When setting up the Google Search console, it requires your domain to be verified. The verification process can sometimes be tricky and you might encounter a few errors. We've listed down some of the errors, the possible causes, and how to resolve them.
- Error #1: “Could not find your site. Please check that you provided the correct URL for your property.”
- Error #2: “We couldn’t find your verification meta tag.”
- Error #3: “Your meta tag is incorrect. Are you using a meta tag for a different site or user account? Found meta tag:”
- Error #4: “The connection to your server timed out”
- Error #5: “We could not find your verification token in your domain’s TXT records.”
- Error #6: Sitemap “Couldn’t Fetch” Error
Error #1: “Could not find your site. Please check that you provided the correct URL for your property.”
Possible Cause 1: The site is hidden from search engines.
Resolution: Disable the option from the site editor's Settings:
- Go to Site Editor > Settings > Show Advanced > Privacy & Legal.
- Uncheck the "Hide from Search Engines".
- Click "Save".
- Publish the site.
Possible Cause 2: The site is password-protected.
Resolution: Disable the option from the site editor's Settings:
- Go to Site Editor > Settings > Show Advanced > Privacy & Legal.
- Empty the box under "Password Protection".
- Click "Save".
- Publish the site.
Possible Cause 3: The site URL used to submit property is different from the actual site URL. Examples:
| Submitted URL | Actual Site URL |
| old.mystrikingly.com | new.mystrikingly.com |
| site.mystrikingly.com | www.newsiteurl.com |
| http://www.siteurl.com | https://www.siteurl.com |
Resolution: Before verifying the site, make sure that the submitted site URL is correct and the most current. You can check for the domain being used by the site by going to Site Editor > Settings> Domains.
Error #2: “We couldn’t find your verification meta tag.”
Possible Causes:
a. Verification method is not supported.
b. The HTML tag has not been added yet.
c. HTML tag was added but:
- Site was not published after saving the tag.
- Site was published and you clicked “Verify” immediately (did not wait for 5-15 minutes).
Resolution: Make sure that before the verification is correct and added correctly added within the site editor. Also, make sure to give it enough time for the updates to take effect.
Error #3: “Your meta tag is incorrect. Are you using a meta tag for a different site or user account? Found meta tag:”
Possible Causes:
a. Site was cloned but the verification tag was not changed.
b. Site was transferred from one user to another. The new owner tried to verify the site without removing the old tag.
c. Old verification meta tag was removed and a new one was added, but the live site was not updated yet (after publishing).
Resolution: This error is usually caused by not updating the meta tag. Always make sure the tags are updated when cloning and make sure to publish the site when changes are made.
Error #4: “The connection to your server timed out”
Possible Causes:
1. This could occur if our servers are down or our platform is responding slowly.
2. Sometimes the cause could be unknown.
Resolution: In this case, it's best to wait 3-5 minutes and try to verify the site again.
Error #5: “We could not find your verification token in your domain’s TXT records.”
Possible Cause: The TXT records have just been added, and Google Search Console cannot detect them yet on the domain’s DNS.
Resolution: Wait for the propagation of the TXT records, then try again. Domain DNS records usually update globally within 24–48 hours. You may have to wait it out a bit before retrying the verification.
Error #6: Sitemap “Couldn’t Fetch” Error
First, make sure your sitemap URL is accurate and accessible. If the error persists, click "Couldn't fetch" for more details on the issue.
Possible Cause 1: Sitemap could not be read
Resolution for "Sitemap could not be read": This is usually your site prevents search engines to fetch. You can disable the "Hide from Search Engines" option.
Possible Cause 2: Robots.txt unreachable
Resolution for "Robots.txt unreachable":
- Sometimes, this issue can be temporary. Wait for 10 minutes to 24 hours, then try fetching the sitemap again.
- If you're using a free Strikingly URL, other sites on mystrikingly.com might affect yours. For instance, if a site on mystrikingly.com violates Google's policies, it might affect the shared domain, including your site. To avoid any such potential issues, it's a good idea to Connecting a Domain to Your Strikingly Site. This will help avoid potential issues with shared domains.
If you missed a few steps or want to proceed with setting up your Google Search Console, you can check out this article. If it still doesn't work after following the recommended solutions, feel free to send us an email or chat with us if you have more questions!