How do I verify my site with Google Webmaster Tools?

I just learned about Google Webmaster Tools and am psyched to learn how to use them. My first puzzle, however, is how to "verify" my site with the tools. Can you explain that, please?

Dave's Answer:

Google is a great corporate example of what sociologists call enlightened self interest, and its Webmaster Tools demonstrate that neatly. On the surface, how nice, Google's giving us a set of tools to help us keep our Web sites clean, neat and correct. Underneath, however, Google's serving its own interests too: the Webmaster tools help enforce what it believes are best practices for site design and layout, helping minimize errors encountered by the Googlebot.

Nothing wrong with that, of course, and I am a proponent of just about every tool Google makes available, from AdSense to Analytics. It's just worthwhile to understand why a big corporation like Google offers tools gratis...

Now, on to the Webmaster tools.

I hadn't realized that I haven't verified this very site, Ask Dave Taylor, so I'll do so by clicking on "Verify" next to the listed domain name. Here's what I see:

As you can read, there are two ways you can verify that you own the site. You can either add some code to the home page or you can upload a file with a specified (randomly generated) name. I'll choose the former by clicking on "Choose verification method..." and selecting "Add a meta tag":

The meta tag it wants me to add to the home page of the site is:

I add this to the "index.html" page on this site and click on the "Verify" button:

Done! Sweet!

Categorized: CGI Scripts and Web Site Programming (Article 8561, Written by Dave Taylor)
Tagged: google, google analytics, google webmaster tools
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Comments

Adding the meta tag is pretty straightforward. I remember that when I used the webmaster tool for the first time, I chose creating a file with the random name given, however, it didn't work at all. The application said that it was receiving a 404 error, that is, file not found. has anybody made it work this way (random-generated filename)?

Posted by: David at October 24, 2008 2:55 PM

I have just verified my blog on Google Blogger by changing the meta tag in blog template. It's very easy

Posted by: Rockie at October 25, 2008 10:12 PM

hei,taylor your blog is super loaded with good information,layout,template.

i have added my site to google webmaster but it says "httperror404,we cant able to find sitemap for you".

what can i do to for submiting it,please help me,

Posted by: manivasagam at February 4, 2009 12:31 AM

I am not finding this so easy. Even thou it reads like it should be a piece of cake.

I tried the option 'upload an HTML file' All good, when click on given link I could view in my browser..

But cannot get my site to verify.
I get this error message :-

Verification status: NOT VERIFIED
Last attempt Feb 21, 2009: Our system has experienced a temporary problem.

The only help suggestion given that I think it could be is
**We were unable to access the verification file due to a restriction in robots.txt.

Which I am clue less on.. Google has not given any samples on what I should remove or add to make this work...!!!

The other option to ad to the home page, which i should be able to do.. Right, if I can this far and build my own site you would think this would be a walk in the park. My site is a wordpress blog. I can't find a index.html file anywhere, I have crawled my server and looked everywhere in the dashboard of my blog. But I can find it.

any suggestions..!!

Cheers

DeDe

Posted by: DeDe Neill at February 22, 2009 1:14 AM

how to verify my website in webmaster tools?give me more informations please

Posted by: Chanthirakumar at May 14, 2009 1:41 PM

I had verified my site and was submitting news sitemaps. But today when I try to submit the news sitemaps, it tells me that I have not verified the site.

Yet, the site does not allow to re-verify it. Is there something wrong here?

Posted by: cedrick at June 10, 2009 9:29 PM

how can i verify my site by using google account?

Posted by: motto at August 26, 2009 7:45 PM

Brilliant. Thanks for the advice.

Posted by: Icabod at June 3, 2010 7:48 PM

Do I really need this verification code

Posted by: Dennis Marshall at July 11, 2010 12:05 AM

I have my meta tag, I know where to go to verify, what I do not know is how to find my home page.

Please give me step-by-step instructions on how to find my home page, I found one under 'Page' in the upper right screen corner, but I cannot paste on that one.

I just need simple instructions, step-by-step on how to access my home page.
Thank in advance.
E.

Posted by: Emyliw at August 20, 2010 2:23 PM

please help me, i was trying to verify my blog for 2 weeks nownot yet verify..it say "Verification failed. Your site's home page returns a status of 503 (Service unavailable) instead of 200 (OK)" please i what should i do... i have paste the code to my template .. and it save successful.... so i don't what is wrong..please help me

Posted by: olayinka at October 11, 2010 7:45 AM

give me my google verify

Posted by: naim abbassi at May 27, 2011 7:47 AM

Hello olayinka,
I think that the easiest and best way is to verify your site by uploading to your public_hrml the html file that google tells you.
Regards, Themis

Posted by: Themis at August 30, 2011 9:16 AM

whoever trying to give instruction how to properly verify your site with google webmaster is a straight up idiot....how u gonna give instructions when all you do is copy and paste what google webmaster itself is telling how to verify...we are asking for step by step instructions....moron!

Posted by: Donlolo at October 24, 2011 3:32 PM

Donlolo, if you *read* what I'd written instead of just looking at the pictures, you'd know that I am *explaining* what to do and encouraging readers to follow along with their own Webmaster Tools account and Web site. Your criticism doesn't really make sense, actually.

Posted by: Dave Taylor at October 24, 2011 3:51 PM

Thanks for the tutorial, Dave. Your blog has a really good setup for seo too. Awesome

Posted by: Shah Hasanal at October 28, 2011 11:32 PM

thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Posted by: jishnu at January 24, 2012 9:28 AM

I have something to say, now that you mention it, but ...

I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!