Verifying Your Site with Google Search Console

1

Create a Google Search Console Account

If you don’t already have Google Search Console set up:

Go to search.google.com/search-console
Click Start now and sign in with your Google account (the same one you use for Google Analytics, if you have it)
You’ll be asked to add a property — choose URL prefix and enter your full website URL (e.g., https://www.yourschool.co.uk)
Click Continue

Google will now ask you to verify that you own this website. There are several methods — the easiest for WordPress is the HTML tag method, which we’ll cover in the next step.

Pro Tip

Use the URL prefix option (not Domain) — it's simpler and works perfectly for single websites. Make sure you enter the URL exactly as it appears in your browser, including https:// and www. if applicable.

2

Copy the Verification Code

After entering your URL, Google will show you verification options:

Look for the HTML tag method (you may need to expand “Other verification methods”)
You’ll see a meta tag that looks something like: <meta name="google-site-verification" content="abc123xyz..." />
You only need the content value — the long string of letters and numbers inside the quotes after content=
Copy this verification code to your clipboard

Don’t close the Google Search Console tab — you’ll need to come back to click Verify after adding the code to your site.

Pro Tip

Some SEO plugins ask for just the content value, while others want the full meta tag. Copy the content value for now — it works with both Yoast and Rank Math.

3

Add the Code via Your SEO Plugin

Now add the verification code to your WordPress site. The method depends on which SEO plugin you have:

If you have Yoast SEO:

Log in to WordPress
Go to Yoast SEO → Settings in the sidebar
Click on the Site connections tab
Find the Google field and paste your verification code
Click Save changes

If you have Rank Math:

Go to Rank Math → General Settings
Click the Webmaster tools tab
Find the Google Search Console field and paste your verification code
Click Save changes

Pro Tip

If you're not sure which SEO plugin you have, check the WordPress sidebar for either "Yoast SEO" or "Rank Math" — one of them will be listed.

4

Complete Verification in Google

Now go back to the Google Search Console tab where you left off:

Click the Verify button
Google will check your website for the verification code
If successful, you’ll see a green “Ownership verified” confirmation

If verification fails, wait a minute and try again — sometimes caching means the code isn’t immediately visible to Google. You can also try clearing your website cache before retrying.

Pro Tip

Once verified, you stay verified permanently — you don't need to repeat this process unless you remove the code from your site.

5

What to Do Next

Now that your site is verified, you can:

Submit your sitemap — this helps Google find all your pages faster
Monitor your search performance — see which searches bring visitors to your site, how many clicks and impressions you’re getting, and which pages rank highest
Check for indexing issues — the Pages report will flag any pages Google can’t access or has excluded
Review mobile usability — identify any pages that don’t work well on mobile devices

Google Search Console data typically takes 2–3 days to start appearing after verification. Don’t worry if the dashboard looks empty at first.

If you’d like help understanding your Search Console data or want to discuss your site’s search performance, contact InnerMedia support — we’re happy to walk you through it.

Verifying Your Site with Google Search Console

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