The Google Search Console tools provide you with a useful insight into your website's search terms, traffic, and ranking in Google's search results.

The information provided by the service is especially useful when working on a website's search engine visibility.

Pricing

Using the service is free of charge.

Installation and setup

Extensions are not available in MyCashflow Free plan.

Read also the general extension installation and deployment instructions.

To enable the Search Console, you must have an active Google account. For instance, if you've ever set up a Google email account for yourself, you have a Google account.

See also Google Search Console Help Center.

Your online store's theme must contain the {Extensions} tag. Otherwise, Search Console's tracking code won't be printed on the website, and the service won't work.

  1. Start by signing up for the Search Console at https://search.google.com/search-console
  2. Enter your website's complete address (e.g. https://www.example.com) on the Search Console's sign-up page. Click + Add property.
  3. After adding a new website to the Search Console, you need to be verified as the owner of that site.

    Verification is performed during the sign-up process if you're adding the first property to your account. Otherwise, go to Settings > Ownership verification.

    Site ownership can be verified by:

    • Adding a verification file in HTML format to your online store's file directory (only in exceptional cases)
    • Using Google Tag Manager (recommended only for advanced users)

    Visit the Google Help Center to learn more about verifying your site ownership ›

    You may want to create a separate property for each variant of the same URL address in the Search Console (e.g. http://example.com, https://example.com, https://www.example.com etc.).

    Once you've verified your site ownership, the Search Console will start to collect data about your site's functioning.

  4. Finally, add your online store's sitemap to Google's index.

    Sitemaps can be added via the Search Console, on the page Sitemaps.

    Read Google's instructions on adding sitemaps ›

    MyCashflow automatically generates a sitemap for your online store, which can be accessed using either your store's own domain or the default MyCashflow domain at the following address:
    • https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml/ (replace www.example.com with your own domain) or
    • https://storename.mycashflow.fi/sitemap.xml/

    Add a forward slash / at the end of the sitemap URL. Google may not be able to read the sitemap without it.

Verifying ownership by using the Google Search Console extension

In the settings for the MyCashflow's Google Search Console extension, add the confirmation code for your Search Console code.

As a primary verification method, we recommend linking your account to Google Analytics, but if that is not possible then you may want to provide verification via the MyCashflow extension.

To verify site ownership by using the extension:

  1. In the Search Console's admin panel, go to Settings > Ownership verification.
  2. Select the option HTML tag
  3. Copy the Search Console verification code that is highlighted in the image.

    Don't copy the entire HTML tag, but just the code located at content="CODE".

  4. Back in your online store's admin panel, paste the verification code in the settings for the Google Search Console extension on the page Account > Apps > Google Search Console.
  5. Save the extension's settings.
  6. In Search Console, make sure that ownership verification worked properly. To do so, on the page Settings > Ownership verification, go to the method you used for verification, and click Verify.

Verifying ownership by using an HTML file

Primarily, you should verify your account via Google Analytics or by providing Search Console's verification code in the extension settings (see Installation and activation).

You may want to verify via an HTML code only if you plan to use multiple Search Console accounts in different versions of your MyCashflow online store. But in such case it may anyways be better to verify via a separate Analytics account.

If you'd like to avoid entering the verification code in the settings for the Google Search Console extension for some reason, you can also verify by adding the Search Console HTML file to your online store's file directory.

To do so, you'll need the MyCashflow Redirects extension.

  1. Enable the Redirects extension.
  2. In Search Console's admin panel, go to Settings > Ownership verification.
  3. Select the option HTML file, and download the file.
  4. Add the file to the root directory of your online store's file directory.
  5. Create a new redirect with the following details:
    • Source address: /verification_file_name.html

    • Target address: /files/verification_file_name.html

    Make sure that the file names in source and target address are identical.

  6. Save the extension's settings.
  7. In Search Console, make sure that ownership verification worked properly. To do so, on the page Settings > Ownership verification, go to the method you used for verification, and click Verify.

Google Search Console and SSL domains

Search Console interprets as separate websites those domains which are with and without SSL encryption.

After enabling SSL encryption, add the SSL domain as a new website in the Search Console.

Also make sure that you add all domain variations as separate websites in the Search Console. A single domain with SSL encryption should be added as four websites in the Search Console:

  • http://www.example.com
  • https://www.example.com
  • http://example.com
  • https:/example.com

See also Google's instructions on adding new websites.