--- title: "How to Add a Website to Google Search Console: Step by Step" description: "How to add your website to Google Search Console: which property type to choose, how to verify ownership via DNS or an HTML tag, and what to do first." url: "https://it-deweloper.pl/en/blog/add-website-to-google-search-console" date: "2026-10-17T22:38:20+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- [Skip to main content](#tm-main) - [ Home](https://it-deweloper.pl/en "IT Deweloper web studio home page") - [Contact](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/contact "Contact the IT Deweloper web studio") - [ +48 731 190 041](tel:+48731190041 "Phone") - [ office@it-deweloper.pl](mailto:office@it-deweloper.pl "E-mail") - [ Nowogródzka 4A, Białystok, Poland](https://maps.app.goo.gl/BNjvryytwRyv4omA7 "Address") - [ WhatsApp](https://wa.me/48731190041 "WhatsApp") - [ Telegram](https://t.me/+48731190041 "Telegram") - [Solutions](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/web "IT Deweloper's web development solutions") - [How we workStages of work](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/web/process "Website development stages and timelines") - 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[FAQ](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/faq "Frequently asked questions about website development") - [Blog](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/blog "Articles on website development and promotion") [ IT Deweloper Blog ](https://it-deweloper.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=29&lang=en-GB "IT Deweloper Blog") # How to Add a Website to Google Search Console: Step by Step Google Search Console is a free dashboard where Google shows how it sees your website: which pages are in search, which queries they appear for and where the errors are. You only get this data once you add your site to the service and prove that it is yours. Here is the whole process step by step: which property type to choose, how to verify ownership, what to do straight after verification and the small things people most often get stuck on. With access to your domain at hand, it takes 15–20 minutes. --- ![A window with a Search Console chart and magnifier, a step checklist and a question mark — a guide to adding a site to Search Console](https://it-deweloper.pl/images/blog/add-website-to-google-search-console-cover-2x.webp) ## What you need - **A Google account** the site will belong to. Ideally a company account rather than an employee’s or contractor’s personal email: the property owner is whoever verified it. - **Access to your domain’s DNS** — the registrar or hosting panel where domain records are edited. You need it for the most convenient verification method. - If you don’t have DNS access — **access to your site settings**, so you can add a verification tag. - **Your sitemap address.** It is often `/sitemap.xml`, but it’s best to check the exact address in your `robots.txt` file, on the `Sitemap:` line. ## Step 1. Choose a property type Search Console calls an added site a property. There are two types for websites: - **Domain property** — the whole domain: with and without `www`, over `http` and `https`, with all subdomains. You enter just the domain name, e.g. `example.com`. It can only be verified with a DNS record. - **URL-prefix property** — only addresses that start exactly as you entered them, including the protocol: `https://www.example.com/`. The version without `www` or over `http` is not included. On the other hand, it can be verified in several ways, including without DNS. If you have DNS access, choose a Domain property: it gives you the full picture and doesn’t lose data when the site moves to `https` or switches its `www` variant. A URL-prefix property is handy for tracking a section separately, such as the `/en/` language version. You can keep both types at the same time. ## Step 2. Add the property 1. Open [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console) and sign in to the right Google account. 2. Click the property selector in the top left and choose Add property. On your first visit, the form opens automatically. 3. Choose the type and enter the address. For a Domain property — the domain only, without `https://`, `www` or a trailing slash. For a URL-prefix property — the full home page address exactly as it opens in the browser. 4. Click Continue: Search Console will offer a verification method. ## Step 3. Verify ownership ### DNS record — for a Domain property 1. Search Console shows a string like `google-site-verification=…`. Copy it in full. 2. In the panel where your domain’s DNS is managed, create a **TXT** record. In the name (host) field, point to the root domain — depending on the panel, that’s `@` or an empty field. Paste the copied string as the value. 3. Save the record, go back to Search Console and click Verify. DNS changes don’t propagate instantly. If verification fails the first time, wait and click Verify again: anything from a few minutes to a few hours is usually enough. You can also choose Verify later. ### HTML tag — for a URL-prefix property Search Console gives you a meta tag like ``. It needs to go in the `` section of your home page. Most CMSs have a field for this in the template or SEO extension settings, so you don’t have to edit files by hand. Once saved, click Verify. ### Other methods A URL-prefix property can also be verified by uploading an HTML file to the site root, with the Google Analytics code or with a Google Tag Manager container. The last two are convenient if the tracking code or container is already on the site and your account has access to it. I covered installing them properly in the articles [on installing Google Analytics 4](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/blog/install-google-analytics-4) and [on installing Google Tag Manager](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/blog/install-google-tag-manager). **Important.** Don’t remove the DNS record, tag or file after verification. Ownership stays valid only while the verification code is in place. If it disappears — for example, after a template change — you lose owner status. ## Step 4. Submit your sitemap 1. In the left-hand menu, open Indexing → Sitemaps. 2. Enter your sitemap address and click Submit. 3. After a while the status changes to Success, with the number of discovered URLs next to it. A sitemap doesn’t guarantee that pages get into search, but it helps Google find new and updated pages faster. If your site has several languages, it’s convenient to submit a separate sitemap for each: that makes it easier to spot which version is slipping. ## Step 5. Give colleagues access, not your password If a marketer or contractor works on your site, don’t hand over your Google account. Open Settings → Users and permissions → Add user, enter their email and choose the permission level. Full permission covers all reports and page inspection; Restricted is for viewing data. Keep ownership with the company: then you can revoke access in one click, and your data history doesn’t leave with the contractor. ## What to do in the first few days - **Don’t worry about empty reports.** The first data appears a few days after you add the property. - **Check your home page.** Paste its address into the search bar at the top of Search Console: the URL Inspection tool shows whether the page is indexed. For a new, important page you can click Request indexing there. The number of such requests per day is limited, so save them for key pages. - **After a week, open the Pages report** in the Indexing section. It shows which URLs are indexed, which aren’t and why. - **Link Search Console to Google Analytics 4.** Then Analytics shows reports on search queries and pages from organic search. ## Common mistakes - **The domain is entered with `https://` or `www`** in the Domain property field. You only need the name: `example.com`. - **The TXT record is added in the wrong place.** If your domain’s DNS isn’t managed by the registrar but by, say, Cloudflare or your host, records go wherever the domain’s nameservers point. Changes at the registrar have no effect in that case. - **The wrong version of the site is added.** An `http://` URL-prefix property for a site that has long run on `https://` will be almost empty. - **The verification tag disappeared after a site update**, and later an email arrives about lost ownership. Restore the tag or switch to DNS verification. - **The site is registered to a contractor.** When the work ends, access to your data history goes with them. Your company should be the owner. ## In short 1. DNS access — choose a Domain property; no DNS access — a URL-prefix property. 2. Add the property via Add property in the selector at the top left. 3. Verify ownership with a TXT record or an HTML tag, and don’t remove them afterwards. 4. Submit your sitemap under Indexing → Sitemaps. 5. Give colleagues access through Users and permissions, not your password. 6. After a few days, check your home page and the Pages report. If you’d rather not deal with DNS and reports, we can [set up Google Search Console for you](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/web/google/gsc): verify ownership, submit your sitemaps and explain in plain words what Google sees. And if you’d like to discuss Search Console data right in a conversation with AI, read [how I connected GSC to Claude via MCP](https://it-deweloper.pl/en/blog/google-search-console-mcp). 17 October 2026 | [Victor Parhimchik](https://it-deweloper.pl/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&catid=4) | [IT Deweloper Blog](https://it-deweloper.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=29) [ ![A database icon in a browser window, a step checklist and a question mark — a guide to first queries on GA4 data in BigQuery](https://it-deweloper.pl/images/blog/ga4-bigquery-first-query-cover.webp) ### How to Write Your First Query on GA4 Data in BigQuery Once Google Analytics 4 is linked to BigQuery, raw events appear in your warehouse every day: every page view, click and enquiry with all its paramet… ](https://it-deweloper.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=300:ga4-bigquery-first-query&catid=29&lang=en-GB) [ ![A gateway arch with an arrow in a browser window, a step checklist and a question mark — an explanation of how Google tag gateway works](https://it-deweloper.pl/images/blog/how-google-tag-gateway-works-cover.webp) ### How Google Tag Gateway Works and Whether to Turn It On Google tag gateway is a feature that lets you load Google tags from your own domain instead of Google’s servers. 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