Connect Your Site to Google (End-to-End)
Every site should claim its presence across Google's tools. Do these in order — each unlocks the next.
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1. Search Console (mandatory)
- Visit search.google.com/search-console → Add property → use the `Domain` option (covers http/https/www).
- Verify via DNS TXT record (most robust).
- Submit your sitemap (`/sitemap.xml`).
- Monitor the Coverage + Performance reports weekly.
2. Analytics 4 (free, replaces Universal Analytics)
- analytics.google.com → Create property → get the measurement ID (`G-XXXXXXXXXX`).
- Install via gtag.js or Google Tag Manager. Verify real-time events in the GA4 Realtime report.
- Link GA4 to Search Console for keyword-level attribution.
3. Google Tag Manager (if you'll run pixels)
- tagmanager.google.com → New container → copy the GTM-XXXXXXX snippet.
- Install once, manage every other tag (GA4, Ads, Meta Pixel, etc.) from GTM without code changes.
- Use Preview mode to test before publishing.
4. Google Ads (if you'll advertise)
- ads.google.com → set up account → create a conversion action for each signal (sign-up, purchase).
- Install the conversion tag via GTM (cleanest) or direct gtag.
- Link Ads ↔ GA4 so you can import GA4 audiences + conversions.
5. Performance & PageSpeed
- pagespeed.web.dev — real-world Core Web Vitals (LCP / INP / CLS). Mobile scores matter more than desktop.
- Target LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1. Below these and your rankings suffer.