Before Google Search Console will show you data about your website, such as search traffic, indexing issues, and the sitemap you submitted, you need to prove that you actually own the site. This is called verification, and there are three common ways to do it: uploading an HTML file, adding a meta tag, or adding a DNS TXT record. You only need to complete one method, not all three.
Step 1: Add your website as a property
- Go to Google Search Console and sign in with a Google account.
- Click Add Property.
- Choose either the Domain option (covers all subdomains and both http and https, but only supports DNS verification) or the URL prefix option (covers just the exact address you enter, and supports all three verification methods).
- Enter your website address and click Continue.
If you chose URL prefix, Search Console will show you a choice of verification methods. Pick whichever one below is easiest for you.
Method 1: HTML file upload
This is usually the simplest method if your website files are hosted with ZIPROF.
- On the verification screen, download the HTML verification file Google gives you (it will have a name like google1234567890abcdef.html). Do not rename it.
In cPanel
- Log in to cPanel and open File Manager.
- Open the public_html folder for the domain (or the correct subfolder if the site is an addon domain).
- Click Upload and select the verification file from your computer.
- Once it finishes uploading, go back to Search Console and click Verify.
In DirectAdmin
- Log in to DirectAdmin and open File Manager.
- Open the domains/yourdomain.com/public_html folder.
- Click Upload Files and select the verification file from your computer.
- Once it finishes uploading, go back to Search Console and click Verify.
Test that the upload worked by visiting the file's address directly in your browser, for example yourdomain.com/google1234567890abcdef.html. If it shows a blank page with a short string of text, it uploaded correctly.
Method 2: HTML meta tag
Search Console will give you a line of code such as <meta name="google-site-verification" content="..." />. Paste this inside the <head> section of your homepage, before the closing </head> tag, then click Verify. On a WordPress site, most SEO plugins have a dedicated field for this code, so you usually don't need to edit theme files directly.
Method 3: DNS TXT record
This method works for both the Domain and URL prefix property types, and it doesn't require touching your website's files at all. Search Console gives you a TXT record value to add wherever your domain's DNS is currently managed. This may or may not be with ZIPROF, depending on where your domain is registered.
See How to Add or Edit a DNS Record for the exact steps, then come back to Search Console and click Verify.
DNS changes can take a few hours to propagate before Google can see the new record. If verification fails right after adding it, wait a while and try again.
Keep your site verified
If you used the file or meta tag method, don't delete the file or the meta tag afterward, since Google periodically rechecks it. If you rebuild your website, migrate hosting, or switch themes, confirm that the verification file or tag is still in place, or you may lose access to your Search Console data.