What is a Domain property in Search Console?

Search Console property, explained

Google's help page on adding a property explains the two types. A Domain property, like example.com, includes all subdomains (www, m, blog and so on) and multiple protocols (http, https). It can only be verified with a DNS record, except for sites hosted by Google. A URL-prefix property, like https://www.example.com/, includes only URLs that begin with that exact prefix, including protocol, and supports several verification methods such as an HTML file, a meta tag or Google Analytics.

For most startups, a Domain property is the right default. It shows all your traffic in one place, including variants you didn't know were live, like http:// or a stray subdomain. If some pages show up under www and others under the bare domain, a Domain property catches both.

URL-prefix properties are still useful as extras. You can add one for a section, like https://example.com/blog/, to get a filtered view with its own reports. Some reports and features also need a root-level property: the Crawl Stats report works only on Domain properties or root-level URL-prefix properties, and Google's branded queries filter is limited to top-level properties. You can manage up to 1,000 properties in one account.

Verification is ongoing. If someone removes the DNS record or meta tag, you lose access, so leave the verification in place and add teammates as users instead of sharing a login.

Why it matters for founders

Setting up a URL-prefix property for only https://www. can hide half your data. A Domain property avoids that from day one.

Example

You verify example.com as a Domain property with a DNS TXT record, then add https://example.com/blog/ as a URL-prefix property to watch the blog on its own.

Common mistakes

• Only a URL-prefix property for one protocol or hostname.
• Removing the DNS record after verifying.
• Sharing one Google login instead of adding users.
• Expecting every report to work on a subfolder property.