How do I verify my shop on Google Search Console?

Google Search Console shows how people find your shop on Google and lets you ask Google to read new pages. Before it shows anything, Google asks you to prove the shop is yours. In eCommerce Autopilot this takes about two minutes: copy one line from Google, paste it in Google Analytics & Tag Manager, press Save, then press Verify.

There are two ways. Way 1 (HTML tag) works for every shop, also on a free address like yourname.ecommerceautopilot.com. Way 2 (DNS record) is only for shops on their own domain.

Where to find it

Admin › Online store › Tracking & codes › Google Analytics & Tag Manager (ট্র্যাকিং ও কোড › গুগল অ্যানালিটিক্স ও ট্যাগ ম্যানেজার)

Only the store owner (Super Admin) can save this page. Codes and keys are the owner's job, so a staff member cannot do it for you.

Way 1: the HTML tag (works for every shop)

1. Open Google Search Console and sign in with the Google account that should own the shop's reports.
2. Press Add property and choose URL prefix (the right-hand box).
3. Type your shop's full address exactly as it opens in the browser, for example https://yourshop.com or https://yourname.ecommerceautopilot.com, and press Continue.
4. Under Other verification methods, open HTML tag and press Copy. The line starts with <meta name="google-site-verification".

5. In your admin panel, open Tracking & codes › Google Analytics & Tag Manager.
6. Paste the whole line (or only the code inside content="…") into Google Search Console › Verification code and press Save. A green message says the Google settings were saved.

7. Go back to Search Console and press Verify. You should see "Ownership verified".

Way 2: a DNS record (own domain only)

If your shop runs on your own domain, you can verify the whole domain at once (with and without www, and every page under it):

1. In Search Console press Add property, choose Domain and type your domain without https:// or www, for example yourshop.com.
2. Google shows a TXT record that starts with google-site-verification=. Press Copy.
3. Sign in where your domain's DNS is managed: the company you bought the domain from (Namecheap, GoDaddy, a Bangladeshi registrar …), or Cloudflare if your domain uses it.
4. Add a new record: Type TXT, Name/Host @ (or leave it empty if the form says so), Value the text you copied. Save it.

5. Go back to Search Console and press Verify. DNS changes can take from a few minutes to a few hours; if Google cannot find it yet, press Verify later and try again.

You do not need to change anything in eCommerce Autopilot for Way 2. Keep the record in place afterwards.

Good to know

• Paste the whole tag, from <meta to />. Only the long code, or a half line, will not work.
• Keep the code in place after verifying. Google checks again from time to time. If you delete it, the shop can lose its verified status.
• The address must match. https://yourshop.com and https://www.yourshop.com are different properties for a URL prefix. Use the address your shop actually opens on.
• Moved to your own domain later? Add the new address as a new property and verify it again. The old free address keeps its own property.
• Each shop is separate. The tag you paste only goes into your own shop's pages, never into another store.
• Other people on the reports: after verifying, add them in Search Console under Settings › Users and permissions. They do not need your admin login.

Common problems

• "Verification failed: the meta tag was not found". The tag was not saved, or a different address was added in Search Console. Open your shop's home page, press Ctrl+U and search for google-site-verification. If it is not there, paste it again and press Save.
• The tag is there but Google still fails. Check that the address in Search Console is exactly the one your shop opens on (https, with or without www).
• The DNS record is not found. Wait an hour and press Verify again. Make sure the record was added to the domain itself (name @), not to a subdomain, and that it is a TXT record, not a CNAME.
• The Google Analytics & Tag Manager page does not save. Only the store owner can save it. Sign in with the owner's account.

Related

• How do I add Google Analytics, Tag Manager and Search Console?
• How do I connect my own domain?
• How can a blog bring more visitors?