How to add Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site's presence in Google Search results. 

Improve your performance on Google Search:

Search Console tools and reports help you measure your site's Search traffic and performance, fix issues, and make your site shine in Google Search results.

*Note - while we try and keep up with Google's processes, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of these instructions nor the attached screenshots as Google frequently makes changes. 

Let's Get Started (this applies to those that are creating their Google Search Console from Scratch) see bottom of article when adding your website in ShinePages to your existing GSC account):

Search "Google Search Console" to register (you will need a Gmail account for this). 

Click Start Now.

Select the "URL Prefix" option and type in or paste your domain. Click on "CONTINUE".

It will give you a few options to verify your domain, we'll be using the "HTML tag" - click on the dropdown arrow and COPY the code. 

Head on over to your website - click on the gear icon "Website Settings" and then go to the "Custom Code" area.

Click on "Custom Head Markup" and then paste (ctrl v) the custom code that you grabbed from Google Search Console and click SAVE.

Now, you go back to Google Search Console - Click on the VERIFY button.

Now you should be verified. Click on "GO TO PROPERTY"

And you're now inside - click "START"

The last step is to go to "Sitemaps" - type in sitemap.xml and then click on "SUBMIT". AND you're good to go!

For more info on Google Search Console click here: https://support.google.com/webmasters#topic=9128571

NOTE: Make sure your Page SEO is set up before you connect to GSC. Please see our article: Best Practices on getting your website indexed by Google

________________

FOLLOW THE BELOW SIMPLE STEP - FOR THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY CREATED A GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE ACCOUNT: 

1) PRIOR TO MOVING TO SHINEPAGES OR

2) HAD PREVIOUSLY CONNECTED YOUR GOOGLE SEARCH ACCOUNT TO YOUR DOMAIN FROM WITHIN YOUR DOMAIN PROVIDER SETTINGS

• Simply paste your full domain URL including /sitemap.xml at the end in the field below "Add a new sitemap".