Walkthrough · Beginner · 5 minutes per service
How to Add TXT Records for Verification
Prove you own the domain to Google, Microsoft or any service that asks for it — a hands-on walkthrough in plain words that names the classic mistake before you reach it.
The short answer
One line covers it: prove you own the domain to Google, Microsoft or any service that asks for it — a beginner-level job of roughly 5 minutes per service.
Below is the full run of steps, the error most people trip over, and the short cut worth remembering. On Hosting & Domains plans several steps are already automated away — the guide marks each one.
By the Hosting & Domains team · Reviewed 18 August 2026
Beginner
Skill rating
Quick
Time budget
4
Steps in total
24/7
Support on call
No technical background needed. This walkthrough was written for first-timers, proven on our own hardware, and honest about which parts are genuinely tricky rather than merely unfamiliar.
A promise before step one: nothing here is a one-way door. Any step with teeth is flagged, and the way back is printed beside it.
The route, mapped end to end
Over the whole job, you will take the token exactly as given, add it where dns actually answers, note how your panel treats the host field and wait a short while, then confirm.
No part of this needs code or a terminal unless the guide says so plainly — and where it does, the exact commands are printed. The step-by-step is below, with the surrounding sections supplying the context that makes it hold.
The error nearly everyone hits
Putting the record at a DNS provider that is not authoritative for the name. The panel saves it happily, it all looks correct, and the service asking for it will never see it.
It earns a section of its own because it is no obscure edge case — it is the single commonest reason this task reaches a support queue. Knowing it in advance turns the whole job from risky into routine.
The habit that keeps this easy for good
Resist clearing out old verification TXT records as clutter. Plenty of services re-verify quietly on a schedule, and removing a token un-verifies the domain weeks later with nothing obvious to point at.
A minute spent now repays itself every time this job comes round again — and like almost every hosting job, come round it will.
The steps already done before you arrive
Steps that never deserved your time are taken out: certificates issue and reissue themselves, the installer handles application setup, the daily copy absorbs the what-ifs, and per-site settings live in a panel rather than a configuration file. The guide covers the remainder — the part that is actually about your site.
Stopped mid-guide at an awkward hour? That is exactly what round-the-clock support is for — say which step you are on and we take it from there.
Why this job is shorter on our plans
Every walkthrough in this library is run on the platform we actually operate — cPanel, LiteSpeed, NVMe, one-click installs — so the instructions match your screen rather than gesturing at it from a distance.
Mailboxes at your own name are part of the plan — mail is included, not sold back to you at the checkout.
- Every step checked exactly as published
- The snag named before it arrives
- The dull steps taken out of your way
- People reachable at any hour you stall
Why Hosting & Domains
Standard on every plan
Works exactly as printed
Every step is proven on the platform we run — none of the 'your host may vary' hedging.
Jargon never charges you
Every term is defined on the spot or linked to the jargon buster — nothing assumes prior knowledge.
4 steps, nothing padded
Each stage is a few minutes of steady clicking, and the fiddly moments are labelled fiddly.
The dull parts automated
SSL, backups and installs look after themselves here, leaving the guide to cover only what is genuinely yours.
Help that keeps your hours, not ours
Stuck on step three at midnight? Support answers at any hour, mid-walkthrough included.
The snag, flagged up front
The classic error for this particular task is named before step one, which is how 5 minutes per service stays 5 minutes per service.
Quick Start
Order placed to site online
- 1
Take the token exactly as given
The service's verification page produces a unique string, usually google-site-verification= followed by a long code. Copy every character of it, prefix included, straight from the page.
- 2
Add it where DNS actually answers
Open Zone Editor and pick Add TXT. The host is normally @, meaning the root domain, unless the service says otherwise. Put the token in the value field and save.
- 3
Note how your panel treats the host field
Panels differ: some want @, some want the domain written out, and some quietly add your domain to whatever you type. The classic result is yourdomain.com.yourdomain.com and no clue why verification keeps failing.
- 4
Wait a short while, then confirm
TXT records move quickly on a low TTL. Leave it a few minutes, press verify at the service, and try once more before you suspect a real fault.
Built In
Fitted to every plan
- SSH, Git and Composer on the developer plans
- Money back within 30 days on hosting plans, 7 on reseller
- Spam and virus screening on every mailbox by default
- Free SSL on every plan, reissued before the old one lapses
- A daily copy, with restores you run yourself from the panel
- Staging copies for trying a change before it goes live
- A renewal figure identical to the one you registered at
- PHP versions set per site from the control panel
- WordPress and 400+ further applications installed in one click
- 99.9% uptime as the target, watched around the clock
Frequently Asked
The questions that come up most
Can one domain hold several TXT records?
As many as you need. Verification tokens and service strings sit alongside each other without trouble. The one exception is SPF: exactly one SPF record, because publishing a second invalidates mail authentication for both.
How soon can the service read a new TXT record?
Usually within minutes on hosted DNS with sensible TTLs. Still failing an hour on? Check two things: that the zone you edited is the one the name delegates to, and that the host field has not duplicated the domain name.
Do plans include copies I can restore myself?
Yes — every plan gets a daily copy, and the restore runs from your panel in minutes: files, databases or both, at three in the morning with no ticket queue in the way. Keeping a further copy offsite is still a sound habit, and nothing here stops you.
Where does the hardware physically sit?
The platform runs from a London datacentre with redundant power, cooling and several upstream carriers, with server-level caching in front that keeps cached pages quick for visitors anywhere. For most sites how the platform is built — NVMe disks, LiteSpeed, restrained account density per machine — counts for far more than where it sits.
Keep reading
How to Harden a Site With .htaccess
A few deliberate lines that put defences at the server, in front of your application — advanced level, about 30 minutes.
How to Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Render a stolen password worthless on every login worth defending — beginner level, about 15 minutes.
TXT Record (Glossary)
The plain-English definition this page rests on, with a worked example.
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