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Is it possible to use Google Search Console on a ClubRunner site?

Discussion in 'General' started by John Borst on Feb 15, 2021.

  1. John Borst

    By:John BorstFeb 15, 2021
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    SEO always gets me in over my head. And of course, Google Search is not far behind. This weekend I discover AMP. Gargle, gargle, gargle!

    After a bit of searching, I discovered that AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages. What Google is doing is forcing publishers like Rotary websites that publish stories frequently, to use AMP because it loads faster not just on mobile smartphones but on all devices. It does this by putting your story on its servers so that the URL starts with https://www.google.ie/amp/(your own URL follows).

    So to find out if a ClubRunner CMS is using AMP HTML code I did a test on a story. (AMP Test - Google Search Console) This is the result:
    Tested on: Feb 15, 2021, at 10:34 AM
    Not an AMP page
    The URL is not an AMP page, nor does it link to an AMP page.​
    LEARN ABOUT AMP VIEW AMP HTML These two options appeared below the result and I clicked on view amp HTML and then I took it and put it into a new ClubRunner story editor. And yes your entire page header, menu and all appears.

    After more research (Learn About AMP) I found the Google Search Console and did a test with this result:

    Google Console Test Code.png
    The reason I think verification failed is that you have to log in.

    Do I really want to do this? If you recommend it, wherein settings do I enter the data that can be verified?
    Will ClubRunner one day have to adjust for this system?
     
  2. Zach

    By:ZachFeb 16, 2021
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    Hi John,

    I can confirm for you that we are not using any AMP functionality or features at this time. I have let our team know that you were inquiring about them.

    In order to take advantage of the tools that the Google Search Console provides, you do need to be logged into a google account, and you need to verify that you own the domain. This is the same process that you go through to validate things like Google's Analytics platform. If you do wish to take advantage of their webmaster tools, you will need to complete the verification process.
     
  3. John Borst

    By:John BorstFeb 16, 2021
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    Zach my failure to have Google validate the drydenrotary.org domain was what prompted me to post the question. Maybe I am not understanding what those screenshots say. There is a code which I am to copy. I am not sure where to put that code. Do I put it in the meta tags or where I put the Google analytics code? Is verify to be done after you put the code into your ClubRunner
    site?
    Do you think this is even necessary? It is supposed to improve search for web stories, I think.
     
  4. Zach

    By:ZachFeb 16, 2021
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    Hi John,

    The verification prompt is asking you to add a DNS record with a specific value that Google can check to confirm you have authorization to work with that domain name. ClubRunner currently manages your club's domain name, so we would be able to input those verification records on your behalf. I will reach out directly in a ticket to move that issue forward, as the verification records tend to be short lived. You could opt to go with the meta tag confirmation route, which is something you can do directly in ClubRunner through the website's settings page via the meta tag option.

    Being able to access the Google Webmaster Console would likely be a valuable tool, even if you do not make active use of it frequently.

    I do not have any comments on AMP itself, only that it is something that you would not be able to do directly though ClubRunner.
     
  5. John Borst

    By:John BorstFeb 28, 2021
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    Zach, I finally figured out where and how to do a Google search console. Eventually under alternatives, one can find "meta tag" and then open it and Google supplies the code. Put it in the ClubRunner meta tag and Google verifies it.

    There is one weird problem though. On the Home page in the upper left corner above the banner is the word "content". This appears on all the Dryden sites pages. It is worse on my personal ClubRunner site. There it says "page contents google-site-verification: google4221d530e259d957.html" On this site it also appears on all the pages. Can this be eliminated by modifying the code?
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2021
  6. Mickey

    By:MickeyMar 1, 2021
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    Hi John,

    I received your separate email request regarding this too. I'm taking a closer look at the meta tag source code, I believe there may be some issues with a few lines of the code. I will be responding to you in that email you sent to me privately today regarding this, I'm certain we can rectify this.
     
  7. John Borst

    By:John BorstMar 1, 2021
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    Thanks, Mickey. I eliminated the words from both sites. I will monitor to ensure Google is still verifying both sites in a few days.
     
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