How can I verify my website with Google search console/analytics?

This guide assumes you already have a google account, and you’ve added your website URL to Google Search Console. If you haven’t then go make an account now and add your “property”, or your website URL in all versions your website has. 

Things to note: So Google has a new version of Search Console which in some aspects, slays the older version because you can inspect URL’s in real time to see if they’ve been indexed and diagnose other problems, and it looks a lot better. But honestly it’s still lacking, and in my opinion, still disorganized. Like where is the option to add a new property? At least on mobile the menu overlay doesn’t let you see it. So I always switch back and forth between the new current version and the “old” version. 

One thing you’re going to notice if you’ve selected a domain from AmebaOwnd ending in .jp is the inability to internationally target audiences in search console because your on a .jp domain. If you’ve selected a .com you should still be able to change this. See below the comparison of a .com and a .jp domain and international targeting.

Anyways, In AmebaOwnd’s case, unless your using a custom domain, then add http,https,and www. Although we’re going to run into problems because you don’t have full control of your domain since your on a subdomain of Ameba’s besides just international targeting.

On the desktop web version, click 外部のツールand then look to your right on the page that’s now displaying and you’ll see a section titled “サーチコンソール ”

Once you’ve created your AmebaOwnd website, you’re going to want and set it up with Google Search Console for obvious benefits. Take a look at the post-Verification steps at the bottom and finish those to make sure everything’s setup good.

Post-Verification Steps

A sitemap basically shows google a list of all your URL’s and your sites structure, and you really should submit one irregardless of what platform your using. The decent news with AmebaOwnd is that without any plugin like Yoast (Although let’s admit it, Yoast is like the king of sitemaps, and they’re pretty too. I love Yoast on any Wordpress installs) Your sitemap is already existant once you create your first AmebaOwnd. 

It’s just your website address + /sitemap.xml

So if you’re website is like, https://kesen.themedia.jp , then you’d submit https://kesen.themedia.jp/sitemap.xml as your sitemap to Google.

Step One

On the old version of Google Search Console look to the side menu on the left, and select crawl, underneath the drop down menu you’ll see sitemaps, give that a click.

Step Two

I don’t really get what’s the point of testing a new sitemap since you’re gonna see any errors once you’ve submitted it anyways and you can always delete a sitemap afterwards, saves you time since you know it’s gonna be successful, at least in the case of AmebaOwnd, otherwise you can’t do shit about it anyways so your screwed lol. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

So you’ve already added the property, so just type in sitemap.xml for the sitemap URL and click submit. Normally it would take time for the sitemap to process underneath and you’d just see submitted and have to check back later, which is still the case but it’s faster with the new version of Search Console so switch back to the new version.

AmebaOwnd does create limited structured data by default on your website, as you can double check in the Structured Data Testing Tool, or by viewing Structured Data underneath the Search Appearence Menu in the old version of Search Console.

There are other ways you can improve your search appearence with Google tho if you are limited in terms of control like in the case of AmebaOwnd websites, by using the data highlighter tool from within Google Search Console. You can open that tool here and then select your verified property, or website to get started with that.

You’ll then select from the different types from within Data highlighter, and really you should take advantage of as many of these as you can. You enter your URL in the field on top and then select the type. The URL that you’re selecting has to actually have already been indexed by Google prior to you highlighting the data.