Google Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools) shows how your site appears in Google search results, including keyword rankings, page performance, and indexing status. To connect it to your Finalsite site, verify your domain using an HTML meta tag added to your site's theme External Assets field.
💡Quick answers
- What does Google Search Console show about your Finalsite site? Which keywords drive traffic, how highly your pages rank in searches, which pages attract search attention, and other SEO and indexing data.
- How do you verify your domain in Google Search Console? Select URL prefix, enter your site URL, choose the HTML Tag verification method, copy the meta tag, and paste it into Composer > Themes > External Assets field, then click Update.
- Where in Composer do you paste the Google Search Console verification tag? In the Themes section of Composer, find your site theme and paste the meta tag into the External Assets field, then click Update.
- After verifying, what is the next step for SEO? Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console; see the "Submit sitemap to Google Search Console" article for the steps.
In this article
- Step 1: Access Google Search Console
- Step 2: Select and enter URL
- Step 3: Verification
- Step 4: Select and configure HMTL tag
- Step 5: Navigate to Themes > External Assets
- Step 6: Complete the process by verifying your HTML tag
- Step 7: Submit your site's dynamic XML sitemap file to Google
Google Search Console provides detailed information on how your site appears in Google searches. You can find out:
- which keywords (or, search terms users are typing into Google) drive traffic to your site,
- how highly your site ranks in searches of specific keywords,
- which pages within your site are attracting search attention,
- and other information that's highly useful for search engine optimization and site-maintenance tasks.
You can also submit a sitemap of your website to Google, remove certain pages from being listed on Google, and more.
Step 1: Access Google Search Console
Access Google Search Console (previously called Webmaster Tools) at https://search.google.com/search-console/welcome.
Step 2: Select and enter URL
On this page, select the URL prefix box and enter your site URL.
Step 3: Verification
You'll be prompted to verify that you are the administrator of the site you entered.
Step 4: Select and configure HMTL tag
Under Other Verifications methods tab, and select HTML Tag.
Expand the box and copy the meta tag provided.
Step 5: Navigate to Themes > External Assets
You will now paste the meta tag code you grabbed in Step 4 into Composer. Navigate to the Themes tab in Composer left navigation. Scroll to the External Assets box.
⚠️ What goes in External Assets (and what to watch for)
-
Existing code in the External Assets box? Don't delete or replace it.
- Paste the meta tag above any code that's already there.
- Do not delete any existing entries.
- Field is grayed out? Refresh the page. Your implementation team grants access to this field at launch. If it's still grayed out after a refresh, reach out to your Project Management Team.
- Google still can't verify after saving? You may need to publish your homepage so the new code appears in the live header.
Step 6: Complete the process by verifying your HTML tag
Return to Google Search Console and click the Verify button under HTML Tag to complete the process.
No longer see this popup? Click the Already started? finish verification link on the welcome page to return.
Step 7: Submit your site's dynamic XML sitemap file to Google
After you have set up Google Search Console/Webmaster Tools for your site, submit your site's dynamic XML sitemap file. This will give Google useful context on your site's layout and content, enhancing its relevance in user searches. Refer to Submit sitemap to Google Search Console to learn more about this process.
More from Google Help is located at this link.
Comments
Please Sign in to leave a comment if you don't see the comment box below.