Verify custom domain in Google Search Console, then submit the sitemap
Search Console shows how Google sees your site, but only after you prove you own it. For an Anticode site, the reliable way is a Domain property verified with a DNS TXT record on your own domain. Then submit the sitemap at /sitemap.xml, which Anticode generates for every published site and which its robots.txt already points to.
Why this needs your own domain
Google offers several ways to verify, and an Anticode site can't use most of them on its free address. An HTML verification file needs to be uploaded to the site's root, and a verification meta tag needs adding to the home page's head; Anticode's code editor keeps only text, section order and colour tokens, and published pages run no scripts, so the Google Analytics and Tag Manager methods are out too. A DNS record is the method left, and you can only add DNS records to a domain you control. In practice: connect your own domain on a paid plan first (see custom domains), then verify.
Domain property or URL prefix
| Domain property | URL-prefix property | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | Every subdomain and both http and https, such as www. and book. | One exact starting address, such as https://www.yourbusiness.com/ |
| Verification | DNS only | HTML file, meta tag, Analytics, Tag Manager, or DNS |
| Fits an Anticode site | Yes, with a TXT record | Only through the DNS method |
Google's verification help says DNS is the only way to verify a Domain property, and that a DNS record added for a URL-prefix property also verifies the matching Domain property. For a small site, choose Domain: one property covers www, a booking subdomain and anything you add later.
Verify with a TXT record
- In Search Console, add a property, choose Domain, and enter the bare domain,
yourbusiness.com, with nowwworhttps://. - Copy the TXT value Google shows. It starts with
google-site-verification=. - At your DNS provider (the same place you added Anticode's CNAME), add a TXT record on the bare domain, usually written as
@, with that value. - Return to Search Console and choose Verify. If it fails, wait and try again; new records can take a while to appear.
- Leave the record in place. Google says that to stay verified you shouldn't remove it, even after verification succeeds.
This TXT record sits alongside the records for your website and email without conflict. It's separate from any TXT record Anticode asked for while connecting the domain, so keep both.
Submit the sitemap
Every published Anticode site answers at /sitemap.xml and /robots.txt without you creating either. The sitemap lists the home page, each separate page such as /about/, and every CMS collection index and entry, with a last-changed date on the pages and entries. The robots file allows all crawlers and names the sitemap. Both are built from the address the request came in on, so on your domain they list your domain's URLs.
- Open the live sitemap in a browser, for example
https://www.yourbusiness.com/sitemap.xml, and check it lists the pages you expect. - In Search Console, use URL Inspection on the home page and run a live test; Google's sitemap help suggests confirming the page fetch is successful.
- Open Sitemaps, paste the full sitemap address under Add a new sitemap, and choose Submit.
Google can also find the sitemap through robots.txt, but sitemaps found that way don't appear in the Sitemaps report, so submitting it gives you the status and the count of discovered URLs.
What to expect afterwards
Submitting doesn't make Google index anything. Google is explicit that a URL in a sitemap may or may not be crawled or indexed. Google also says crawling can take time, so give a new site a while before worrying, and use the Pages report to see which were excluded and why. If you publish a change, there's nothing to resubmit: the sitemap is generated on request, so its dates update by themselves.
Limits
- The anticode.dev address keeps working. Anticode doesn't redirect it to your domain, and the home page carries no canonical tag, so link to your own domain everywhere you share the site.
- No Search Console data inside Anticode. Anticode's analytics count views per site and by source; search queries and impressions live in Search Console.
- Pages only. Model-written apps are one document, so the sitemap lists their address, not screens inside them.
- No meta-tag or file verification, for the reasons above.
Troubleshooting
- Verification fails
- The TXT record is on the wrong name (it belongs on the bare domain) or hasn't appeared yet. Check it with a DNS lookup tool and retry.
- Sitemap "couldn't fetch"
- The domain isn't Live in Anticode's Domains section yet, or the address has a typo.
- Sitemap lists anticode.dev addresses
- You submitted the sitemap from the anticode.dev address. Use the one on your domain.
More on the files themselves in sitemap and robots.txt. Bing has its own tools; see Bing Webmaster Tools. If pages still don't show up, read why a website isn't showing on Google.
Questions people ask
Can I verify mysite.anticode.dev in Search Console?
Not in practice. You can't add DNS records to anticode.dev or place Google's file or tag on the page. Connect your own domain first.
Do I resubmit the sitemap after each change?
No. It's generated whenever it's requested, so it always reflects what's published.
Will verifying make my site rank?
No. Verification gives you reports and tools. Ranking depends on the pages themselves.