Google Search Console Guide

Google Search Console Guide

1. Add the verification code

Open _config.yml and set:

google_site_verification: "YOUR_GOOGLE_VERIFICATION_CODE"

Use only the code value from Google Search Console, not the full meta tag.

2. Deploy the site

After updating the config, deploy the site so the verification meta tag is added to the shared page head.

The tag renders from _layouts/default.html as:

<meta name="google-site-verification" content="...">

3. Verify the site in Google Search Console

  1. Open Google Search Console.
  2. Add your property.
  3. If you verify with the HTML tag method, copy the verification code.
  4. Paste that code into google_site_verification in _config.yml.
  5. Deploy the site.
  6. Return to Search Console and click Verify.

If you verify the full domain with DNS instead, you can still keep this config field available for URL-prefix verification later.

4. Submit the sitemap

This site already uses jekyll-sitemap, so Jekyll generates:

In Search Console:

  1. Open your property.
  2. Go to Sitemaps.
  3. Submit:
    • https://thelivinedit.com/sitemap.xml

5. robots.txt status

The site already has robots.txt, and it:

  • allows crawling
  • points search engines to the sitemap

6. Request indexing for important pages

After publishing important pages, you can speed up discovery by using the URL inspection tool in Search Console and clicking Request indexing for:

  • the homepage
  • important posts
  • cluster hub pages
  • major evergreen pages

Notes

  • sitemap.xml is generated automatically during the Jekyll build.
  • The verification meta tag only renders when google_site_verification is set.
  • If the code is blank, nothing extra is added to the page head.