Google Search Console Setup (Juniper)
- Francisco Castro (Deactivated)
- Daniel Piña
This SOP is a work in progress. If you notice anything that is out of date, could be more clear or could be more efficient please update the SOP or add a comment to start a conversation.
Purpose
This SOP serves as clear instructions to set up a new Google Search Console property for Dealers Spike and ARI new clients.
Procedure
Inputs:
Live website and its URL in its HTTPs format.
CMS access or FTP Notepad++ plugin installed.
Enter the Google Search Console in the correct Google Chrome profile. Each agency has its own Google account to add this new property.
Uses the sem@arinet.com Google account for its new properties.
Uses the seo@dealerspike.com Google account for its new properties.
Google Search Console properties can be added in two ways: Domain or URL prefix. We’ll focus on the URL prefix method.
Click on the drop-down menu in the top left of your screen. This will bring up all the properties, here you can search for a previous setup of the same property. If there is not one, click on +Add Property at the bottom of this list.
“Select a property type” will pop up, here paste the full https URL in the URL prefix box and click on continue.
and use different methods of verification. After clicking continue you’ll be presented with different options to verify your ownership of this site. The predetermined option is HTML file verification and that’s the one used for verification.
Dealer Spike verification:
To be able to do GSC verification in you need access to the FTP server for Dealer Spike websites with the NppFTP plugin for Notepad++.
Log in to your FTP profile and open the Websites folder in the FTP options, there you’ll find folders with the domains of all dealers. Locate the one with the domain of the dealer you’re setting up and upload the verification file provided.
Upload the HTML file directly to the folder for the domainAfter uploading the HTML file go back to GSC and click on verify to finally add the property to that Google account. You’ll get a green pop-up for successful verification.
Clients use the second method of verification, an HTML tag instead of an HTML file. To insert this tag into ARI sites you’ll need an ARI-CMS account.
Grab the URL from the site you’ll be verifying and log into ARI-CMS. Here you’ll paste the URL and hit enter.
Go to the components section of the account and look for the Tracking component.
In the Tracking component, there’ll be instances of other services, at the bottom there should be a button to add a new instance. Clicking on it will create a new blank instance for this component. Update the title for this instance in the gear icon to GSC Verification Code and paste the HTML verification code in the Tracking Code: Header text box and save your changes at the bottom of the page.
Go back to the account dashboard or info and click on Layouts. This will take you to the layouts page, here click on the Green button in the top left to edit the Internal layout. Here look for the Tracking Code section and expand it and click on Add element.
Select the component instance previously created and add it. Now just publish the changes.
After saving and publishing changes to the ARI site you can go ahead and verify the property in Google Search Console.
After finishing setting up the GSC property you’ll be able to connect it to a GA4 property.
Enter the property in GSC and select Settings from the left menu on the screen.
Once there, select Users and permissions. You’ll have to add an admin account in order to connect GA with GSC. Select ADD USER and type the next email: google.analytics.4.editor@leadventure.com with Owner Permissions. Push the add button.
Go back to GA with your GA4 Editor profile. Enter the Admin section on the left menu.
Search for the property using the search bar placed on the top left corner of the screen and access it.
Now you need to search for the Product Links / Search Console Links below all the menus. From there, you can create the link between GSC and GA.
If there’s already a GA association in GSC, you won't be able to connect another one, so skip this step.
Outputs:
Google Search Console property added to our Google Accounts and associated with an Analytics property.
FAQs