Meta domain verification step by step: meta tag, HTML file or DNS

What to do first

Decide who will make the change. You need access to either your website’s files or your domain’s DNS settings. If your site is built on a hosted platform, check whether it has a built-in field for Meta verification. You also need full control of the business portfolio to add domains.

Step 1: Add the domain

Open Meta Business Suite, go to Settings, then Brand safety, then Domains, and choose Add. Enter your root domain such as example.com, not a page address or a subdomain, and follow the prompts.

Step 2: Choose a method

• Meta tag: paste the supplied tag into the head section of your home page.
• HTML file: upload the provided file to your site’s root so it opens at the address Meta shows.
• DNS TXT record: add the TXT record to your domain’s DNS zone.

Pick the method you can complete today. The tag is easiest on many website builders; DNS is more durable if you change site platforms often.

Step 3: Verify

Return to Meta and choose Verify domain. DNS changes can take time to propagate, so if it fails right after you add a record, wait and try again later. If a meta tag fails, check that it’s on the page Meta can read, not behind a login, and that caching hasn’t kept an old copy.

Step 4: Troubleshoot

Common causes include verifying a subdomain instead of the root domain, a record added to the wrong DNS zone, a site that redirects the root domain to a different one, and a developer tool that strips the tag. Meta’s developer documentation on domain verification includes a debugging guide for these.

Who should own this task?

Domain verification sits between marketing and whoever manages the website, which is why it often stalls. Decide in advance who has the registrar login and who can edit the site. If an agency built your website, ask them to add the tag or record, and make sure the domain is registered in your business’s name, not theirs. Verification tells Meta your business controls the domain; if someone else controls it, you’re stuck whenever they’re unavailable.

What not to do

• Don’t verify a domain you don’t own or ask someone to verify yours on their portfolio without agreeing who owns it.
• Don’t delete the record the same minute you click verify. Wait until Meta confirms success.
• Don’t paste the code from someone else’s account. Each code is unique to your portfolio.

After it’s verified

Meta’s help pages say you can remove the tag or record afterwards, but many teams leave it in place so the verification isn’t lost during a site rebuild. Note down who owns the domain registration, and keep the login in a shared password manager.