meta tags, Google and “I did a search”
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I am a newbie, and I have done a search, since that appears to be a prerequisite for getting an answer. While posters keep saying that meta tags are not relevant, Google requires the addition of a meta tag for verification of your site address. The standard response is something like “WP doesn’t do meta tags”, “you don’t need them”, or “it can’t be done”. That may be so, but why is it impossible to add them to the home page if Google requests it for faster Google caching? Some posts have suggested adding a page titled with the meta tag that Google provides; I did that, and the page shows up as a page with no title and is not verified by Google. The same thread suggested making a post titled with the meta tag. Tried that too, and it doesn’t show up.
I’m sure you recognize that newbies are anxiously trying to do the right thing, and at the same time want to make sure they are quickly accessible to others, as opposed to waiting six weeks. I have only been waiting three or four days, but want to make sure I carry out all the steps necessary to enable quick access by Google. So how about a more completely written response to this question than “we don’t do it” or “you don’t need it”. Thanks.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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anxiously trying to do the right thing, and at the same time want to make sure they are quickly accessible to others
How about linking your name to your blog:
How to make your name link to your blog:
Go into your dashboard -> users -> your profile -> then scroll down to ‘contact info’. In the spot where it says ‘website’ fill in the address of your blog and save the changes.
Now… when you comment here and on other blogs, your name will link to your blog. If you do this before you post your request for help, it will allow forum volunteers to be able to help you quicker since they won’t have to ask you for a link and wait until you come back to post one.
from:
https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/7-things-to-know-before-posting-in-wordpresscom-forums?replies=1 -
Thank you. I did so. Since the address of the website was noted just above the text box for entry of the question, I assumed it was already linked. It is now, and the blog is:
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I teach blogging, and it is typical in my classes for Google to index the WordPress.com blog WITHOUT metatags or any special registration after as few as one or two posts, four hours from the start of the blog. Believe me, it is not necessary. The functionality is already built into WordPress.com.
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My experience was just as raincoaster describes. My first wp.com blog was indexed in less than a day. I didn’t even know what a metatag is and was amazed at my incoming link from google.
Sometimes it does take longer and that is usually pointed out, but it does not seem to be typical.
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– Meta tags have to be added in the underlying theme files. In wp.COM we don’t have access to those files.
– It’s not correct that Google requires meta tags. Google says that “sitemaps are the best way to provide Google with information about your site”. And wp creates your blog’s sitemap automatically. (But if you actually want to verify your blog yourself, here’s the FAQ on what to paste where.)
– From Wikipedia: “Meta elements have significantly less effect on search engine results pages today than they did in the 1990s and their utility has decreased dramatically[. …] With respect to Google, thirty-seven leaders in search engine optimization concluded in April 2007 that the relevance of having your keywords in the meta-attribute keywords is little to none.”
So yes, it’s both “can’t be done” in wp.com and “you don’t need them”.
(As for filling-in the URL of your blog when opening a thread, note that at he moment it only serves detecting and auto-responding to wp.ORG visitors who often come here instead of their own forum. It’s a new feature – needs improvement.)
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Are you trying to sign up for Google’s webmaster tools? If so, follow the steps listed here (but ignore the site map part because that gets picked up automatically by Google).
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Yes, I was trying to verify the site so I could use the tools. It appears after entering the site map, the status is “ok” but still awaiting information. Thanks. I have been up for three days or so, made several posts, linked to some other websites, and am still not indexed by Google….
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I added the site manually….but when I go to ismyblogworking.com, it says my server is working fine, but I am not indexed by Google. And several posts have used that site to determine whether it is indexed or not. So I suppose I am confused. Since I told Google that I wanted to find that site when I entered certain search terms, the site always shows up on my computer…but that website says it is not indexed….
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And in the overview on webmaster tools in google, it says that no pages from the site are currently indexed. I guess it just is taking longer than with some others..
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