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How to verify your website

Before we run a full-site crawl, browser check or visual check on a site, we ask you to prove it's yours. It takes a couple of minutes and you only do it once per website.

Why? These checks send a lot more traffic to a site than a normal scan. Verification makes sure nobody can point them at a site they don't control. Scan Now and automatic monitoring work without it.

1. Get your verification code

Each website has its own random code. Sign in, open My Websites, click your site, and you'll see it in the Verify you own this website box, with copy buttons. A site that isn't verified yet has a Not verified badge in the list.

2. Publish the code on your site

Pick one of these two methods.

Option A — add a meta tag (works on every platform)

Add this line inside the <head> of your homepage, using your own code:

<meta name="cuttlefish-verification" content="YOUR-CODE-HERE">

We check the homepage of your site (for example https://example.com/), even if the website you saved is a deeper page.

Option B — publish a text file

Create a plain text file named cuttlefish-verification.txt that contains only your code, and make it available at:

https://your-site.com/.well-known/cuttlefish-verification.txt

This needs access to your site's files (FTP, your host's file manager, or SSH). Website builders like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and Webflow generally don't let you place files at that path — use the meta tag there.

Platform guides

Menus and plan requirements change from time to time — if something looks different, the platform's own documentation (linked below) is the source of truth.

Meta tag, using a plugin (no code editing):

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New and install a header-code plugin such as Head & Footer Code, then activate it.
  2. Go to Tools → Head & Footer Code.
  3. Paste the meta tag into the HEAD section and save.

Text file: upload cuttlefish-verification.txt into a .well-known folder in your site's root directory (usually public_html) using your host's file manager or FTP.

If you use a caching plugin or a CDN, clear the cache afterwards so the new tag is visible.

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store (Themes). Shopify recommends duplicating your theme first as a backup.
  2. Click the … menu next to your live theme and choose Edit code.
  3. Open theme.liquid (in the Layout folder).
  4. Paste the meta tag on a new line just after the opening <head> tag, then click Save.

Use the meta tag on Shopify — the text-file method isn't available. Official guide: Edit theme code. Note that a theme update can replace your edits, so re-check after updating or switching themes.

  1. In your site's dashboard, open Settings, then Custom Code (under Development & integrations).
  2. Click + Add Custom Code and paste the meta tag.
  3. Give it a name, set Add Code to Pages to All pages, and Place Code in to Head.
  4. Click Apply, then publish your site.

Your site must be published and have a connected domain. If you later change the domain, Wix removes custom code snippets — add it again. Official guide: Embedding custom code.

  1. Open the Code Injection panel from your site's settings (the official guide below shows where it is in your version of Squarespace).
  2. Paste the meta tag into the Header field.
  3. Click Save.

Code Injection requires a plan that includes it (Core, Plus or Advanced, plus some older plans). Official guide: Using code injection.

  1. Open Site settings and go to the Custom code tab.
  2. Paste the meta tag into the Head code box.
  3. Click Save changes, then publish the site.

Custom code only appears on the published site, and needs a paid site plan. Official guide: Custom code in head and body tags.

Meta tag: open your homepage file (usually index.html or index.php), paste the tag between <head> and </head>, and upload it.

Text file: in cPanel's File Manager (or over FTP), open public_html, create a folder named .well-known (show hidden files if you can't see it), and create cuttlefish-verification.txt inside it containing only your code.

3. Check it, then click Verify

Before clicking Verify ownership, confirm the code is really live:

  • Meta tag: open your homepage in a private/incognito window, right-click, choose View page source, and search for cuttlefish-verification.
  • Text file: open the file's address in your browser. You should see only your code.

Then go back to your website's page in the dashboard and click Verify ownership.

Troubleshooting

"We couldn't find your verification code"
The most common causes: the tag is in the <body> instead of the <head>; a page cache or CDN is still serving the old page (clear it); the site is in maintenance mode or behind a login or password; or the code was copied with extra characters or spaces.
"We couldn't reach your site"
Make sure the site is up and publicly reachable. A firewall, bot protection or security plugin may be blocking automated requests — allow the user agent CuttlefishQA-Scanner.
My site redirects between www and non-www, or http and https
That's fine, we follow redirects. Just make sure the tag or file is on the address people end up on.
I changed my domain
Add the website again under its new address — each website gets its own code.
The text file shows a download prompt or extra text
The file must be plain text, served successfully, and contain only your code (a trailing new line is fine).

Still stuck? Contact us and include your website's address — we're happy to help.