Search Console verification fails after site clone

#1101258
  • Resolved Giulia

    5 days, 16 hours ago

    Rank Math free

    Hello,
    I’m having issues verifying my site with Google Search Console using Rank Math.

    Here are the details:

    Website: https://onoranzefunebricortese.it/

    CMS: WordPress (with Elementor, SiteGround hosting, domain on Aruba).

    Plugin: Rank Math SEO (free).

    The site is a copy/clone of another website. During the cloning process, it seems that some SEO settings (including old verification data) were copied as well.

    Currently:

    I added the new HTML verification tag from Search Console in Rank Math → General Settings → Webmaster Tools.

    When I check the source code of my homepage, the correct tag is visible:

    <meta name=”google-site-verification” content=”hdv1gQ1q0sm5zBiA9P-XQc-3tQ3Jo5x2CSC3Wp-fJvg”>

    However, Search Console still fails verification with the error:
    “Could not find your site. Please check that you provided the correct URL for your property.”

    I already:

    Confirmed the property in Search Console is https://onoranzefunebricortese.it/ (URL prefix).

    Cleared all caches (SiteGround, SG Optimizer, Elementor).

    Waited several hours and retried.

    Possible issue:

    There might be a conflict or leftover verification code from the original cloned site, causing Google to reject the verification.

    Can you please advise:

    How to ensure Rank Math only outputs the new verification tag for this site?

    If there’s a way to reset/remove old verification data inside Rank Math after cloning?

    Thank you for your help 🙏

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)
  • RankBot

    1 month, 2 weeks ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issue you are facing with verifying your site on Google Search Console. It sounds like you’ve taken several important steps already, and we appreciate you providing detailed information about your situation.

    To ensure that Rank Math only outputs the new verification tag for your site, please follow these steps:

    1. Check for Old Verification Tags: Sometimes, old verification tags can linger in the source code. To check this, go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Rank Math SEO → General Settings → Webmaster Tools. Ensure that there are no other verification codes present in the fields for Google Search Console or any other webmaster tools.

    2. Clear Cache Again: After making changes, it’s crucial to clear your cache again. Since you are using SiteGround and SG Optimizer, make sure to clear both the server cache and any caching plugins you might have installed.

    3. Check for Other Plugins: If you have other SEO or webmaster tools plugins installed, they might also be adding their own verification tags. Temporarily deactivate those plugins to see if that resolves the issue.

    4. Inspect the Source Code: After clearing the cache, inspect the source code of your homepage again to confirm that only the new verification tag is present. You can do this by right-clicking on your homepage and selecting "View Page Source" or using the developer tools in your browser.

    5. Verify Ownership Again: Once you have confirmed that only the new tag is present, go back to Google Search Console and attempt to verify your site again.

    If you continue to experience issues, it may be beneficial to reset or remove any old verification data. Unfortunately, there isn’t a direct way to reset this within Rank Math after cloning a site. However, ensuring that all old tags are removed and only the new one is present should suffice.

    If the problem persists after trying these steps, we recommend replying to this ticket so a human agent from our support team can assist you further with a more in-depth investigation.

    Thank you for raising this concern, and we hope this helps resolve your issue!

    Sources:
    How to Verify Your Website on Google » Rank Math
    How to Verify Your Website on Google » Rank Math
    Troubleshooting the “Couldn’t Fetch” Error in Google Search Console » Rank Math

    This is an automated reply from Rank Math Support Bot. If you need further assistance, please reply to this topic and a human support agent will reply to you shortly.

    RankBot

    5 days, 16 hours ago

    Hello,

    Since we did not hear back from you for 15 days, we are assuming that you found the solution. We are closing this support ticket.

    If you still need assistance or any other help, please feel free to open a new support ticket, and we will be more than happy to assist.

    Thank you.

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

The ticket ‘Search Console verification fails after site clone’ is closed to new replies.