Many services often need you to verify ownership of your domain, e.g:
- Google Search Console requires you confirm that you own the domain that you are adding
- Pinterest needs to verify your domain to claim your website
- Facebook Page Owners can claim ownership of their website’s domain
Domain verification can be done many ways, but the easiest methods are HTML meta tag verification and uploading a HTML file. In this article, we’ll learn how to verify your website domain using these methods.
Verify with HTML Meta Tag
HTML tag verification requires you to place some HTML code in the correct place on your website. Sounds complicated, but trust us it’s actually the simplest way 🙂
Install the Head & Footer Code plugin
Tip: You may already have plugins installed on your site that can do this e.g. Yoast SEO or PixelYourSite. If so, you can skip to getting the domain verification HTML code.
Start by installing a plugin that will handle adding the HTML code for you. We recommend the Head & Footer Code plugin which balances ease of use and features.
Get the domain verification HTML meta tag
Choose the HTML tag option for verification. Note that it might be also called meta tag or HTML meta tag.
Copy the HTML code that you are presented with. In the example above, it’s everything i.e. <meta ... />.
Navigate to Tools → Head & Footer Code. Paste the code into the HEAD code field. Save the settings.
Tip: With the Yoast SEO plugin, you can paste the code into the Pinterest confirmation field, found under SEO → Social → Pinterest.
If you use caching on your website, don’t forget to clear the cache.
Complete the verification process
Return to the website that provided you the HTML meta tag to complete the verification process. You’re all set!
Verify with HTML File Upload
Not to be confused with the HTML tag method above, this method requires you to download a file (containing HTMl code) to your computer, then upload it to your website. Here’s how to do it.
Download the HTML file
Choose the HTML file upload verification method. Download it to your computer. The file will usually look like r4nd0mcha5act3rs.html. Note the location of the file as you will need it later.
Install the WP File Manager Plugin
Uploading files to your website is usually done via FTP. If you know what FTP is, use that instead. If not, skip the learning curve and install the File Manager plugin instead.
Warning! The File Manager plugin can also delete files from your website, which may irreversibly damage your website. Be sure to follow these directions carefully and remove any distractions.
Navigate to your WordPress dashboard → WP File Manager. Dismiss the signup and upgrade prompts, taking care to not click on anything unintentionally.
WP File Manager should open in the website root, i.e. in the same directory as wp-admin. You’ll want to upload your HTML file into the same place where you can see the wp-admin directory.
Using drag-and-drop or the Upload button, upload your HTML verification file.
Complete the verification process
Return to the website where you downloaded the HTML file to complete the verification process.
Once verification is complete, we strongly recommend that you deactivate and delete the WP File Manager plugin to prevent any accidents.
