Video by Kyle
361 Comments
Google Search Console (formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools), is a free platform provided to you by Google to help offer you insights into how Google interprets your website, any problems/errors, keyword and ranking data, security insights, along with several other configurations/reports/tools.
It is important that you set-up Console with your websites as you build them out. These insights you attain will be important to your overall SEO success, and will lead to much better indexing and subsequently rankings.
In this video I walk you through the following processes:
- How to Setup a Google Account
- Getting Google Search Console set-up
- How to Verify your website in your Wordpress Back Office
- Creating a SiteMap using All in One SEO
- Submitting a SiteMap to Google
- A Look Around of Google Search Console
Join the Discussion
SadieShelton
Premium
This video was super helpful but I'm still confused on tracking my site's performance. Unless I missed it - shouldn't this be included in the training course? I'm currently in level 3 - towards the end and I think it would have been helpful to know about this same time as Google Analytics training. The only way I noticed Google Console was because I searched for training on "how to check google rankings" on Google Analytics and found this: How to Check Website Rankings A Step-by-Step Guide - ALL PREMIUM ACCESS by TDomena (thanks!!)
I noticed it wasn't Analytics but a totally different app - Console. I guess I will continue to look through the other trainings to get a better understanding of how to track the performance of my site. If anyone has recommendations that would be most appreciated. Thanks!
I noticed it wasn't Analytics but a totally different app - Console. I guess I will continue to look through the other trainings to get a better understanding of how to track the performance of my site. If anyone has recommendations that would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Reply
SadieShelton
Premium
RVsRock
Premium
Google recommends that the Site Verification code should always remain in the coding of the Theme header, even after the site is verified by Google.
That is not an issue if one never changes the site over to a new theme. However, if a new theme is chosen later, the verification code is no longer in the Theme header coding of the new chosen theme.
Will this be a problem later on down the road?
That is not an issue if one never changes the site over to a new theme. However, if a new theme is chosen later, the verification code is no longer in the Theme header coding of the new chosen theme.
Will this be a problem later on down the road?
feigner
Premium
thats why i tend to use ad inserter as shown in my training now.
the head section is in the plugin rather than adding it to the theme.
you also lose it if you have to update the theme, as occurs when wordpress updates.
have fun
phil
i did add the code to the head of the theme and one site became unverified, i had to go through the process again.
the head section is in the plugin rather than adding it to the theme.
you also lose it if you have to update the theme, as occurs when wordpress updates.
have fun
phil
i did add the code to the head of the theme and one site became unverified, i had to go through the process again.
RVsRock
Premium
I verified my site with one theme, and changed the theme the very next day. Because I failed to copy the html verification code supplied by Google, I cannot paste this code in the Theme header section to remain verified in the future.
It is little things like this (not copying the html verification code supplied by Google) that are not included in training videos, and it is frustrating to say the least. I am not sure how to retrieve the html verification code supplied by Google, if that is even possible, and I wonder what effect that will have down the road in terms of my site pages showing up on Google.
One idea I have is to delete the site from the Google Search Console, and start all over.....hoping to get new verification coding from Google. If that works, I will be sure to keep a record of the coding in case I want to change themes again.
Thanks for your reply, Phil
Eric a.k.a RVsRock
It is little things like this (not copying the html verification code supplied by Google) that are not included in training videos, and it is frustrating to say the least. I am not sure how to retrieve the html verification code supplied by Google, if that is even possible, and I wonder what effect that will have down the road in terms of my site pages showing up on Google.
One idea I have is to delete the site from the Google Search Console, and start all over.....hoping to get new verification coding from Google. If that works, I will be sure to keep a record of the coding in case I want to change themes again.
Thanks for your reply, Phil
Eric a.k.a RVsRock
feigner
Premium
you can get the code back
in search console for the site click on settings
then ownership verification
and down to html tag
and copy the code into the plugin this time.
i use ad inserter as i said, check out my training Google verification in four easy steps once you have it in here there wil lbe no problems if you change your theme or update it.
click on verify again after you have added the tag and clicked to activate the head part of the plugin.
it is a learning process and not everything can be covered.
hope this helps you get the code back in there Eric
phil
in search console for the site click on settings
then ownership verification
and down to html tag
and copy the code into the plugin this time.
i use ad inserter as i said, check out my training Google verification in four easy steps once you have it in here there wil lbe no problems if you change your theme or update it.
click on verify again after you have added the tag and clicked to activate the head part of the plugin.
it is a learning process and not everything can be covered.
hope this helps you get the code back in there Eric
phil
Barney44
Premium
Is there a written step by step instruction? When I click on “view your XML sitemap get message. “this XML file does not appear to have any style information with it. The document tree is shown below” There is nothing below.
Did I maybe miss something in the verification process.
Also doing this on my test site and only have 3 posts if that makes a difference.
Did I maybe miss something in the verification process.
Also doing this on my test site and only have 3 posts if that makes a difference.
Danette1015
Premium
I had this same problem. Take a look at this: How to Get a Post Indexed by Google When you click on this training, look particularly at Lesson 2.
Danette1015
Premium
Like a few others, I also got the message: "This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it...." And my sitemap did not have any URL's showing on it.
I have read all the comments and replies to comments more than once, and nothing so far has specifically helped with the message itself.
However, I have been able to work around it and still get posts indexed, with 100% success.
So I wrote a short training on it (my first training) -- How to Get a Post Indexed by Google Hope this is of help to others.
If anyone figures out how to get the sitemap to show the URL's, and not have this message on it, that would be appreciated. But in the meantime, I'm thankful that we can still get our posts indexed.
I have read all the comments and replies to comments more than once, and nothing so far has specifically helped with the message itself.
However, I have been able to work around it and still get posts indexed, with 100% success.
So I wrote a short training on it (my first training) -- How to Get a Post Indexed by Google Hope this is of help to others.
If anyone figures out how to get the sitemap to show the URL's, and not have this message on it, that would be appreciated. But in the meantime, I'm thankful that we can still get our posts indexed.
