Google site verification

Google requires domain ownership verification for some of the services they offer. If you have registered your domain, manage your DNS, or host your site with DreamHost, there are several options Google provides to verify your domain name as described in Google’s documentation on domain verification.

You can use any method mentioned below. It's also recommended to add more than one to ensure your site remains verified in case a method is accidentally removed.

This method downloads an HTML file from your Google console and uploads it to your DreamHost website. To use this method, your site must be hosted at DreamHost.

To get the step-by-step of this process, please visit the following  article:

• HTML file upload — Search Console Help

Method 2 — Add a meta tag to your homepage

This method adds a line of code to your site's homepage file. To use this method, your site must be hosted at DreamHost, and you must be able to edit the HTML code of your site.

For more information about this process, please visit the following article:

• HTML tag — Search Console Help
  
  

This method adds Google Analytics code to your site. To use this option, you must be an administrator on the Google Analytics account. You can use either your analytics.js or gtag.js snippet.

To get the step-by-step of this process, please visit the following article:

• Google Analytics tracking code — Search Console Help
  
  

Adding the CNAME record to your DreamHost panel

1. Navigate to the Manage Websites page.
2. Click the Manage button to open the Domain Settings page, which allows you to adjust various settings for your site.
   • If in Grid view, click the Manage button at the bottom of the website box.
   • If in List view, click the Manage button at the far right of your domain name.
3. Click the DNS tab.
4. Click the Add Record button.
5. Click the Add button in the CNAME record section.

   

6. In the Host field, enter the CNAME Label text.

   Do not add the period at the end as shown in the Google console.

   Do not add the primary domain printed in the CNAME Label field. For example, if you are adding this for a subdomain such as blog.example.com, only copy in the CNAME Label and subdomain portion while excluding the primary domain of example.com.

   For example, in the image above, the full record is:

   ##########.blog.example.com

   You would then only enter ##########.blog into the Host field.

7. Enter the CNAME Destination text in the Points to field.
8. Click the Add Record button to save. 
9. Click the Add Record Now! button to save this record.
10. Click the Verify button back in your Google console.

At first, you may see the verification failed because the record has not been updated online yet. This record could take up to 4hrs to propagate online, but it's usually available sooner.

Check back in a few hours and Google will verify the CNAME record.