As a website owner, you can verify your Lightspeed eCom (E-Series) site ownership in Google Search Console to get your online catalog noticed and listed in Google's search engine. Once it’s verified, you will get access to the private Google Search data about your site. You will be able to see how your website has been indexed, identify and repair errors, and understand your overall online catalog/store performance.

Verifying Lightspeed eCom site ownership with Google Search Console

If you're using Lightspeed eCom site (Instant Site), you can verify your built-in eCom domain (for example, https://example.company.site) or a custom domain (e.g., example.com) that you've purchased. Custom domains must be active and properly connected to your eCom site.

To prove the ownership if you are using eCom site:

1. Open Google Search Console.

2. Enter the web address of your Instant Site as a URL prefix property type:

   

3. Click on Continue.
4. Under Other verification methods, choose HTML Tag:
   

5. Copy the meta code that pops up:

   

6. Leave the Google Search Console open, then go to your Retail POS in a new browser tab and proceed to Online > Webstore (or Website) > Overview.
7. Scroll down to the Header meta tags and site verification section, click Add Code and paste your meta tag there.
8. Save the changes.
9. Return to your Google Search Console, then click on Verify to complete the verification process.

It usually takes a few days for the data to show in Google Search Console. Check the status of your site verification in Google Search Console > Settings > Ownership Verification page.

Verifying your website ownership in Google Search Console

If you're not using eCom site and you’ve added your eCom store to another website on platform, you can also verify your site in Google Search Console.

To verify the site ownership:

1. Open Google Search Console.
2. Select the preferred property type:
   • Domain: it matches URLs with any protocol or subdomain (http/https/www./m./etc), but can be verified only via DNS record;

   • URL Prefix: this property type covers only the exactly matching URLs but can be verified via different methods.

     

3. Enter your site’s URL as a new property of the selected type, then click Continue.

4. Choose the preferred verification method from the list of offered methods (note that for the Domain type of property you will be offered to use verification via Domain name provider only):

   

5. Follow instructions under the chosen method to get verified.

Ways to use Google Search Console

Once your site is verified, you can check indexed site pages in Google Search Console > Index > Coverage page. If there are issues, Google Search Console will prompt corrective action. You will see four tabs: Error, Valid with Warnings, Valid, Excluded:

• Error: Displays pages that can not be indexed. Google Search Console will show the reason and how to fix it.

  If you’re using Buy Buttons in your store, then product information that you chose not to display when creating the widget (like SKU or price) may result in errors or warnings as corresponding data will not be present in the product card.

• Valid with warnings: Displays pages that have been indexed with some issues. Check the pages in Google Search Console to see if the issues were intentional or should be corrected. Learn more about fixing Google Search Console warnings.
• Valid: Displays successfully indexed pages.
• Excluded: Displays pages that were intentionally not indexed and will not appear in Google. Lightspeed eCom sites exclude pages such as /cart and /search. This is completely normal. We ask Google not to crawl these pages because their content is different for every visitor that can count against a site's SEO.

If you do not see a specific page in the Console, it means that Google has not yet crawled the page. Robots do not crawl new sites very often, but as your site grows older and becomes more popular, Google will check the site more often.

Request for indexing

One of the primary uses for Google Search Console is requesting Google index your site by submitting your sitemap. This helps update search results with your new content faster.

Learn more: Submitting sitemap to Google →

View popular keywords

After connecting to Google Search Console, you can view your top keywords. Keywords are phrases that people use to find products online. Using the most relevant keywords for your business in your eCom catalog will rank your site higher in search results and drive more traffic to your storefront. To view more analytics, you can log into your Google Search Console account at search.google.com/search-console/.