The html file has to be in the same directory the domain is pointed at. The meta tag has to be in the head section (header.php) somewhere. If that’s what you’re doing, you’ll have to ask google.
Thanks for your message webbrewers. How do I find what directory the domain is pointed at? [I am guessing a “directory” I
looks like a folder. Pardon my ignorance but this is all new to me.
Thanks again.
John Rose
It’s pointed at the location on the server WordPress is installed on. Normally the root public directory (public_html) or a directory/folder under that. If your host has a file manager tool you can open that and see where WP is installed.
public_html <–Verification file should go here
-wp-admin folder
-wp-content folder
-wp-includes folder
If your host has cPanel you can also look there under domains and see where the domain is pointed.
Thanks again. I used your advice and uploaded the verification file to all three (3) folders at the suggestion of the support desk at my host HostGator. When I clicked “verify” the response was:
“We weren’t able to verify your site: http://www.apprenticepreneur.com/
Verification failed for http://www.apprenticepreneur.com/ using the HTML file method (less than a minute ago). Your verification file was not found.”
I spent over an hour with HostGator support and they finally said it’s outside of their area of support.
They suggested I take it up with Google. I spent another 30 minutes pursuing that option and only came up with a video that was not helpful.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
John Rose
You do not need the file in any folder that starts with wp-.
webbrewers said it right. That file needs to go in this folder:
/public_html/
So, it would look like:
/public_html/googlefile.html
Do that and it will work. The /public_html/ folder is the “root” or “base” folder for your sites publicly viewable files, and that’s where Google expects the file to be.
Yes, sorry if that was confusing. I only included the wp folders to try and emulate what you would see in the file manager. Done correctly you should see this:
public_html
-wp-admin folder
-wp-content folder
-wp-includes folder
googlefile.html
And hostgator really should be able to explain that to you.
Another point is that the “googlefile.html” name is case sensitive, also your file won’t have this name it will be the exact file that google give you, a name like “googlecd12345.html”, with the content google gave you.
The file mode should also be world readable (444)
Thanks everyone for your help thus far.
I am using Host Gator for this domain name. In addition to this domain name, I have five (5) other domains on Host Gator.
THIS IS WHAT I SEE ON THE SCREEN
The “header of the top box says:
Remote Site: /public_html
Within the TOP BOX it says:
public_html
.git
.qidb
mytargetdomainname.com
anotherdomainname1onHost.com
anotherdomainname2onHost.com
anotherdomainname3onHost.com
anotherdomainname4onHost.com
anotherdomainname5onHost.com
wp-admin
wp-content
wp-includes
The googlefile.html you mention is NOT displayed within this top box. Only the items listed above appear in the TOP BOX
When I place the cursor and click on public_html in the top box, it appears in the LOWER BOX under “File Name” as the first of many PHP and other files and folders
Thanks for your help. Am I getting close?
John Rose
P.S. Am I correct in dragging and dropping the googlefile.html into public_html using the mouse?
Yes, put a copy of the “google” file in the public_html, also put another copy into each of the “mytargetdomain.com” and each “anotherdomain.com”, then get google to verify all of them. Then leave these files alone, they are tiny, no one will be coming along to collect their rent either.
Hello Ross,
Thanks for your message. As you suggested, I put a copy of the “google” file in the public_html. In addition I put another copy into each of the “mytargetdomain.com” and each “anotherdomain.com”.
When I verified the message was:
“We weren’t able to verify your site: http://www.apprenticepreneur.com/
Verification failed for http://www.apprenticepreneur.com/ using the HTML file method (less than a minute ago). Your verification file has the wrong content. Are you using the verification file that was downloaded from this site?”
There was a link that appeared. “Show found file content”. The content was garbage that started with this:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN”>< !
It looks like I need to clear this out and reload the code. Is there a way to clear this garbage out and upload the correct “google” file?
Thanks,
John Rose
The verification file for your main domain goes in the /public_html/ folder. You cannot re-use these files for any other domain.
Each domain will require it’s own verification file. and that will go in the folder for each of the separate domains.
Still trying to verify my site after eight days.
Does anyone know how to “CLEAN OUT” the garbage now in the verification file. This is the first bit of what Webmaster says is in the file now.
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN”> <!– saved from url=
Thanks to all who have tried to help
John Rose
That’s NOT garbage. That’s part of the file. You don’t ned to “clean out” anything. Just copy the file that you download from Webmaster Tools to the right location, which you’ve been given here. Delete any of the files that you have there now, and re-download new ones, then put them in the right directories for that domain only.
Does anyone know where the verification file is located? Is it on my Web Host? Is it on my WordPress account? Right now I need to delete the content in the verification file.
This is the first bit of what Webmaster says is in the file now.
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN”> <!– saved from url=
Thanks again to all who have tried to help this past 8 days
John Rose
The verification file iw what you downloaded from the Google Webmasters site. You said that you had that, and you kepe on thinking that it’s “bad” when it’s not, so that’s the verification file.
Where it’s located… It’s on your web server in the root oflder for that domain. We’ve been through this many times so far in this thread. You’ve been told the right locations by me twice already and more times by others. Pleae go back and re-read what you’ve been told as the information that you need is all there.
I undertand that you’re frustrated with this, but it’s really not that hard, you jsut have to follow the instructions that Googles given you. They do make it pretty easy to do and they tell you exactly what you need to do. The only thing that you seem to nto know is the folder ot put the file on in your web hosting, and that is something that you should ask your hosting company if you can’t work it out from what we’ve told you already.
