Go to Google Search Console: Open your web browser and visit the Google Search Console website at https://search.google.com/search-console/. If you don’t have a Google account yet, you will need to create one first.

Sign in with your Google account: Click “Start now” or “Sign in” in the top-right corner and enter your Google account credentials. If you’re already signed in to your Google account, you will be taken directly to the Google Search Console dashboard.

Add a property: In the Google Search Console dashboard, click on the “Add property” button, which you can find in the top-left corner.

Choose property type: You can verify your website using two property types: “Domain” or “URL prefix”.

• Domain: Verify your entire domain, including all subdomains and protocols (http and https). To use this method, you’ll need access to your domain’s DNS records.
• URL prefix: Verify a specific URL, including the protocol (http or https). This method offers multiple verification options but requires separate verifications for each subdomain or protocol.

Choose the property type that best suits your needs and enter the domain or URL prefix in the corresponding field. Then click “Continue”.

Verify website ownership: Depending on the property type you selected, you’ll be given different options to verify your website ownership.

For Domain verification:

• You will be provided with a TXT record to add to your domain’s DNS configuration. Copy the TXT record.

• Go to your domain registrar’s website (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and sign in.

• Find the DNS management or DNS settings section and add the copied TXT record to your domain’s DNS configuration.

• Return to Google Search Console and click “Verify”. This process may take a few minutes or even hours, depending on your DNS provider.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add a TXT record:

• Obtain the verification code: When you add a “Domain” property in Google Search Console, you will be provided with a unique TXT record for verification. The TXT record looks like this:

google-site-verification=YOUR_UNIQUE_VERIFICATION_CODE

• Copy the entire TXT record, including the “google-site-verification=” part.

• Access your domain registrar: Sign in to your domain registrar’s website (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.). Your domain registrar is the company where you purchased your domain name.

• Find the DNS management section: Once you’ve logged in to your domain registrar’s website, look for the DNS management or DNS settings section. This might be called “Domain Manager,” “DNS Manager,” “Domain Settings,” “Advanced DNS,” or something similar, depending on your registrar.

• Add a new TXT record: In the DNS management section, you should see options to add or edit DNS records. Find the option to add a new TXT record. If you already have a TXT record with “google-site-verification,” you can edit that record instead.

• Enter the verification code: Paste the entire TXT record (including “google-site-verification=”) that you copied from Google Search Console into the appropriate field for the TXT record’s “Value” or “Text” field. Make sure to set the “Host” or “Name” field to “@” or leave it blank, which represents the root domain.

• Save your changes: Save the new TXT record by clicking the “Save” or “Add Record” button. Keep in mind that changes to DNS records can take some time to propagate, so it might take a few minutes or even hours for the update to take effect.

• Verify your domain in Google Search Console: Return to Google Search Console and click the “Verify” button. Google will check your domain’s DNS records for the verification code. If the verification is successful, you will have access to Google Search Console’s features and reports for your domain property.

By following these steps, you should be able to add the verification code to your DNS records and verify your domain in Google Search Console. Note that the exact steps and interface may vary slightly depending on your domain registrar.

For URL prefix verification:

• Choose one of the available verification methods (HTML file upload, HTML tag, Google Analytics tracking code, or Google Tag Manager container snippet). Follow the provided instructions for your chosen method, and then click “Verify” in Google Search Console.

• Verification complete: Once you verify ownership has been completed, you’ll have access to Google Search Console’s features and reports for your property.

Now that you’ve signed up for Google Search Console and verified ownership of your website ownership, you can start monitoring and optimizing your site’s performance in Google Search.