Chapter 2 · 2.1
Signing in and adding your domain
Google Search Console shows you how Google sees your site. There, a site is called a property. You add your domain and then prove that it belongs to you.
Domain property or URL prefix?
| Domain property | URL prefix property | |
|---|---|---|
| What you enter | jouwdomein.nl, without https:// and without www | the full address, for example https://www.jouwdomein.nl/ |
| What it covers | everything: with and without www, all subdomains, http and https | only addresses that start exactly like that |
| Verify | only with a record in the DNS | with an HTML file, an HTML tag, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager or the DNS |
Choose a Domain property if you have access to the DNS. That way you see everything for your domain at once. A URL prefix property is for when you can't access the DNS.
How to add your domain
- Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with your Google account.
- If this is your first property, you'll see the choice straight away. If you already have one, click the property selector at the top left and choose Add property.
- Under Domain, enter your domain name, for example
jouwdomein.nl, and continue. - Google now shows a TXT record that starts with
google-site-verification=. Copy the whole line. - Leave this window open. Add the record to your DNS: in My WebOké (see Verifying your domain in My WebOké) or in DirectAdmin (see Verifying your domain in DirectAdmin). Not sure where your DNS is managed? Read Where is your DNS? Check that first first.
- Come back and click Verify. Already closed the window? Select the property in the property selector and click Verify there.
Google starts collecting data as soon as you've added the property. After a few days you'll see the first data.
Giving others access
Want your web developer or a colleague to take a look? They don't need to verify the site themselves. In Google Search Console, go to Settings and then Users and permissions, click Add user, enter that person's Google account and choose their permissions. Only an owner can see this page.
If someone wants to become an owner themselves, they add their own TXT record with their own code. Several verification records can exist side by side. Never remove someone else's record, unless you deliberately want to take away their access.