console.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIF you get red, it\u2019s probably a simple accident that caused it. Hey, it happens\u2026<\/p>\n
That Sync-ing Feeling<\/h2>\n
An easy mistake to make is to copy the WRONG code from the preferred method. For example, if you take the code from HTML tag, but you used Google Analytics, it won\u2019t work.<\/p>\n
Or, if you have several sites that you\u2019re connecting and you take the code from the wrong site, that won\u2019t work either. It\u2019s all easy to do, so just double-check if it\u2019s not syncing.<\/p>\n
If you STILL can\u2019t get it to sync, try clearing the cache. A solid cache plugin like Hummingbird <\/a>can help.<\/p>\n
Once you get the \u201cgreen light\u201d, congratulations, your WordPress site is connected for Google Search Console.<\/p>\n
Keep in mind, data can take several days before it starts to appear. However, data collection for a property starts when someone adds the property to any Search Console account, even before there is verification.<\/p>\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/google-search-console-dashboard.png\")
This will show the data very soon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Data will continue to collect as long as that user has the property in their account.<\/p>\n
Rank You Very Much!<\/h2>\n
Now that you\u2019re up-and-running with Google Search Console, there\u2019s a lot more you can do to get that SEO up to par.<\/p>\n
Google makes hundreds of changes to search each year<\/a>. Though most of them are minor, some of them aren\u2019t. Either way, that\u2019s a lot to keep up with.<\/p>\n
We\u2019d be doing you a disservice if we didn\u2019t mention our very own, SmartCrawl<\/a>, to help boost your PageRank and drive an increased amount of traffic to your site. Oh, and did we mention it\u2019s completely free?<\/p>\n
She\u2019s known for her easy one-click setup, automatic sitemaps, improved social sharing, real-time keyword, content analysis, and scans and reports.<\/p>\n
Get SmartCrawl here<\/a>, at WordPress.org, for free!<\/p>\n
You can also integrate Google Analytics with the help of Beehive<\/a>. It\u2019s a free, simple plugin that allows you to track detailed analytics on your site.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s like our example plugins to use with Google Search Console, except made for Google Analytics.<\/p>\n
You simply copy and paste the code into Beehive, and eliminate the fear of messing up your website by adding it (code) to the wrong place. Screwing up your website can…sting.<\/p>\n
Download Beehive for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t tap on the brakes when it comes to Google rankings and search optimization and be sure to add your site to Google Search Console<\/a>.<\/p>\n
With all the information provided to you today, good keywords, optimizing images, amazing content, and more – you should be in the driver’s seat of your SEO<\/a> in no time.<\/p>\n
And need help or support? Remember that we\u2019re here 24\/7. Also, be sure to check out Beehive Pro and SmartCrawl Pro as part of a WPMU DEV membership if you’re interested.<\/p>\n
- Header Footer & Post Injections<\/a>: Simple plugin to copy and paste code in a centralized place to manage them all.<\/li>\n
- Header Footer Code Manager<\/a>: An easy interface to add to your header and footer, or above or below your page.<\/li>\n
- Add Your Site to Google Search Console<\/a><\/li>\n