With the increase of social media has come the increase of verifying your association with your website. Many social sites, like Google Authorship and Pinterest, are using meta tags as a means to demonstrate you truly do have authorship access to your website.
They give you the alternative method of downloading a file to add to FTP to your main website folder. If you’re like me, adding someone else’s file to my website makes me nervous. I don’t want to open up my site to be hacked. Besides, it seems cumbersome to have to download a file and then upload to my website.
Adding a meta tag to my index file is much simpler – and easier still since my blog and website is based on the Genesis platform. Here is a quick example of how to add a meta tag to the header for Pinterest. This method will work with Google Webmaster Tools, Google Authorship, Facebook, or any other website using Meta Tags for verification.
Get Meta Tag Coding
Make sure you chose the option for Meta tag (and not a file download). When you’re editing your profile in Pinterest, you can include your website URL / address. However you are asked to verify it. Be sure to click on the red VERIFY BY META TAG. Your verification Meta Tag is revealed and you’ll need to copy it. Be sure to keep this window open while you add the code to your website.
Adding Meta Tag to Your Website
Using the Genesis framework makes adding Meta Tag code simple and easy. Log into your WordPress dashboard. Go to Genesis on the navigation and select THEME SETTINGS.
Scroll down until you find HEADER AND FOOTER SCRIPTS. You want to PASTE your Meta Tag code into the top box under ENTER SCRIPTS OR CODE YOU WOULD LIKE OUTPUT TO wp_head(); Then don’t forget to click SAVE to finish.
This is simple for Genesis. If you don’t use the Genesis framework, you’ll want to
- find the header.php file,
- add the Meta Tage code at the end of the code already in the file,
- save and u
- pload the new file to your website server.
Verify the Meta Tags Code is Live
Either way you add the Meta Tags code, you’ll want to finish by verifying it on Pinterest (or which over social media you started to verify). Click on the red COMPLETE VERIFICATION button.
After clicking the red COMPLETE VERIFICATION button, Pinterest may revert to your Basic Info page. To check if it worked, simply click on EDIT PROFILE. You’ll see a checkmark and SITE VERIFIED next to your website URL
That’s one verification with Meta Tags down. How many other social sites do you have to verify for your website or blog? Share in the comments below!
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