Verifying Site Ownership with Google

Sometimes you will be required to prove your identity to individual companies, especially where brand recognition and copyright laws are taken extra-seriously. Google is a prime example of this.
 
For example, if you are trying to set up Google's Webmaster Tools or Google Workspace email services, you will need to prove you own the domain name. In most cases, this is accomplished by making a change such as: adding a record to your DNS or website that Google can see. In this article, we will learn how-to verify your domain name with Google. 

To begin verifying domain ownership:

1. Log in to your Google account.
2. To initiate verification, click the Verify Your Property button located in this link https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35179?hl=en.
   
3. Select the drop-down next to Select property.
   
4. Click Add Property.
   
5. Type in your Domain Name.
   
6. Click Continue.
   
7. Copy the code provided.
   
8. Log in to your HostGator account and click on Domains.
   
9. Click on the small arrow next to your domain.
   
10. Click on DNS Management.
    
11.  Select Add Record.
    
12. Select in the drop-down TXT for the Record Type, add @ for the Host, and then paste in the code from Google into the Value.
    
13. Click Add Record.
    
14. To complete the verification, navigate back to the Google Search Console and click on Verify.
    
15. If the verification has not been completed, you will see Ownership Verification Failed. It can take up to 24 hours for the verification to finish, and often it is much faster.
    
16. If the verification has finished, you will see Ownership Verified.
    

You're done! Now your domain name will be linked to your Google account so that you can use their different tools to help you online.

For more information on Verifying Site Ownership with Google, check out: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35179?hl=en.