Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmasters) is a mandatory tool for all webmasters out there. This tool allows you to monitor the performance of your website toward the search engines, Google in particular. With this tool, you can check how many pages of your website are indexed by Google. You can also check the number of clicks, pages that have a better position on Google and so on.
To be able to use Google Search Console, you need to verify your domain first. Previously, you can verify your domain by uploading a file to the root directory of your website. Google has applied a new domain verification method. You need to add a new TXT record to verify your domain. Sounds difficult? No worries. This article will show you how.
Note: we use cPanel in this example.
First off, go to the Google Search Console page. Click the SEARCH CONSOLE button and login with your Google account.
Add your domain by pasting your domain name (without neither “http/s” nor “www”) on the available field and click the CONTINUE button.
Copy the TXT record provided by Google Search Console. You can paste the code to Notepad or your favorite text editor.
Login to cPanel and go to the DOMAINS section and click Domains.
On the next page, select a domain you want to verify and click the MANAGE button.
On the next page, lick MODIFY THE ZONES.
Click the Add Record button.
Enter your domain name (without neither “http/s” nor “www”) on the Valid zone name field. Change the record type to TXT and paste the verification code (TXT record) to the Text field. On the TTL section, you can leave it default (14400). Don’t forget to click the Add Record button.
Once done filling the fields, return to Google Search Console and click the VERIFY button.
Chances are, you won’t be able to verify your domain right away after adding the TXT record. The reason is that it takes some time for the domain propagation process. In some cases, the propagation process takes up to 24 hours. If this is the case, you can press VERIFY LATER and return Google Search Console later by selecting your domain from the property menu.
