How to Verify Your GoDaddy Domain Name with Google Search Console

Google recently replaced its popular Webmaster Tools interface, long a mainstay in the Internet world, with Search Console.

Where you previously had to register each iteration of a domain name, ie https://clicknathan.com, https://clicknathan.com, and the www-varieties as well, now you can register an entire domain name and all variations at once. This not only makes more sense, it reinstates confidence in the biggest player on the web that they are not actually run by a room full of Shakespearean monkeys.

Anyway, if you want to verify via GoDaddy, the way to go about doing such a thing isn’t immediately obvious, so here’s a quick walk through.

1. Find Search Console

Hop onto Google and search for google search console.

screenshot of a google search for "google search console"

Give the top result the old click. You may be asked to sign in or get started, like so:

search console sign in screen
Make it so, young grasshopper, and don’t mix your 80s references.

2. Add the Domain

Using this dropdown, near the top left of the screen (on desktop) choose + New Property.

google search console add a property dropdown

You’ll be asked if you want to use the old, weird method of verifying each version of your domain (URL prefix) or verify the entire domain, which is what you want (the option on the left):

verify domain screenshot

Then Google will give you a TXT record for your DNS, which in our case we’ll be adding to our GoDaddy account.

screenshot of TXT record

Copy this string of characters, you’ll need it for the next step.

3. Add the Record to GoDaddy

Head to GoDaddy.com and click the Sign in link near the top. Add the old username and password combo.

GoDaddy will drop you on any one of who knows how many random pages it seems to send people to after login. Look for a menu like this and find the My Products option.

godaddy menu

Locate the domain in question and click DNS to the right of it.

a blue button indicating where one might go to make some wicked DNS changes
He clicked it, ma, he really clicked it!

Click the blue Add link to the bottom right.

Add a TXT record by choosing that option from this menu:

GoDaddy DNS record type dropdown

Use @ for the Host value.

Paste the long string of characters from our previous step into the TXT Value field.

You can choose Custom from the TTL dropdown and enter 600, the lowest allowed value.

You should end up with something like this:

that there's a screenshot of what we're talking about

Click Save and you’re all set.

4. Verify the Domain with Search Console

Back in Console, you may get an error message like so:

screenshot indicating the failure that plays a metaphor for your entire life, or just the domain process

This is because, despite the fact that Alexa and Facebook are spying on you, the Chinese have robots on the moon, and our cars can park themselves, the DNS process still takes awhile.

You can check the status of of your DNS at https://www.whatsmydns.net/ if you’d like.

Toodles!

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