Google Search Console Setup — dogfriendlydg.co.uk

We need Chris to complete these steps to verify dogfriendlydg.co.uk in Google Search Console and activate SEO tracking.

Google Search Console (GSC) cannot be set up programmatically — it requires you to log in with your Google account and complete a verification step. This document walks you through the exact steps.

Step 1 — Add the Property

1. Go to https://search.google.com/search-console
2. Sign in with the Google account you want to use for this site
3. Click “Add property” (top-left dropdown)
4. Choose “Domain” property type (NOT “URL prefix”)
   • Domain type covers http://, https://, www. and non-www. all in one property
   • Enter: dogfriendlydg.co.uk
5. Click Continue

Step 2 — Verify Ownership

Google will offer several verification methods. For a GitHub Pages site, you have two good options:

Option A — DNS Verification (Recommended)

This is the cleanest method for GitHub Pages — no files to upload.

1. Google will give you a TXT record to add to your DNS, e.g.:

   google-site-verification=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
   

2. Log in to your domain registrar (wherever you registered dogfriendlydg.co.uk)
3. Go to DNS settings and add a new TXT record:
   • Type: TXT
   • Host / Name: @ (root domain)
   • Value: the verification string Google gives you
   • TTL: 3600 (or default)
4. Save and return to GSC
5. Click Verify — DNS can take up to 24 hours to propagate but usually verifies within minutes

Option B — HTML File Upload

If you prefer not to touch DNS:

1. Google will give you a unique HTML filename, e.g.:

   googleXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.html
   

2. The file content is just a single line:

   google-site-verification: googleXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
   

3. This file needs to be in the root of the GitHub repo (outrunthewolf/dogfriendlydg)
4. Once you have your unique filename from GSC, let the site agent know and it will commit the file for you
5. Return to GSC and click Verify

Step 3 — Submit Your Sitemap

Once verified:

1. In the GSC left sidebar, go to Sitemaps
2. Enter the sitemap URL:

   sitemap.xml
   

   (Full URL: https://dogfriendlydg.co.uk/sitemap.xml)

3. Click Submit

The sitemap is generated automatically by the jekyll-sitemap plugin — it will include all posts and listings.

Step 4 — What to Expect

Key GSC Reports to Check Weekly

• Performance — which queries are bringing traffic, which pages rank
• Coverage — confirms all posts and listings are indexed (no 404s or crawl errors)
• Sitemaps — confirms sitemap is being processed
• Core Web Vitals — page speed signals (GitHub Pages scores well here)

Action Required from Chris

• Log in to https://search.google.com/search-console
• Add Domain property: dogfriendlydg.co.uk
• Choose DNS or HTML file verification method
• If HTML file: share the filename and the agent will commit it to the repo
• If DNS: add TXT record to your domain registrar
• Submit sitemap: sitemap.xml