Console doesn’t verify when Site Kit only uses GA4

Hello @uablspringer thanks for reaching out. Can I just confirm that you are trying to connect your Analytics module in Site Kit but with your previously connected UA property removed and only using GA4. Is that correct?

To help you further with this could you please share the following:

1. Your?Site Health information. You can?use this form?to share privately if preferred.
2. Do you see any warnings or errors on screen when trying to do this?
3. A recording of what is happening. You can use a service such as Loom to record and share the video URL here.

Let me know if you have any questions on the above.

Initially I had UA, GA4, and Console enabled. After this weeks update with Site Kit, I disabled UA on a couple of sites.

Sometime over the next 24 hours, console lost verification. In Console if you ask it to verify through Google Analytics it provides the following message: Failure reason: We could not find any Google Analytics tracking codes on the index page of your site.

Went back and enabled UA. Console will now verify through analytics.

After comparing 2 sites (1 with UA enabled, the other with UA disabled) I notice that with UA enabled there is an analytics.js. Without UA there is not an analytics.js or gtag.js. I believe Console is looking for one of these to verify ownership through analytics.

@uablspringer Thank you once more for the information shared. When you are disabling UA, are you doing that via the Site Kit settings or are you doing this from your Analytics account?

If possible it would be very helpful if you could share any screenshots or recordings of the error message you see in Site Kit after trying to verify with UA disabled.

Do you also notice any console errors when this is happening? Do you get the same happen when trying to verify from an incognito window?

I have not tried using incognito but I use different browsers where the only google account on them is the one used for analytics and search console.

I enabled UA on all of my sites yesterday. I can turn one off today but it may be 24+ hours before there is a chance to take screenshots or look at the browser console.

However I do remember the error message sent me here for help: https://sitekit.withgoogle.com/documentation/troubleshooting/dashboard/#searchconsoledataerror

In the example it said to request access from administrator (myself). That is when I went to Google Search Console to verify ownership manually. I tried to verify through the Google Analytics option. (https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080) However, this only works with UA enabled.

Google Search Console provides the following message with GA4 enabled (and UA disabled):

Verification method:
Google Analytics
Failure reason:
We could not find any Google Analytics tracking codes on the index page of your site.
Please fix your implementation and reverify, or use another verification method.

I have not tried disconnecting Site Kit and reconnecting (hoping to avoid doing for nearly 50 sites) since it is quicker to go through console and ask it to verify through analytics.

Edit: I forgot to mention I am turning off UA through Site Kite settings.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by uablspringer.

@uablspringer No problem, please do share those with us when you can as it would be very helpful for our troubleshooting. If you leave both UA and GA4 properties connected in Site Kit then you do not encounter this verification issue is that correct?

When checking your Site Kit dashboard after disabling the UA property do you see any notice banners prompting you to grant any permissions or any warning notices?

Can I also ask if you have used the same Google account for all the sites you are connecting Site Kit with and do you have admin access to all the Analytics properties when checking from your Analytics account?

The site I disabled UA on yesterday has not lost verification with search console yet. I’ll keep an eye on it for screen shots.

As for your questions. Yes, sites that had both UA and GA4 enabled maintained verification with Search Console. The only sites that lost verification were the ones I tested by disabling UA. Once UA was turned back on, I was able to manually verify using the option for Google Analytics.

Some time after UA has been disabled there was a red notification in the search console widgets that talks about lacking sufficient permissions and to request access. When I go to request access, Search Console notified that it needed verification of the site ownership. The red notifications appeared within the console related areas for both the Site Kit widget on the main WordPress dashboard as well as on the Site Kit dashboard itself. It is the same notification as in the documentation here: https://sitekit.withgoogle.com/documentation/troubleshooting/dashboard/#searchconsoledataerror

All sites are using the same (1) account for both Google Analytics and Google Search Console. I have access to that account and used it to setup Site Kit. I am also the super admin in WordPress.

I noticed another detail in Google Search Console late yesterday. Sites where I left both UA and GA4 enabled appear to have been verified through the HTML file option in Search Console. I assume this is done for us through the initial Site Kit setup process (Site Kit was installed on my multisite back in early May of this year). If that is true then something may have happened to the HTML verification file. (will check later to see if is was removed or potentially updated)

Speculating: If Search Console does not find the previous HTML verification file, it wants me to verify again. When I ask it to verify through Google Analytics code it is looking for gtag.js or analytics.js (according to documentation). With UA enabled the analytics.js exists and everything works again. If only GA4 is enabled site kit adds the tag code (in the header) slightly different than if I were to manually add it. This might be why Search Console doesn’t recognize it as a verification method.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by uablspringer.

I was wrong about the HTML verification. Assuming this post is still accurate https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/where-does-the-html-file-get-uploaded-during-site-verification/

“There is no file added to your file system or WordPress directory. How the verification method appears as a “HTML file” verification in Search Console comes from a dynamically generated response via Site Kit when this file is requested – without a file being created or added.”

The site I disabled UA is still verified. I have disabled UA on 2 more. One that previously had issues and one that had not been changed previously.

1 site has error messages:

• Console: https://imgur.com/s4rYSHg
• Dashboard: https://imgur.com/2Xb5mqb

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by uablspringer.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by uablspringer.

Thanks for sharing the screenshots @uablspringer. Search Console permissions can arise is there were changes made from the Search Console platform directly or if the Google account connected within Site Kit changes. We have more information on this on the plugin website, see below:
https://sitekit.withgoogle.com/documentation/troubleshooting/dashboard/#searchconsoledataerror

In order to resolve this, can you try visiting this link and then click on the “Verify your ownership” grey button? After doing so please share whether verification completes. Note that you’ll need to be logged into your browser using the same Google account which you have connected within Site Kit.

Let me know if you have any questions with the above.

Verification does not complete for any of the methods.

Thanks for the quick response @uablspringer. And sorry to hear that. Before suggesting further actions can you share a recording of what you’re seeing when clicking on the grey “Verify your ownership” button? A screen recording of your experience. You can use a service such as Loom or RecordIt to share a screen recording, while using the same form previously used to share this privately.?

Based on what I can see in the video I can provide further instructions so we can get your site verified.

I can’t install those. But I can copy/paste the messages.

Verification method:
HTML tag

Failure reason:
We couldn’t find your verification meta tag.

Please fix your implementation and reverify, or use another verification method.

Verification method:
Google Analytics

Failure reason:
We could not find any Google Analytics tracking codes on the index page of your site.

Please fix your implementation and reverify, or use another verification method.

The other verification methods do not apply. (manual HTML tag, Tag Manager, Domain name provider)

Thanks for the update @uablspringer. What we’ll try in that case is to disconnect your Google account from Site Kit. This will mean the plugin will attempt to verify your site once more.

When performing the above, please use a Chrome browser incognito window. Let me know how you get on, or ask if you have any questions. Thank you!

Ended up having to reauthorize everything in Site Kit. It works but is there no way to quickly verify through search console itself?

Glad to hear that @uablspringer. Appreciate you sharing an update on this.

It works but is there no way to quickly verify through search console itself?

If you’re using Site Kit, the plugin will verify ownership for you. When it comes to verifying your site independently of Site Kit, you can use this guide. The method of verification Site Kit uses is a virtual html upload file, however, there is no physical file placed.

Let me know if you have any further questions with the above.