Serious problem with firebug

[Ray Fauteux]

I've struggled for years trying to verify my site with Google.

How on earth can they make something so complicated as many people who are not computer experts struggle with this issue.

They do say to paste the meta tag into the home page head section before the body, but finding that code on my wordpress site has been an epic journey as I'm not very computer or html  savvy.

I had someone else build the site for me a few years ago and I have struggled every time technical issues come up.

Anyway, I came across Firefly and I thought I finally had the answer.

While I was on my home page I clicked on the firefly bug and there was the code for the home page.........

The very first line above the home page code said  Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here and I thought I'd hit the jackpot. There was the spot my verification code was supposed to go after looking for it for several years and I was even being told exactly where to put it.

So I did what it said and copied and pasted my google generated meta tag code into the spot.

I can't believe what happened next.

If you go to my site  www.Ironstruck.com   you will see near the top of the page(and the rest of my visitors from around the world I guess) in very bold black and white the words.................Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here

What the!!!! 

Now my website is screwed up because of this  and I have absolutely no idea how to get that text off my home page.

The worst part is, the meta code I copied in the spot I was directed to is no longer there when I checked back with firebug.

The same words are back again..........Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here

So although I copied the correct meta code into the right spot there seems to be no way to save the change and it just reverts back to the same Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here and the meta code has disappeared.

So I have two questions......

1)How do I fix my homepage and get Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here text out of there?

2)If that is indeed the correct place to put my verification code, how do I get it to stay there? How do you save the change you make to the code when you use Firebug? 

I really need help with this, because I should not have that printing on top of my home page.

I'm afraid someone will see it and take it as an invitation of some sort and screw around with my website.

I tried Wordpress and they don't have any support for their customers.


Thanks in advance.

[Sebastian Zartner]

Please note that your question is unrelated to Firebug and you should better ask in a Google or WordPress forum. Though I'll try to point you at the right resources.
 

1)How do I fix my homepage and get Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here text out of there?

You're obviously not the only one having that problem. A quick search for 'Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here' gave me that links:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/webmasters/_S_g0SSjBUU/kVt_1WZxUO4J
http://wordpress.org/support/topic/how-to-remove-paste-your-google-webmaster-tools-verification-code-here-from-si

2)If that is indeed the correct place to put my verification code, how do I get it to stay there? How do you save the change you make to the code when you use Firebug?

Firebug works on the client side. It basically doesn't have access to things on the server side. So in this case it is not the right tool.

A good tutorial for how to set up your WordPress Website in Google Webmaster Tools can be found here:
https://managewp.com/how-to-set-up-your-wordpress-website-in-google-webmaster-tools

I tried Wordpress and they don't have any support for their customers.

Of course they have:
http://wordpress.org/support/

And Google also has a support forum for their Webmaster Tools:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/webmasters

Sebastian

[Ray Fauteux]

Thanks for your reply.......

I finally figured out where to find the right code and now have my site verified. I had to find php.header and put it in there.

There is no wordpress support other than more forums unfortunately. They have no phone number or online help.

However that is not my real problem right now.

If you click on my website  Ironstruck.com and look at the top of the page you will see in white print on a black background the words.............Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here

I don't know how it ended up there and I would really like to know how to get rid of it if anyone happens to know.

Thanks

[Ray Fauteux]

As a sidenote, I was using firebug when the text showed up at the top of my page so I'm sure it's the cause and I have disabled firebug but have no idea how to get rid of the text  Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here  that's currently on top of my homepage.......well, all my pages.

On Saturday, April 26, 2014 4:54:01 PM UTC-6, Ray Fauteux wrote:

[Sebastian Zartner]

Obviously you didn't follow the links I provided in the other mail.

To quote Krishna from the WordPress forum: "That's inserted by Google Webmaster Tools plugin. Deactivate/ delete it and see if it goes away."
Hope that also solves the problem for you.

Sebastian

[Ray Fauteux]

Thanks again

I missed the link you posted the first time.

I spent hours going through all my files, but you (and Krishna)were quite right.

I had completely forgotten that I had tried the verification plugin a few weeks ago. It didn't work and forgot to delete it. I deleted it and the problem is solved!

On Saturday, April 26, 2014 4:54:01 PM UTC-6, Ray Fauteux wrote:

[Lawrence San]

>> "I was using firebug when the text showed up at the top of my page so I'm sure it's the cause"

Just because two things happen at the same time doesn't mean one of them caused the other one. Or, as the saying goes, "correlation does not equal causation."

Firebug did not cause your problem. It is not capable of changing the text on your website in such a way that other people online could see the change.

[Sebastian Zartner]

Firebug did not cause your problem. It is not capable of changing the text on your website in such a way that other people online could see the change.

Absolutely right. Firebug is working on the client side. It doesn't have access to the files on the server side.

There is no wordpress support other than more forums unfortunately. They have no phone number or online help.

Note that just because they don't have telephone support doesn't mean they don't have any support at all. If you've asked in their forums, they'd surely have helped you, too. (And btw. you could get your problem solved without phone support, right? :-) )

Anyway, I'm glad I could help.

Sebastian