How to Verify Site Ownership in Search Console through Google Tag Manager
Enhancing Healthcare Website Success with Google Search Console Verification
Google Search Console is an all-in-one tool that helps you view, measure and fix issues related to website user data. It’s a crucial resource for healthcare organizations aiming to enhance their search ranking and gain insights into how patients and potential clients find their site. This tool also allows you to monitor your content’s performance and identify which queries are driving traffic to your healthcare site.
To utilize the full capabilities of the Search Console, verifying ownership of your healthcare website is essential. Given that Google Search Console is a free resource, we strongly recommend healthcare providers add their website to the search console. Keep in mind that adding a website domain requires proof of ownership and management of that domain.
Google has simplified the verification process, offering several straightforward methods to verify a website for the first time on the search console. One increasingly popular method, especially for those already using it, is Google Tag Manager (GTM). GTM is particularly useful for healthcare websites to manage multiple tags or tracking codes efficiently. Successful verification through GTM depends on adhering to Google’s specific installation guidelines. Let’s delve into the three major requirements for verification through GTM.
#1 – Do you have Container-level Admin permissions?
To verify in search console using a Google Tag Manager, you must be logged into an account that has “view,” “edit,” and “manage” Container-level permissions in GTM. Google requires this to make sure that a user that’s logged into Google Search Console also has the same level of access in Google Tag Manager. Google considers these important qualifiers that determine whether you are truly the owner of the domain.
#2 – The all-important <noscript> code
Here’s the point where everyone messes up. It’s crucial to understand that there are two snippets of Google Tag Manager container code that needs to be installed on the site. One is a JavaScript snippet, and the other is what’s called a <noscript> snippet.
… and for some reason, <noscript> snippets are frequently ignored by those that are installing Google Tag Manager. Here’s why that’s a blunder because the <noscript> block in the Google Tag Manager installation code is there for a reason.
Why <noscript> code is so significant?
It’s there for browsers that don’t have JavaScript enabled. So if you actually open up your browser and accidentally turn off the feature that enables JavaScript, the <noscript> block will save you – these code blocks are for browsers that have JavaScript disabled for some reason (and Google Tag Manager can still load in a limited capacity in those browsers).
… and it’s not always obvious this code needs to be installed EXACTLY as generated and without modifying any part of it. If you change it in any form, the verification will fail.
#3 – Where do you place the code?
So the <noscript> block must be placed where Google expects it to be, which is immediately after the opening <body> tag on the homepage of your domain. So if you install the <noscript> block, and you don’t put it immediately after the opening body tag, you violated this point, and you’re not going to be able to verify.
Just to reiterate, the code must be placed immediately after the opening <body> tag of your site’s homepage. When Google says immediately after the <body>, they mean it.
So you have to make sure that you DO NOT insert any other code or markup between the tag and the tag manager container code. If you do that, Google Search Console can’t crawl the site actually to find the Google Tag Manager snippet and the tag container to verify you with.
Sure, there can be other ways to verify in Google Search Console, but if you don’t follow these three rules for Google Tag Manager, it just won’t be through Google Tag Manager for you and you’ll have to use one of the alternative recommended methods.
The Benefits of Google Search Console for Healthcare Providers
The ability to track and analyze user data is paramount for healthcare organizations. It provides more than just a snapshot of website performance; it offers a deeper understanding of how critical medical information is being accessed and utilized by users. This insight is invaluable in the healthcare sector, where timely and accurate information can significantly impact both patient care and search outcomes.
By effectively leveraging tools like Google Search Console, healthcare providers can tailor their online content to meet the specific needs of their audience, ensuring that essential health information is both visible and accessible. In an era where healthcare information is increasingly sought after online, the ability to understand and respond to user behavior is not just beneficial – it’s a fundamental aspect of providing comprehensive, patient-centered healthcare in the digital age.
… and if you’re still facing any problem and unable to verify Google Search Console with Google Tag Manager, let us know in the comments, and we’ll try to sort the problem for you.
Happy tracking!
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