Set up Google Search Console [complete guide]

The advantages of Google Search Console

As an SEO agency, we appreciate the benefits of Google Search Console.

It helps us:

1. Measure the performance and Google Search traffic of websites .
2. Recognise and correct errors on websites.

Google itself promises better performance in Google Search and has clearly summarised the advantages of the Search Console.

I'll spare you that now. I'll explain point by point how you can set up the Google Search Console.

First things first:

Create a Google account

If you want to set up the Google Search Console, you first need a Google account. If you already have one, log in. If you don't have a Google account, create one. Simply follow the link above. This will take you directly to the setup wizard, which is self-explanatory.

Optionally set up Google Analytics

You can then set up a Google Analytics account if it makes sense for you.

A little additional tip: Make sure that you set up Google Analytics in compliance with the GDPR.

Once you've finished creating your Google account, let's move on to the next step.

Start Search Console and log in

Go to Google Search Console and click on Start now.

Now log in with your Google account and you will be taken to the Search Console welcome page.

The page has the usual simple design and you can see at a glance what you need to do.

At the top left you will see the main menu in the hamburger menu. Click on it to open the menu on the left-hand side of the window.

Google Search Console will take you back to the welcome page.

At the top right you will find the search function under Help.

You will then find the Google Apps in the 9-point app menu. Notifications appear next to the bell and the Google account you are logged in with is displayed on the far right.

Add property

To add your website to the Google Search Console, you now need to enter the exact URL of your website, the ADD PROPERTY button will then change colour from light grey to dark grey and you can click on it.

Make sure that you enter the URL as it appears in the address bar of your browser. It is best to copy it directly from the address bar of your browser.

Attention! If your website supports both http:// and https://, you must create both as separate properties in the Google Search Console.

Even if your website supports different domains, you should add each version as a separate website to the Google Search Console in addition to the main domain.

For example

• examplepage.com
• m.examplepage.com
• www.beispielseite.com

Define your preferred version or preferred domain so that Google recognises which page is relevant for you. This way you can avoid duplicate content.

Click on Add property. The confirmation will now be checked.

Authenticate ownership

Before you can use the Search Console, the ownership of your website must be confirmed in the Google Search Console. Google offers you five different ways to do this.

The first method is the method recommended by Google.

Here you are provided with a file, namely the HTML confirmation page, which you embed into your website. I'll explain how to do this in a moment.

The other methods involve manual measures where you either have to intervene in the code of your website or create an entry with your domain provider.

You can find the alternative methods by simply scrolling down to Confirm ownership.

For each of the methods, return to Google Search Console and click on confirm.

Let's take a closer look at the method recommended by Google.

Upload HTML file to the root directory

Google recommends the confirmation method by uploading an HTML file.

This involves downloading the HTML file and then placing it in the root directory of your domain using an FTP client. You therefore need FTP access for this method.

The root directory is the main directory in which the content of your website is located, which is loaded when users call up your domain name in the browser.

If the HTML file provided by Google is in this directory, Google can read it, recognise your property and authenticate it.

Go back to the Search Console and confirm that the authentication process is complete.

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Insert HTML tag into website

You can also confirm your website in the Google Search Console by inserting an HTML meta tag into the HTML code of your homepage.

Insert HTML TAG in WordPress

If you are using WordPress , copy the tag and switch to the administration area. Click on Design on the left and select the editor. Then open the header (header.php) on the right.

Make sure that you have selected the correct theme above. Then copy the meta tag into the head element. To do this, search for <head> and insert the tag in the line below.

Then save the update.

Insert HTML-TAG with Yoast SEO in WordPress

If you use the Yoast SEO plugin for search engine optimisation on your WordPress site, integrating the HTML tag is even easier.

To do this, go to "Yoast SEO" > Search Console > Settings in the dashboard of your WP installation on the left and insert the Google authorisation code there.

Then click on "Authenticate" and confirm the whole thing in the Search Console.

If you don't have the authorisation code yet, you can retrieve it in Yoast SEO. The following image shows you the individual steps.

1. Click on "Retrieve Google authorisation code
2. Select the Google account
3. Give Yoast SEO access rights to your account
4. Copy the code displayed
5. Paste it into the field provided and click on "Authenticate"

That's it!

Insert HTML-TAG in Joomla

If you use Joomla , copy the tag and go to the main menu. There you select Templates on the left under CONFIGURATION. Here in the Template Manager, under Styles, you will find one or more templates marked with a yellow star that are assigned to the pages of your website. Open the assigned template. Click on </> Custom Code and copy the tag into the Before </head> area. Then click on Save in the top left-hand area. You have now inserted the HTML tag into the <head> area of your page. Carry out this process for each of the templates marked with an asterisk.

Go back to the Search Console and click on CONFIRM.

Confirmation via Google Analytics

If you have already set up and confirmed your Google Analytics account, you can easily choose this method to set up Search Console as well. Simply click on CONFIRM.

For the Google Analytics confirmation of the website, the snippet for the gtag.js tracking code must first be inserted directly after the open <head> tag on the web pages you want to track, as with the HTML tag method described here.

To anonymise the IP address for all users of a website, insert ga('set', 'anonymizeIp', true); into the analytics code before the last line. In addition, you must refer to the use of Google Analytics in your privacy policy and also offer the option to opt out.

Authenticate with Google Tag Manager

With the next method, you can authenticate the ownership of your website in the Search Console via the Google Tag Manager.

If you are already logged in to Google Tag Manager and have inserted the container snippet displayed there at the top of the <head> element and at the beginning of your <body> element on your website, you can use this method. Simply click CONFIRM.

Authenticate via domain name provider

The last method opens the old version of Search Console (Google Webmaster Tools). You may need to log in again with your Google account. Here you can find the procedure for adding your website to the Google Search Console via your domain provider.

If your domain provider is listed, select it. Otherwise, click on Other.

To add your website to the Search Console via an entry for your site's domain, first log in to your domain host.

Then go to the area where the DNS entries are located.

Depending on the host, this may be called DNS management, name server management, control panel or advanced settings.

You can create a new entry here.

Select TXT as the entry type.

Depending on the host, it may be sufficient to enter the bracketed monkey symbol @ in the Alias/Host/Name field. Otherwise, you must enter the domain name here.

In the Answer/Destination/Value field, insert the copied TXT data record.

For the validity period (TTL), select the value 86400 or simply accept the default value.

Google has created step-by-step instructions for popular domains. If your domain appears there, you can also follow these instructions.

Save your entry, go back to the Search Console and press CONFIRM.

As soon as Google has found the DNS entry, the ownership of your property will be confirmed.

DNS changes take some time, so you need to be patient until the ownership of your website is confirmed in the Search Console.

Wait for confirmation

Depending on the method you choose, it may take some time before Google confirms ownership and you can use the Search Console.

If the method you have chosen does not work, simply try again or choose a different method.

If you have FTP access and are familiar with it, confirming by uploading the HTML file is of course the easiest and quickest solution.

Otherwise, we would recommend that you first create a Google Analytics account and then choose the method used to authenticate your property with Google Analytics, as this method corresponds to the confirmation via the HTML meta tag and you can therefore use both tools.

Otherwise, the Google Tag Manager is also a helpful tool for simply adding meta tags. However, it is a little more complex to set up, but it only takes about 10 minutes.

That's it!

Now you can use the Search Console.

In the search analysis, you can see which search queries users use to reach your website and optimise your content accordingly.

You can also submit your XML sitemaps and individual URLs to the Search Console for crawling so that Google really does have the most up-to-date view of your website.

And you can now also see how Google sees your site in a special view. This means how your indexed pages are crawled, how indexing takes place and how the pages are included in the search results.

You will also receive an email as soon as Google recognises problems on your website so that you can fix the problems with the affected URLs.

It is important that you do not delete the tags, codes or files you have copied in so that the confirmation remains valid.

Now it's up to you.

With the 6-step guide, you will easily set up your Google Search Console.

You'll be able to take full advantage of the tool and take your website's performance to the next level.

I wish you every success with your website and Google Search Console!

If you want to see the whole process as a video and have the individual areas of Google Webmaster Tools explained to you, then watch Carlo Siebert over his shoulder.

Video: Set up Google Webmaster Tools (Search Console)