What is site verification?
Site verification is the step every webmaster console asks for before it shows you private data about a website. The service gives you a code tied to your account, you put it somewhere only the site's owner could, and the service checks that it is there. Once it finds the code, you can see search queries, indexing reports, crawl errors and manual actions, and use tools such as sitemap submission.
Verification is not a one-time event. Google states that Search Console periodically checks that the verification token is still present, and that permissions lapse after a grace period if it is gone. Yandex rechecks automatically too and asks owners never to delete the code. The proof has to stay in place for as long as you use the console.
The methods
Services differ in detail, but the same four kinds of proof come up again and again:
| Method | Where the code goes | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| HTML meta tag | A <meta> tag in the <head> of the home page | Anyone who can edit the site but not its DNS |
| HTML file | A file with a given name uploaded to the site's root folder | Sites where you have file access |
| DNS record | A TXT (sometimes CNAME) record at the domain's DNS provider | Covering a whole domain and its subdomains |
| Linked account | An analytics or tag account, or an import from another console | Sites already verified elsewhere |
In Google Search Console, a Domain property can only be verified by DNS, while a URL prefix property accepts the tag, the file, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager or DNS. Bing Webmaster Tools can import sites already verified in Search Console, and keeps checking ownership through that connection.
Tag names you will see
Each service uses its own meta tag name, so codes cannot be mixed up between them:
- Google Search Console:
google-site-verification - Bing Webmaster Tools:
msvalidate.01 - Yandex Webmaster:
yandex-verification - Pinterest:
p:domain_verify - Baidu:
baidu-site-verification - Naver Search Advisor:
naver-site-verification
A tag only counts in the <head> of the HTML the server sends. Pasted into a post or a widget, it lands in the body and is ignored.
What breaks verification later
Most lost verifications are side effects of unrelated changes:
- A theme switch. The new theme does not print the old one's header code, or does not call
wp_head()at all. - Removing the tool that printed the tag, such as a plugin replaced during a clean-up.
- A cache serving old HTML from before the tag was added, so the check fails until it is purged.
- A login wall, from a maintenance or coming-soon mode that hides the home page from logged-out visitors, including the verifier.
- A domain or protocol change.
httptohttps, or addingwww, creates a different URL prefix property that needs its own verification.
DNS verification survives all of these except a DNS provider change, which is one reason to prefer it when you can.
In WordPress
WordPress has no built-in field for verification codes. Hydrogen SEO 0.0.27 added a Webmaster Tools screen under Settings with a field for each of the six services above. Paste the code or the whole tag; it keeps only the code, never saves a value that is not a plain token, and prints the tags in the head of every front-end page. Import SEO Data brings codes over from a previous SEO plugin. It is free and needs no account. See Webmaster Tools.
Common questions
Can I remove the verification tag after the site is verified?
No. Google and Yandex both recheck ownership periodically, and access is lost if the code is gone at a check. Leave it in place, or move to DNS verification first.
Does verification affect rankings?
No. It only grants access to a console's data and tools. A verified site ranks exactly as it would unverified.
Which method should I use?
DNS when you can reach your DNS settings, because it covers the whole domain and survives theme and plugin changes. Use the HTML tag when you can edit the site but not its DNS.