The good news for wordpress.com blogger is that there is now a convenient method to verify ownership of their blogs with the 3 big search engines.
The method is for Google Webmaster, Yahoo Site Explorer, and Bing Webmaster Center verification. The easy to follow step by step instructions can be found in the WordPress.com Support Documentation at the Webmaster Tools link.
Bloggers with wordpress.com blogs cannot not verify ownership by adding the meta tag or file as we all work on a wpMU (multiuser) blogging platform and cannot access and edit the underlying templates for our blogs. Consequently, in the past the method we used for verification was the alternate method.
We offer two methods of verification. You can either upload an HTML file with a name that we specify or you can add a meta tag to your site’s index file. — Google
This amounted to creating a new Page and giving it the title which was the code for verification and then deleting or making the page private once verification was achieved.
More information about Search Engines.
Related posts found in this blog:
How to: Google Site Verification
Google Changes to Meta Tag and HTML File Verification Methods
ileaneb
November 9, 2009
Hi Timethief,
Thanks for the tips. Can you please explain a little about what it means to be verified? I saw the Support Documentation the other day and I followed the meta tag instructions for all three search engines, what should happen next? Will I get more traffic? How long does it take before I see a change?
Thanks again.
timethief
November 9, 2009
The verification or authentication process proves that you are the owner of a specific site, and that you want it to enter the lineup to be indexed by the search spiders (robots). The search engines can take 4-6 weeks or more to add any new sites. More information about Search Engines.
You can expect to get some new traffic provided you have used basic SEO elements, and have published original and unique material that potential readers may be interested in locating.
However, If you have published posts on the same topics that many other bloggers, especially those with blogs that have higher PageRank (authority) than yours does, then you will not find your posts on the first pages of the SERPs (Search Engines Results Pages). Consequently, expecting a traffic increase is not reasonable as most potential readers will click through on the links that appear on the first page of the SERPs.
If you have thoroughly researched prior to publication then you will have linked to articles from authoritative sites and that may encourage some search engine interest and traffic. In addition, if other bloggers choose to link to your posts that may encourage some search engine interest and traffic as well. Joining forums, online groups and social networks wherein you can promote your blog and posts may also assist in gaining search engine interest and traffic.
I hope this helps you comprehend the process. Best wishes for happy blogging.
ileaneb
November 9, 2009
Someone told me to use this link http://www.google.com.au/addurl/ to add my site to Google. How is that different from the authentication process? I thought this step was all I needed to do. There is always something new to learn about Google and SEO. Thanks for all of your help and for the links.
timethief
November 9, 2009
How is it different? Hmmm … compare the two and reach your own conclusion. If you already have a Google Webmasters account then you can sign into it and see if your posts have been indexed or not. If they haven’t been indexed then I would choose to use the process that you find in the Support Documentation.
VIKAS |vikas-gupta.in
November 9, 2009
I saw them some time ago. Of late WP is rolling out many features without any noise/announcement.
timethief
November 9, 2009
Hi Vikas,
I hope you are doing well. Yes, I’ve noticed some quiet rolling out. unlike when I first began blogging here, there are many staff members now. It’s great to see all these new features coming forward. :)
ileaneb
November 10, 2009
I hear so many horror stories from other bloggers and website owners about how their page rank in Google dropped or how they used to show up on the first or second page of Google and now they are no where to be found (I am seeing this right now in 2 of the forums I joined).
I find it is very confusing to keep up with the tips and tricks needed to have a good standing with them. It seems like the best way to get found there is to buy some adwords. lol
I work for a very prestigious non-profit publisher of technical books that has been around for over 100 years. We sell thousands of publications and we have thousands of “optimized” web pages, yet our resellers show up at the top of list when someone searches for our company name. We show up as number 3 or 4 on the list. Even the adwords that we buy are often number two on the list.
Maybe one day I will figure some of this out. In the meantime I’ll keep coming back here for your excellent advice.
Thanks for letting me go on about Google.
timethief
November 10, 2009
Blogging is competitive and when it comes to business blogging the competition to appear on the first page of SERPs is fierce. This is simply because 90% of all those searching choose to click through on the 1st page entries.
What I have gleaned is that many are focused on single keyword optimization rather than focusing on a selection of multiple long tail phrases. My advice is to find the pages where you’re achieving page 2 or 3 placements, and then focus on editing to enhance the contents and to optimize them by focusing on the multiple keyword phrases long tail approach. I’m suggesting this because I have seen cases where such long tail adjustments can bump you up onto page 1, and improve your traffic. It seems to me that making it a practice to observe where your competitors pages are better placed than your own and using this long tail optimizing technique to get more of your own page 2 and 3 pages moving up in the SERPs listings to page 1 and 2 will produce a cumulative effect on other pages in your blog too. But, I hasten to add that I’m no SEO expert. I’m learning.
John Mu, Google employee offers some advice too. You could also make sure that you link to your new content with a relevant title and a useful snippet from your site’s homepage (or the categories on the home page).
google sniper review
November 30, 2009
Blogging is very nice i think it’s great but your blog should provide some useful information
timethief
November 30, 2009
@google sniper review
There are no “shoulds” in blogging. Bloggers have blogs for many different reasons and “providing useful information” is only one of them. In fact, there are as many different blogs as there are bloggers, and when it comes to contents, we are limited only by our imagination.
Colorado Life Lessons, LLC
December 28, 2009
Colorado Life Lessons, LLC permalink
How do you verify a wordpress blog with google? Where can I upload the necessary html document or put in the meta tags for a wordpress blog?
timethief
December 28, 2009
Question: How do you verify a wordpress blog with google?
Answer: Here’s the link to the instructions from the wordpress.com support documentation for verifying ownership and registering with Google, Yahoo and Bing. The keyword for searching support documentation for the entry is “webmaster tools”. http://en.support.wordpress.com/webmaster-tools/
Also note this entry as well http://en.support.wordpress.com/sitemaps/
Question: Where can I upload the necessary html document or put in the meta tags for a wordpress blog?
Answer: They are no longer in use and you can’t anyway Because we are all blogging on a multi-user blogging platform at wordpress.com we cannot access our meta data, let alone, edit it.
Important
Please note that meta tags are no longer used by Google and have not been used for some time now as they were too easy for webmasters to manipulate and game the algorithm. This has been verified by Matt Cutts of Google.
I suggest that you use keywords in your blog title and also create an effective tagline that includes key words. http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2009/06/22/creating-an-effective-blog-tagline/
P.S. Your questions have nothing whatsoever to do with the subject matter in the thread you posted to. You are new so I overlooked that and moved the comment here. Please use the contact form if you cannot locate a post on the subject matter you want to ask questions about.
Nishant
June 3, 2010
Hi TT! I have been seeing you in WP.com forums for a log time. You sure have a great depth of knowledge when it come to WP.com blogs.
I just wanted to ask you something… your alexa rank is so good and you are sure dedicating much time and strength for development of this blog, then why did you choose a WP.com blog for yourself instead of a WP.org (self hosted blog). As WP.com policy, you can not post ads in this blog, you could be greatly benefited if you had a self hosted blog. Am I right?
Congress Organizing Committee
June 18, 2010
Please show me where is the section to place a META tag? Thanks.
timethief
June 18, 2010
Please read the post above and the comments as well. Question: Where can I upload the necessary html document or put in the meta tags for a wordpress blog?
Answer: They are no longer in use and you can’t edit meta tags anyway. This is because we are all blogging on a multi-user blogging platform at wordpress.com we cannot access our meta data, let alone, edit it.
Important:
Please note that meta tags are no longer used by Google and have not been used for some time now as they were too easy for webmasters to manipulate and game the algorithm. This has been verified by Matt Cutts of Google.
Go to the support documentation and follow the instructions. http://en.support.wordpress.com/webmaster-tools/
Congress Organizing Committee
June 21, 2010
Thanks timethief. Your other blogging tips have been really helpful too!
perches
April 5, 2011
Thanks for sharing this info on verification – I’d seen it in the Tools section of the Dashboard but didn’t know what it was for until now.
timethief
April 6, 2011
I’m happy to hear this post cleared this up for you. We also use Import and Export under tools when we move blog content. It’s also where we go to delete a blog.