Google Search Console - Domain Properties vs URL Prefix

There are many website owners who still do not know the importance of Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tool). There are even many websites that are not verified by Google Search Console. There are some people who have just added Google search console but don't know how to use it properly.

For those of you who have not yet added a website to Google Search Console or do not know how to add a website to Google Search Console, you can add a site today with this content. Not only this, I will also discuss in detail the benefits that you will get by adding a site here.

Table of contents

What is Google Search Console?
Why Google Search Console?
Google Search Console (Video Tutorial)
Who should know about Google Search Console?
What is the difference between Domain Property and URL Prefix Property?
URL Prefix Property
Domain property, or URL prefix property

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free service from Google that allows you to monitor and maintain your website. And Google helps you with information to solve various problems of its search engine results page (SERP).

The Google Search Console is actually one of the official means of communication, through which Google can communicate with every website owner. Not only that, if your site is verified in the Google Search Console, then Google informs the website owner about various types of site issues, errors, and even Google penalties.

Not just Google, you can also contact Google about various site issues.

Why Google Search Console?

With GSC, Google can easily find your website.

If your website has an indexing problem, it is possible to solve this problem through GSC.

If you update any of your pages or posts and want to re-index them on Google, you need to do so through GSC.

If your site has any problems related to mobile, such as: The website is not mobile friendly, AMP (Accelerated Mobile Page) is working in a smooth way, you can find out information about it through Google Search Console.

Google will notify you via email when there is an indexing or other problem with your website.

You can find out the current status of your site, i.e. your SERP ranking keywords and ranking positions.

Google will notify you if there is a security or spam issue on your site.

Who should know about Google Search Console?

In a word, anyone who has a website should know about the search console. Whether you are a new marketer, or a non-tech person or you are an expert, everyone should know search console.

An SEO expert

If you are an SEO professional then you must know Google Search Console. Because, with this search console you can find out the current status of your client's site and a lot of important information.

A web developer

As a developer you must work with the site's Schema Markup, and in this case the search console will help you with information about Structured Data Error.

A website owner

If you want to know how your website is performing, whether there is an error and whether the site is developing properly, you must know how to use the search console.

What is the difference between Domain Property and URL Prefix Property?

I will try to write in a way that everyone can understand in a simple way by mentioning less technical issues. Let's get started-

Domain Property

Domain Properties This option has been newly added to the Search Console. The biggest advantage of the domain property option is that once you have verified the root domain, you no longer have to verify all versions of this domain (eg: http, https, www, non-www) individually. Even all subdomains in this domain (eg: http://m.website.com) no longer need to be verified separately.

If your site has been verified with DNS, you no longer need to add or verify the domain property again. Google will automatically create a separate domain property for your site with all the old data.

According to Google, domain properties are more profitable to use this option.

There are a few minor functions that are not possible without a URL-prefix, such as: “Review request” in the Security Issues or Manual Actions submitted. Again, you cannot integrate with Google Analytics from the Search Console Domain Properties option.

URL Prefix Property

This is the complete opposite of domain property. This is the old search console verification method. Here you need to verify each version of your domain separately (eg: http, https, www, non-www). Alternatively, you only need to verify the version you have kept live to view that version's data.

If you verify this version here http://www.mywebsite.com then you can see the data of http://www.mywebsite.com/category and http://www.mywebsite.com/bangla/.

But if you move to the next HTTPS version, you will need to verify that version to get the data for that HTTPS version (e.g. https://www.mywebsite.com)

Domain property, or URL prefix property

If you want, you can keep the domain property and the URL prefix property at the same time. But you will not get any benefit from this. Because, when you verify the domain property, you will automatically get the data of all your versions (eg: http, https, www, non-www), sub-domain from here.

So this way you can link your website to Google Search Console through domain properties and URL prefix properties.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. I will try to answer.

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