Posts

Google Webmaster Central DNS Verification Method WHM Walkthrough

, , , ,

A lot of people have been rooting for Google to bring a new method of verification to Google Webmaster Central and today, we have it: DNS Verification. We’ll explain how to properly set this record for WHM in just a moment (as a server or VPS admin), but the technique should be all the same. Here’s what Google had to say, read on after the blog to find out how to do it yourself.

DNS Verification FTW Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 1:16 PM Webmaster Level: Advanced

A few weeks ago, we introduced a new way of verifying site ownership, making it easy to share verified ownership of a site with another person. This week, we bring you another new way to verify. Verification by DNS record allows you to become a verified owner of an entire domain (and all of the sites within that domain) at once. It also provides an alternative way to verify for folks who struggle with the existing HTML file or meta tag methods.

I like to explain things by walking through an example, so let’s try using the new verification method right now. For the sake of this example, we’ll say I own the domain example.com. I have several websites under example.com, including http://www.example.com/, http://blog.example.com/ and http://beta.example.com/. I could individually verify ownership of each of those sites using the meta tag or HTML file method. But that means I’d need to go through the verification process three times, and if I wanted to add http://customers.example.com/, I’d need to do it a fourth time. DNS record verification gives me a better way!

First I’ll add example.com to my account, either in Webmaster Tools or directly on the Verification Home page.

On the verification page, I select the “Add a DNS record” verification method, and follow the instructions to add the specified TXT record to my domain’s DNS configuration.

When I click “Verify,” Google will check for the TXT record, and if it’s present, I’ll be a verified owner of example.com and any associated websites and subdomains. Now I can use any of those sites in Webmaster Tools and other verification-enabled Google products without having to verify ownership of them individually.

If you try DNS record verification and it doesn’t work right away, don’t despair!

Sometimes DNS records take a while to make their way across the Internet, so Google may not see them immediately. Make sure you’ve added the record exactly as it’s shown on the verification page. We’ll periodically check, and when we find the record we’ll make you a verified owner without any further action from you.

DNS record verification isn’t for everyone—if you don’t understand DNS configuration, we recommend you continue to use the HTML file and meta tag methods. But for advanced users, this is a powerful new option for verifying ownership of your sites.

As always, please visit the Webmaster Help Forum if you have any questions.

Posted by Sean Harding, Software Engineer

So! Now, you may be onboard or you may be very confused. No worries. Let’s explain the anatomy of a TXT, or text, record.

name  ttl  class   TXT     text

With this in mind, you can easily SSH and dig txt domain.com, or go to http://www.kloth.net and do a DIG for TXT, to the domain of your choice. We originally speculated that you can have multiple TXT records, and you can. The trick, however, is in the name of the TXT record. Your TXT record name much match the CNAME of the domain that you are trying to create the record for or else it will not show up in the answer section of a DNS lookup. Therefore, let’s use turkreno.com as an example:

turkreno.com.  14400  IN  TXT  “google-site-verification: asdfasdlkfaslkjas2f2f2f2kfkjf2jkfkj2fkj2f”

Just make sure that you have a matching CNAME to the name of your TXT record and put your Google Site Verification in quotation marks, and you should be good to go! Post us some feedback if you have other ways on other DNS systems that this should be done and we’ll approve your comment!

/by
Mobile, Alabama Website Design Services

Is Your Web Site Really Too Dead To Manage

As a web designer, I constantly am presented with both good and bad ideas.  Some ideas like hummingbird feeders, dog tags, and wholesale sales on the surface may seem like good ideas, but ultimately stay at ZERO unique visits (Most with an average of 5-7 unique visits a week).  In Google Analytics, unique visits are defined as “Direct Traffic”.  These sites are sites that I would consider dead sites.  So, how do you bring a dead site to life?

There are a few different to consider in bringing a dead site to life.

  1. Do you have an hour a day that you can use to commit to seeing a site flourish?
  2. Are you willing to change your content regularly?
  3. Have you asked other people what they think about your site?
  4. Do you have a sitemap submitted to Google Webmaster Tools?
  5. Are you going to take a free or paid approach at marketing?

These are 5 simple things to ask yourself.  Here’s what I have to say about the list:

For #1, “Do you have an hour a day that you can use to commit to seeing a site flourish”, is basically a matter of self-discipline.  I’ve had a few clients see what they could actually do, but get discouraged by a decrease in their analytics numbers.  Speaking more directly, this client also tried to ask me to become the CEO of his company and manage all of the business.  I just reminded him of the contract that I made him sign (and you should be making people sign contracts, too) and told him what it would cost to have me do what they were too lazy to do.  Laziness only begets more laziness when doing any sort of SEO or development.

#2, “Are you willing to change your content regularly”: This can be as difficult as you make it to be.  Some search engines look at the file timestamp that you can see within your FTP browser or webroot on your server. Changing this can be as easy as changing a single character within a page if you haven’t updated it in a very long time.  SE’s set priority of information on newer pages, so updating them, or just doing a simple edit, can make all the difference.  Another alternative is re-designing your site using something like WordPress or Joomla to use a CMS (Content Management System) as your editor.  This can be a great way to use new technology such as a Blog or an RSS feed to distribute your information.

#3, “Have you asked other people what they think about your site”. This can do one of two things: 1.  Help drive traffic vicariously by producing talk.  2. Help you realize that your site does in fact suck and give you a reason to: A. continue, or B. quit.  Other people can be a very interesting wild card if you keep an open mind.  A simple misplacement of an image, or a bad image, that you can correct can improve things like the time visitors are on your site.  Most people are going to give you an opinion of the aesthetic value of your site.  If you can find people who will do that and give you opinions on the code you’re writing (if you write the code and not use a CMS), then you have found a valuable person to ask questions to. Very Important: Do not abuse this person’s opinion if you value your friendship.  It can be extremely annoying to be asked the same question over and over, especially when the opinion being rendered is a free one.

#4, “Do you have a sitemap submitted to Google Webmaster Tools”.  This is remedied if you answered no by two links: GSiteCrawler and Google Webmaster Tools.  GSiteCrawler generates an XML and simple text-based file structure of your site into a file.  It can also automate this process, too.  The advantage of having a sitemap is allowing search engines to know where they can go if there is no solid entry point to pages buried deep within your site.

#5, “Are you going to take a free or paid approach at marketing”:  I get asked this a lot.  For the paid approach, you could use something like Google AdWords or ExactSeek to drive traffic.  The truthful reality of using services such as this is there is no guarantee that you will have someone actually stay on your site when they do get there.  Plan your money effectively.  I’ll come back one day and re-address what effective paid marketing is and isn’t, so for now only pay for advertisement if it’s been effective in the past and use the free methods.  So how do you take the free approach?  Simple. The UseNet and free press release services.  Generally, you want to actually have an LLC or actual articles of incorporation as a business if you’re going to use something like the press releases because reputable companies are there and those who are not appearing to be a reputable company will just get removed as spam.  The UseNet, however, is filled with all kinds of information, spam, files, and people that aren’t prudish about letting a lot fly.  Just don’t try to pull a bogus marketing scheme and no one will try to hunt you down.  Either way, a good submission will travel for weeks across the Internet and create dozens of referring links back to your site.

I can’t really say if you answered yes or no to all of these questions if you should or shouldn’t continue with your site.  But, I can say that it should be clear at this point.  If you are not willing to commit the time that it takes to make a site its best, then it isn’t possible for you to treat your Internet customers or visitors in a way that they will have no problem handing you money.  And that’s the bottom line.

/by