E1 · The dig comes first
10 minRun dig TXT on your domain and note the result. If there is already a verification, find out whose account it is.
Done when: you can tell whether the site was already verified and who has access.
Lesson 3 · 15 min
Search Console and Bing Webmaster: verify your site
The two free dashboards are the only official source for what Google and Bing see on your site: what is indexed, which searches show you, and, since 2026, what appears in the AI features. Before you create a new account, check whether someone has already verified the site. It happens more often than you'd think.
Start the lesson
In this lesson you will
- 1Check in DNS whether the site is already verified
- 2Create the domain property in Search Console
- 3Connect Bing Webmaster by importing from Search Console
- 4Know what the AI dashboards show in 2026
Goal: check whether the site is already verified, then verify it in Search Console and Bing Webmaster, with the sitemap submitted in both.
01From DNS to the dashboards
Five steps. Click each one.
Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.
All free. Paid tools don't have data from Google's index: only estimates.
02Verify without stumbling
Tap each step.
1. Look for what already exists
Run the dig command on your domain. If google-site-verification shows up, someone has already verified it: find that account and ask for access.
A duplicate account splits the history and confuses whoever looks after the site.
At INEMA (09/23/2026)
One plan said "no Search Console" because it only looked in the code. The DNS showed the verification. The rule became: check the TXT record before claiming it doesn't exist.
2. Create the property
In Search Console, choose "Domain" and paste the TXT record it shows into your DNS panel (at the registrar or the CDN).
Propagation can take a few minutes; then click verify.
Why domain
One property covers www, non-www, and subdomains like news. or eventos.
3. Connect Bing
At bing.com/webmasters, sign in with an account and choose to import from Google Search Console.
If you prefer, Bing also accepts its own verification. IndexNow notifies Bing even when the site isn't in this dashboard.
4. Submit and wait
Submit the sitemap in both and note the date. The performance reports start filling up in a few days.
The following week, look at the page list and the sitemap status.
03The commands and the record
Replace the domain with yours.
Terminal · is it already verified?
dig TXT seusite.com +short # look for a line with google-site-verification=
TXT record in DNS (template)
Type: TXT Name: @ (the root domain) Value: google-site-verification=<code that Search Console shows>
Verification note
Search Console: domain property <seusite.com>, verified on <mm/dd/yyyy>, account <who owns it> Bing Webmaster: imported from Search Console on <mm/dd/yyyy> Sitemap submitted: <https://www.seusite.com/sitemap.xml> — status <success / pending>
Simulation: illustrative example
"google-site-verification=AbCdEf123exemplo" "v=spf1 include:_spf.exemplo.com ~all"
The first line says the site already has an owner in Search Console. The second one is for email and has nothing to do with SEO.
- Prefix instead of domain: verifies only one version of the address and hides the rest.
- Deleting the TXT record after verifying: Search Console asks for verification again.
- Trusting a paid tool to know what's indexed: only the official dashboards have that data.
04Practice: both dashboards up and running
Do them in order.
E2 · Verified and with a sitemap
30 minCreate (or recover) the domain property in Search Console, import it into Bing Webmaster, and submit the sitemap in both.
Done when: both dashboards show the site as verified and the sitemap with a status of success or pending, noted with the date.
05Test what you learned
The explanation appears after you answer.
Question 1 of 4
Before creating a Search Console account, what should you check?skill
Correct
A TXT record in the DNS shows that someone has already verified the site. At INEMA, a plan claimed "no Search Console" by looking only at the code; the DNS said the opposite.Not that one
A TXT record in the DNS shows that someone has already verified the site. At INEMA, a plan claimed "no Search Console" by looking only at the code; the DNS said the opposite.Review: Verify without stumblingQuestion 2 of 4
Why is the domain property the right choice of method?
Correct
With a prefix property, you verify only one version of the address. The domain property brings everything together and avoids separate histories.Not that one
With a prefix property, you verify only one version of the address. The domain property brings everything together and avoids separate histories.Review: From DNS to the dashboardsQuestion 3 of 4
What does the generative AI report in Search Console show?
Correct
Since 08/31/2026, it applies to all sites and shows impressions. Official citations, for now, are only in Bing's AI Performance.Not that one
Since 08/31/2026, it applies to all sites and shows impressions. Official citations, for now, are only in Bing's AI Performance.Review: From DNS to the dashboardsQuestion 4 of 4
A paid tool says 500 of your pages are on Google. Which should you trust?
Correct
Google says no third-party tool has access to its systems. The indexing data is in Search Console.Not that one
Google says no third-party tool has access to its systems. The indexing data is in Search Console.Review: The commands and the recordQuiz complete
You got {a} of {n} right. If you get them all right, the lesson is marked as complete.Pick an answer. The explanation appears after you try.
06Takeaways
Beforedig TXT: the site may already have an owner in Search Console.
DomainA domain property covers all versions; Bing imports from it.
2026 yardstickSearch Console shows impressions in AI; Bing is the only one with official citations.