ContentForge can set up Google Search Console for a site for you. It verifies that you own the site, adds it to Search Console and submits the sitemap so Google indexes the pages. The client's Search Console data then shows in the Site Dashboard, the client's reports, the client portal and Zeus.
Open the editor, click Settings, then Google Tools. The Google Search Console card walks you through four steps.
Before you start
- The site must be published on its own domain, and the domain's secure certificate must be active. Until then the steps are grayed out with the reason, such as "Publish on your domain and wait for the secure certificate. This site isn’t published yet." See Connect a domain.
- Your agency needs a Google connection.
How to set up Search Console
First choose at the top of the card: Create a new property (ContentForge verifies the site for you) or Connect an existing property (one already in your Search Console).
Step 1: Connect to Google
If nobody in your agency has connected Google, click Sign in with Google.
If your connection is older, you'll see "Reconnect Google to allow Search Console setup. Your existing reports keep working." Search Console setup needs two more Google permissions: managing Search Console and verifying sites. Click Reconnect Google and approve them. Everything you approved before stays. Google sends you back to this screen.
Step 2: Check domain
The card shows the domain Google will verify. This is the site's main domain exactly as visitors see it, with or without www. Click Looks good. To use a different domain, change it in Settings → Domain first.
Step 3: Verify, or choose your property
- Create a new property: click Verify and submit sitemap. ContentForge adds Google's verification tag to every page of the live site straight away. You don't need to republish. Google then confirms ownership, which can take a moment. If Google can't see the tag yet, ContentForge tries again a few times ("Still waiting for Google to see the tag…"). If it still can't, the button changes to Try again. Click it a minute later.
- Connect an existing property: click Show my properties. You see the Search Console properties in your Google account that cover this domain, both URL-prefix (https://…) and Domain properties, with your access level (Owner, Full user, Restricted user or Not verified). Grayed ones can't be linked: Not verified means your Google account hasn't verified the property; Restricted user means your account can see its reports but can't link it or submit the sitemap. Pick one and click Connect property.
Step 4: Success
You'll see "We’ve verified ownership of the website and submitted your sitemap for indexing." (or "Property connected and your sitemap submitted for indexing."). The card then shows:
- Property: the linked property, marked URL prefix or Domain property.
- Verification: when it was verified by ContentForge or connected.
- Google account: the account used.
- Sitemap: Success, Waiting for Google, or the number of errors and warnings, with when it was last submitted, when Google last read it and how many addresses Google found.
- Resubmit sitemap, View in Search Console, View sitemap and Unlink.
The property is also saved to the client's Google properties (Client → Settings → Google Integrations). You don't need to link it twice.
How to verify by hand instead
Use this if you'd rather verify in Search Console yourself, or the site isn't on its own domain yet.
- In Search Console, add a property and choose the HTML tag verification method. Copy the tag.
- In Settings → Google Tools, open Verify by hand instead (paste a verification code).
- Paste the whole tag or just its content="…" value into Verification code and click Save ("Saved — republish your site to apply").
- Republish the site. Unlike automatic setup, a pasted code only goes live on a publish.
- Click Verify in Search Console.
The Verification code box is empty until you paste a code from Search Console. Connecting a domain doesn't fill it in.
How to resubmit or unlink
- Resubmit sitemap: sends the sitemap to Google again ("Sitemap submitted to Google."). Use it after adding many pages.
- Unlink: click Unlink, then Unlink again. Search and Zeus stop reading this property for the client. The site stays verified in Google, and nothing is deleted in Search Console.
Once your site is live
When a site first goes live on its own domain with the secure certificate active, the Site Dashboard's Highlights shows "Your site is live on … Set up Google Search Console so Google indexes it and search data shows here." It never runs by itself. Click Set up Search Console to open the setup, or Not now to hide it. Only agency people see it.
Examples
- A new client site goes live on its domain: click Set up Search Console on Highlights, then Looks good and Verify and submit sitemap. Search data starts showing in a few days.
- The client already has Search Console from their old site: choose Connect an existing property and pick their Domain property. If it's grayed, ask the client to add your Google account as an Owner or Full user first.
- After adding 20 service-area pages: publish, then click Resubmit sitemap.
Limits and what it can't do
- ContentForge only creates URL-prefix properties (https://yourdomain/). A Domain property (all subdomains and http/https) needs a DNS TXT record, so ContentForge can't create one. You can connect a Domain property you already have.
- Automatic setup needs the site on its own domain. A site on its free address can only be verified by hand.
- Google has no way for ContentForge to add other people to a property. Add them yourself in Search Console under Settings → Users and permissions.
- The sitemap is only submitted when your Google account is an Owner or Full user, and the property covers the site's https:// address. An http:// property can be connected, but the sitemap can't be submitted to it.
- Restoring a backup brings back a pasted verification code, but doesn't change the automatic setup.
Who can use it
- Agency people with the Mount Olympus tool set it up, resubmit and unlink. A Google connection in your agency is needed (any team member's connection with the Search Console permissions works).
- Client people with SEO settings or Site Audit see the status (Site Audit only: in the Site Dashboard's Google Tools, read-only). Before it's set up they see "Not set up yet. Your agency can connect Google Search Console here." Only agency people can set it up ("Only your agency can set up Search Console"). Pasting a verification code by hand needs SEO settings.
Troubleshooting
- The steps are grayed out: the reason shows under Check domain. "This site isn’t published yet": publish it. "Connect your own domain in Settings → Domain first": connect a domain. "Your domain isn’t live yet — finish connecting it in Settings → Domain": finish the DNS steps. "Your domain is waiting for its secure certificate (usually a few minutes)": wait and reload. "Custom domain hosting isn’t configured on this server yet, so your domain can’t go live and Search Console can’t be set up. Contact support to switch it on.": the domain is saved, but the server can't put domains live yet; contact support.
- "Reconnect Google to allow Search Console setup. Your existing reports keep working.": your Google connection doesn't have the new permissions yet. Click Reconnect Google.
- "Connect Google first (Settings → Google), then come back here.": nobody in the agency has connected Google. See Connect Google.
- "Confirm the domain first (step 2).": click Looks good in step 2. If the domain changed, confirm it again.
- "Google couldn’t see the verification tag on your homepage yet. This usually clears in a minute — try again.": wait a minute and click Try again. Check the homepage loads on https://.
- "This property belongs to another Google account. Ask its owner to add your Google account as an Owner or Full user in Search Console, or choose “Create a new property” to verify it yourself.": someone else verified it. Ask them to add you, or create a new property.
- "Your Google account is only a Restricted user on this property. …": a Restricted user can see reports but can't submit the sitemap or link the property. Ask the property's owner to make your Google account an Owner or Full user in Search Console, or choose Create a new property.
- "The connected Google account can’t manage this Search Console property. Use a Google account that owns it, or create a new property.": sign in with a Google account that owns it.
- "That property isn’t in this Google account’s Search Console, or it doesn’t cover …": pick a property for this domain, or use Create a new property.
- "This Google account has no Search Console property for …": use Create a new property instead.
- "The sitemap wasn’t submitted: it isn’t inside this property. Use the https:// property for your domain to submit it.": you connected an http:// property or a property for another address. Connect the https:// property (or the Domain property).
- "The sitemap wasn’t submitted: your Google account needs to be an Owner or Full user on this property to submit it.": ask the property's owner to raise your access, then click Resubmit sitemap.
- "We’ve verified ownership of the website. The sitemap wasn’t submitted yet — use Resubmit sitemap below.": click Resubmit sitemap.
- "Google is limiting requests right now. Wait a few minutes and try again.": wait a few minutes and try again.
- "Reconnect Google to see the sitemap status and resubmit.": click Reconnect Google next to it.
- "That doesn’t look like a Search Console verification code" when pasting by hand: paste the whole HTML tag from Search Console or just the value inside content="…". Other methods (like a DNS record or an HTML file) don't go in this box. For an HTML file, use Settings → Root files; see Site icons, root files and security.
- Search Console says the pasted tag isn't found: republish the site, then click Verify again.