Google Integration
Sandvox Pro features integration with three of Google's services - Google Webmaster Tools, Google Sitemap and Google Analytics. This is accessed through the "Google" tab of the Site Inspector.
Site Verification
Site verification allows you to prove to Google that you own or manage a website.
To verify your site:
- Create an account with, and then sign into Google webmaster tools.
-
Add your site if you haven't already done so.
- Click the "verify" link next to your site.
- Select "Add a META tag" as the verification method.
- Open your site in Sandvox.
- Open the Site Inspector and go to the "Google" tab.
-
Copy the entirety of the code Google has given you and paste it into the box in the Inspector.
- Publish the site.
- Click the "Verify" button on Google's webpage.
Sitemap Activation
Google Sitemaps helps Google better understand how to search your site and increases the chances that a page within your site might be found by someone searching Google. (Note that this is entirely unrelated to Sandvox's Site Map page feature, and remember that this is a matter of enhancing visibility, not in any way a guarantee.)
To use Google Sitemap:
- Create an account with, and then sign into Google webmaster tools.
- Add your site if you haven't already done so, either by clicking the "Add" link from the list of all your websites, or clicking "Sitemaps" from the menu at the left for your website.
- Open your site in Sandvox.
- Open the Site Inspector and go to the "Google" tab.
- Check the "Generate Google Sitemap" box.
- Publish your site.
-
Copy the URL Sandvox gives you:
-
Paste that URL into the box on Google's webpage:
Make sure that the text field does not duplicate the first part of your URL, since Google already has that part.
- Click the "Submit Sitemap" button on Google's webpage.
Once you have set up Google Sitemaps on your website, Sandvox will automatically notify Google that your site has been updated each time you publish.
Analytics
Google Analytics allows you to analyze and better understand the traffic visiting your site.
To use Google Analytics with your site:
- Open the site in Sandvox.
- Open the Site Inspector.
- Go to the "Google" tab.
- Log into Google Analytics.
- Sign up your site for Google Analytics.
- When you reach the "Add Tracking" stage of the signup procedure, copy the code Google gives you. (If you already have an analytics account set up, you can find the code by clicking on the "Check Status" link from the Profile Settings page for your website.)
-
Paste this entire block into Sandvox. The code should look something like the gray placeholder text in Sandvox:
- Publish your site.
Note: either the New Tracking Code (ga.js) or the Legacy Tracking Code (urchin.js) technique will work. If you have been using the legacy code, we recommend changing this to the new code at your convenience, and then re-publishing your entire site.
