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Search Console, Bing, Meta domain: step by step

Created 2026-10-31.

Three free registrations for alpformflow.ch that we do now, while the site is the "opening soon" page. None of them adds code to the website or tracks visitors, so no cookie banner or privacy policy is needed. Each one only needs a TXT record in the domain's DNS at Infomaniak.

# Platform What it gives us Time
1 Google Search Console How Google indexes the site, which searches show it, errors 15 min + waiting
2 Bing Webmaster Tools The same for Bing (which also feeds ChatGPT and Copilot answers) 5 min
3 Meta domain verification Proves to Meta that the domain belongs to our business portfolio; needed later for the Pixel and for ads 10 min + waiting

Search Console keeps data for about 16 months from the day of verification, so the sooner, the better.

Statistics, the Google tag, Google Ads and the Meta Pixel come later, with the real website, its privacy policy and the cookie banner. See Website: ads, SEO and analytics.

Before you start

  • The business Gmail login. Search Console and Bing belong to the salon, not to a personal account.
  • The Infomaniak login (the account that holds the domain).
  • For step 3: a Facebook profile with full control of the business portfolio Alpform & Flow Massage.

How to add a TXT record at Infomaniak

Steps 1 and 3 each give you a text to put into the DNS. It is the same procedure both times (Infomaniak help):

  1. Log in at manager.infomaniak.com → Domains → alpformflow.ch.
  2. In the left menu: DNS zone → Add an entry.
  3. Type: TXT → Next.
  4. Source / name: leave it empty (or @): the record is for alpformflow.ch itself.
  5. Value: paste the text from Google or Meta exactly, without spaces before or after.
  6. TTL: leave the default. Save.

Do not change the existing records

The DNS zone already has a TXT record starting with v=spf1 (it makes our email work) and the MX records for the mailbox. Add new records; do not edit or delete these. Several TXT records on the same name are normal.

A new record usually works within minutes, sometimes up to 48 hours. If a "Verify" button fails, wait an hour and try again.

1. Google Search Console

  1. Log in to the business Gmail and open search.google.com/search-console.
  2. Add property → choose Domain (the left box, not "URL prefix") → enter alpformflow.ch → Continue.
    • "Domain" covers everything at once: https://, http://, with and without www.
  3. Google shows a TXT record like google-site-verification=…. Copy it.
  4. Add it at Infomaniak (see above).
  5. Back in Search Console: Verify.
  6. Submit the sitemap: left menu Sitemaps → enter sitemap.xml (the full address is https://alpformflow.ch/sitemap.xml) → Submit. Status "Success" can take a day.
  7. Ask Google to read the home page: at the top, paste https://alpformflow.ch/ into URL inspection → Request indexing. Do the same for /de/, /fr/, /it/.
  8. Add the second person: Settings → Users and permissions → Add user → their Gmail → Full (or Owner).

After a few days, Performance shows searches and clicks, and Pages shows which pages Google has indexed.

When the full website goes live: keep the same sitemap address and replace the file. Google re-reads it by itself; Sitemaps → the sitemap → Resubmit makes it faster. Pages that move to a new address get a 301 redirect in .htaccess.

1b. Instagram in Search Console

Done on 2026-10-31. Search Console can also show which Google searches lead to @alpformflow ("platform properties", since July 2026). It supports Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube, not Facebook.

  • Added via Add property → Instagram, authorised with the Instagram login.
  • Both of us need access here too: Settings → Users and permissions.
  • Add TikTok or YouTube the same way if we ever open those accounts.

2. Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing can copy the verified site from Search Console, so no second DNS record is needed (Bing blog).

  1. Do step 1 first, and wait until Search Console shows the site as verified.
  2. Open bing.com/webmasters → Sign in with Google → the business Gmail.
  3. Choose Import from Google Search Console (not "Add your site manually") → allow access.
  4. Tick alpformflow.ch → Import. Bing verifies it and takes the sitemap too.
  5. Add the second person: Settings (⚙) → User management → Add user → their email → Administrator.

Bing keeps access to Search Console for this. If someone later removes that access, Bing asks to verify again.

3. Meta domain verification

  1. Open business.facebook.com/settings and pick the portfolio Alpform & Flow Massage (top left).
  2. Left menu: Brand safety and suitability → Domains → Add → enter alpformflow.ch (without https:// or www) → Add domain.
  3. Choose Update DNS TXT record (or "DNS verification"). Meta shows a value like facebook-domain-verification=…. Copy it.
  4. Add it at Infomaniak (see above).
  5. Back at Meta: Verify domain. Meta sometimes needs up to 72 hours; the status changes to Verified.

A domain can be verified by only one business portfolio. If Meta says it is already claimed, tell us before doing anything else.

Done on 2026-10-31, with two more settings on the same screen:

  • Connected assets: the Page Alpform & Flow Massage is added to the domain. Only linked Pages may edit the link preview of alpformflow.ch in their posts. Add only our own Page.
  • WhatsApp accounts (in the same menu): not yet. Linking needs a WhatsApp Business number, and the WhatsApp Business Platform takes the number away from the normal WhatsApp app. We connect it once the salon has its own number (eSIM).

Check together

  • [ ] Search Console: property alpformflow.ch (type Domain) is verified; sitemap submitted; both of us have access.
  • [ ] Search Console: Instagram property @alpformflow added; both of us have access.
  • [ ] Bing Webmaster Tools: alpformflow.ch imported and verified; both of us have access.
  • [ ] Meta business portfolio: domain alpformflow.ch is Verified.
  • [ ] The Infomaniak DNS zone still has the v=spf1 record and the MX records; an email to info@alpformflow.ch still arrives.
  • [ ] The TXT records stay in the DNS for good: if one is deleted, the platform loses the verification.

Sources