Verifying Site Ownership

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To monitor your website's security, SecurityBot needs to verify that you actually own the domain. This prevents unauthorized users from monitoring sites they don't control. SecurityBot can very site ownership via a DNS TXT record or by reviewing a verification file uploaded to your website server.

DNS Record Verification

Add a TXT record to your domain's DNS settings:

  • Type: TXT
  • Name: _securitybot
  • Value: Your unique verification code (provided in the dashboard)
  • TTL: 300 (or your default)

To add a TXT record to your DNS settings, follow these steps:

  1. Go to your domain registrar or DNS provider
  2. Navigate to DNS management
  3. Add the TXT record with the provided code
  4. Click "Verify" in your SecurityBot dashboard
  5. Verification typically takes 1-5 minutes

For example if you use Cloudflare then after adding the TXT record your site's DNS table should look like this:

Cloudflare DNS Settings Example

HTML File Upload Verification

Upload a verification file to your website's root directory:

  1. Download the verification file from your dashboard
  2. Upload it to https://yourdomain.com/securitybot-verification.html
  3. Ensure the file is publicly accessible
  4. Click "Verify" in your dashboard

Place this tag in the <head> section of your homepage HTML.

Troubleshooting

DNS Verification Issues

  • DNS propagation: Changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate globally
  • Correct record type: Ensure you're using TXT, not CNAME or A records
  • Subdomain vs root: Some providers require @ instead of the subdomain

File Upload Issues

  • File accessibility: Test by visiting the verification URL directly
  • Server permissions: Ensure your web server can serve HTML files
  • Caching: Clear any CDN or server-side caching

Meta Tag Issues

  • Placement: Meta tag must be in the <head> section
  • Homepage only: The tag must be on your exact homepage URL
  • Case sensitivity: Ensure the content matches exactly

Security Notes

  • Verification codes are unique to your account
  • Codes expire after 30 days if unused
  • You can regenerate codes if needed
  • Remove verification files/tags after successful verification (optional)

Next Steps

Once your site is verified, SecurityBot will begin monitoring:

  • SSL certificate status
  • Security headers
  • DNS records
  • Server status
  • Security.txt files
  • Robots.txt configuration

For more advanced monitoring options, see our SecurityBot University guides.