Properly configured Google Search Console for your website allows Google to monitor your website while allowing you to ensure its position in search results. Adding a map, on the other hand, provides the Google search engine with constant access to the website’s content. But how to configure Search Console for WordPress?
Google Search Console – the benefits
Adding a website to Google Search Console allows to find out how the search engine sees your website. That way you can easily Detect errors present on the website using Reports available in the panel. On the other hand, to also ensure maximum effectiveness of indexing a website’s content, it is recommended to also send a Site map.
But how to do that when you’re running something like a blog based on the WordPress system? It is actually quite similar to other content management systems.
Configuration of Search Console for WordPress
Adding a website based on the WordPress system to Google Search Console isn’t a big deal. To do that, you have to login to your Google account, and then click the ”Add” button. After adding the URL address of your blog, use the Alternative methods for verification.
Next it is recommended to use the HTML Tag method – adding a metatag to the homepage. Upon choosing this option, an html code is displayed that has to be copied and pasted in the WordPress Tools. Don’t close the page after copying it, though, as it will still be required to verify the website ownership.
Then go to the WordPress Dashboard: WP Admin -> Tools -> Available tools. Now all that is left to do is paste the copied code in the Google Webmaster Tools field. Save the changes and go back to the Google Search Console panel to click the verification button.
Adding a Site map
After adding the website and verifying its ownership, you can move on to adding a Site map.
A Site map is a file that informs Google about the content of a website and the way its materials are organized. It is intended for effective indexation by Google robots and for informing them how often they should index the website (thanks to metadata describing things like how often the information on it changes).
Adding a map to Google Search Console is a good idea both when the website is very sophisticated and when it’s still new, with a small number of links leading to it.
Adding a map, testing it and browsing it is possible in the Site map report.
Site map configuration – WordPress
WordPress is a modern, free publishing platform that is mostly used to run websites – blogs. Even in this case it’s a good idea to make sure to add a Site map to Google Search Console, so that Google robots have no problem indexing it.
When it comes to owning a website operating based on the WordPress system, it is recommended to install the Yoast SEO plugin or the All in One SEO Pack. They make it possible to manipulate descriptions and titles visible in search results, plus they generate a Site map. Upon installing one of the plugins, the map will be available in the SEO tab in the WordPress panel.
Conclusion: No matter what type your website it, it’s a good idea to add it to Google Search Console and send a map that contains a detailed structure of the website. Upon properly configuring the Search Console panel, it is recommended to combine the account with a Google Analytics account in order to obtain a single place to monitor the website and the errors that occur on it.
