Google Issues

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

I can't get google to find my new site. Let me tell you what I did.
I took the old key from my Ning site and used it here.
I tried to get a sitemap, but google said :
General HTTP error: 404 not found
HTTP Error: 404

Is the issue that the old site is still up and running but under .ning.com or the sitemap being rejected?
updated by @perrie: 01/20/16 09:59:17AM

@douglas
9 years ago
2,790 posts

What URL did you use for the sitemap and did you generate a sitemap for your site using the ACP > Tools > Sitemap Generator?

Also, what Google key are you entering and where are you adding it?

Thanks!

--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Hi Douglas

I URL I used was: thenewstalkers.com to generate the site map and yes I did use the generator.

The google key was the one from my old site and I am entering it using the spot on the ACP>tools>Google Analytics
.

@douglas
9 years ago
2,790 posts

The sitemap URL should be thenewstalkers.com/sitemap.xml

The google Tracking ID your entering, is it the one from your Google Analytics account?

You may want to login to your Google Analytics account and make sure you have the correct Tracking ID. You can find it by going to your Admin > Property > Property Settings.

--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

It seems that I have to reverify my domain first, since I accidently changed it from thenewstalkers.com to www.thenewstalkers.com. I just spoke to Godaddy and they say that they are not my domain service. I am guessing that since I am using the Jamroom servers, you must be my domain service. Is that right?

@paul
9 years ago
4,326 posts

GoDaddy ARE your domain service. You registered thenewstalkers.com there, they still hold it and you are using their name servers to point to JR Hosting.

--
Paul Asher - JR Developer and System Import Specialist

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Thanks Paul! I will get hold of them again.

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

OK just got off the phone with Godaddy and they say that the DNS is with linode.com. So I went to their site and I have no information to give them. BTW according to Godaddy, they still see Ning on there, too. Is that for the .ning.com service?
updated by @perrie: 10/13/15 12:53:07PM

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

This is going down the wrong path here - it has nothing to do with Linode or Godaddy. You should log in to your Google Webmaster Tools account and get the Google Code that is needed on your site, then enter it into the Jamroom Meta Tag Manager module using the "google-site-verification" Tag Name to create a new tag, and the Value you get from Google as the Tag Value.

This is not related to DNS.

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Brian,

Here is the issue. I accidently deleted the url thenewstalkers.com. In order to get that back (and my google search ranking) I have to reverify and there are a limited number of ways to do that. Here are the methods:

Domain name provider
Sign in to your domain name provider.

HTML tag
Add a meta tag to your site's home page. (which they give you)

Google Analytics
Use your Google Analytics account.
(no good since it must be put on every page of the site)

So that is where I am at.

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

The process I outlined above is the second one:

Quote:
HTML tag
Add a meta tag to your site's home page. (which they give you)

That is what the Meta Tag Manager module does for you.

Hope this helps!

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

It didn't verify.

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

perrie:
It didn't verify.

I am looking at your site right now I can see that the google-site-verification meta tag is NOT on your site. I've just logged in to your ACP I can see that you have not properly added it.

You need to:

- Delete the existing google-site-verification entry from the Meta Tag Browser by clicking on the "delete" button
- down below create a NEW Meta Tag:

- Tag Name: google-site-verification
- Tag Value: This needs to the long string value you received at Google
- Tag Location: Skin Template: index.tpl

We're doing that here on jamroom.net and I know it works.

Let me know if that helps.

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Nope still nothing. I am wondering if it has to do with the fact that I used my old code from Ning here, where you put your google ID. But that was recommended to do, if you were not changing your URL, which I didn't.
There is a long list of reasons why verification wouldn't happen here:
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35638?hl=en&ref_topic=4564314&vid=1-635803698324456589-4109994045

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

I see you are still missing the value.

Send the Google code to us in a support ticket and I will add it to your meta tag manager for you.

Thanks!

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Brian,
I swear I put the value in there. What happened after that I don't know.
But I will send you a ticket with the missing google code.

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

perrie:
Brian,
I swear I put the value in there. What happened after that I don't know.
But I will send you a ticket with the missing google code.

You want to put in only string in the CONTENT part - not all the HTML that Google gives you - just the part between the quotes right after:

content="put in this value"

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

Strumelia
@strumelia
9 years ago
3,603 posts

Perrie did you get your site verified with Google?

I did it via google's 'add html tag to site' method. If you know how to connect/upload to your server via Filezilla or other method, I could help you with that, it was not hard once I figured out what they wanted.

--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Thanks so much for the offer. You are such a good friend!!

Brian tried it with the html and still nada. It won't verify. This is my old account from Ning because search ranking is affected when you change your key.
I am at a loss at this point. I might have to get a new API
Ugg.

Strumelia
@strumelia
9 years ago
3,603 posts

Did you just plunk the whole google .html file you downloaded right into your public_html folder, here?:

/sites/thenewstalkers.com/public_html

It needs to go INTO the public_html folder, just as it is. It didn't work when I put the .html google file simply into sites/fotmd.com folder.

--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Actually I used the google tool to do it (although Brian had to fix it a tad). He says it should work, but it doesn't. I am hoping that I get an answer from the google board, but I won't hold my breath and I will have to verify by doing a whole new account, which will really kill my page ranking!

Strumelia
@strumelia
9 years ago
3,603 posts

I don't think you can use the google tool to upload it to your site Perrie.
I'm wondering if you actually did what was needed.
Did you ever figure out how to use a program like Filezilla to connect to your server and upload/download files?

--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Strumelia,
Brian did it, after I tried to do it. But hey, maybe you are right. IDK?

Strumelia
@strumelia
9 years ago
3,603 posts

Well, just make sure that the Google .html file that is downloaded gets placed, unchanged, in your public_html folder and is just left there. Once it's there you just go back and click on the 'verify' button on the google verify page. I think it's just a marker with a number to let Google know you own the site and can put something there in your server. Once google 'sees' that you put it there, it tells them you have access to and control/own the site.

--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015

@michael
9 years ago
7,714 posts

Should be as easy as what Strumelia says. I usually use the META tag option and put it in the meta.tpl file, but either way should work. As long as you can see it and google can see it then their VERIFY button should be able to see it.

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

Perrie's site is already setup with the proper google-site-validation Meta Tag, so it should work. Note that you can EITHER upload a file to your server OR set the Meta Tag - it works both ways.

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

Strumelia
@strumelia
9 years ago
3,603 posts

Ah, good to know Perrie is now 'verified'.

--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

Nope not verified. Neither google analytics has found me and when you do a site test, site:thenewstalkers.com.... nada. I am also going around in circles with the google experts. No one can figure this one out. I might have to start from scratch. Ugg.

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

perrie:
Nope not verified. Neither google analytics has found me and when you do a site test, site:thenewstalkers.com.... nada. I am also going around in circles with the google experts. No one can figure this one out. I might have to start from scratch. Ugg.

If Google can't figure it out, then I'm not sure how we can help.. sorry!

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

Strumelia
@strumelia
9 years ago
3,603 posts

brian:
Note that you can EITHER upload a file to your server OR set the Meta Tag - it works both ways.

Can you do BOTH? Or would they mess up or cancel each other out in some way?

--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015

@brian
9 years ago
10,148 posts

Yeah I think that would be worth a try. Note that I just helped another JR site do this exact same thing (add the google-site-verification meta tag) and it worked first time no problem - so I would also DOUBLE CHECK the value you are using and ensure it has been copied correctly.

--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net

@perrie
9 years ago
435 posts

I finally got the site verified, yay! Now that I have, there seems to be a small issue with multiple versions of my site on the server. I am not sure if I should try to take care of that from this end, or their end.

Strumelia
@strumelia
9 years ago
3,603 posts

Not sure if this is what you are referring to, but- You want to be sure that at least two versions of your correct domain are verified on google: the www version and the non-www version... both mysite.com AND www.mysite.com
But you then select which version you prefer people to be directed to- there's a checkbox somewhere there in those same google verification area settings.

Itrashed my old .ning.com site while in my google analytics account- you can delete it. But it will still show up, just crossed out. (i guess that's part of your 'history'). You may also see warnings later on about your old ning site having no hits or having an 'unconfirmed URL' or some such ...DUH. Just ignore that as long as you've deleted the ning site URL/domain whatever.

--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015
updated by @strumelia: 10/20/15 05:03:05PM