Search engine verification meta tags on top 1M homepages by platform
| Platform | Google tag | Bing tag | Homepages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | 76.9% | 23.5% | 899 |
| Shopify | 72.2% | 2.2% | 47,127 |
| Webflow | 35.2% | 3.1% | 2,589 |
| WordPress | 30.2% | 6.0% | 113,593 |
| Squarespace | 11.7% | 3.7% | 513 |
| Other or custom | 16.9% | 2.4% | 618,129 |
| All homepages | 22.3% | 2.9% | 782,850 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. Meta tags only; DNS and file verification are invisible to the crawl, so these are floor values.
Summary
To see a site's data in Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools, the owner first has to prove they control it. One common way is a meta tag in the homepage HTML: google-site-verification for Google and msvalidate.01 for Bing. Because the tag sits in the page, a crawl can count it.
We checked 782,850 homepages in the top 1M sites. 174,678 of them, 22.3%, carry a google-site-verification meta tag, and only 2.9% carry Bing's msvalidate.01. Hosted platforms lead on Google tags, and Bing tags are rare almost everywhere.
What we measured
We used the HTTP Archive crawl from September 2026, mobile, covering the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic, and read the meta elements on each homepage. A homepage counts when it has a meta element named exactly google-site-verification or msvalidate.01. Platform is the detected site platform, and popularity tiers come from the Chrome traffic rank.
These are floor values. Sites can also verify through a DNS record or an uploaded file, and neither shows up in a crawl of the homepage. So the real share of verified sites is higher than these figures, and the numbers below measure meta-tag verification only. They are not a measure of how many sites use Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.
More than one in five homepages carry a Google tag
22.3% of the 782,850 homepages we checked, 174,678 in total, carry a google-site-verification meta tag. Bing's msvalidate.01 is far rarer, at 2.9% of homepages (22,933).
Both figures are a lower bound. Many sites verify with Google through DNS, especially when they verify a whole domain at once, and that method leaves nothing in the page for a crawler to see.
22.3%
Share of 782,850 top-1M homepages with a google-site-verification meta tag. DNS and file verification are not counted.
Hosted platforms lead on Google verification tags
Hosted platforms carry Google verification tags far more often than other sites. 76.9% of 899 Wix homepages and 72.2% of 47,127 Shopify homepages have one. That compares with 35.2% of 2,589 Webflow homepages, 30.2% of 113,593 WordPress homepages and 16.9% of 618,129 homepages on other or custom stacks. Squarespace is the low outlier among builders at 11.7% of 513.
The likely reason is the verification method each platform makes easy. Hosted platforms that offer a settings field or a guided setup usually add the meta tag for the site owner. On WordPress, SEO plugins offer the same field. On custom stacks, teams may be more likely to verify through DNS, which this crawl cannot see, so a low share there does not mean those sites are unverified.
Bing verification is rare everywhere except Wix
Bing verification tags are uncommon on every platform but one. 23.5% of Wix homepages carry msvalidate.01, against 6.0% of WordPress, 3.7% of Squarespace, 3.1% of Webflow, 2.2% of Shopify and 2.4% of other homepages.
The two tags rarely appear together. Only 9.2% of the 174,678 homepages with a Google verification tag also carry a Bing one (16,067). In the other direction, 6,866 homepages verify with Bing by meta tag but not with Google.
Part of the gap is likely because Bing Webmaster Tools can import sites that are already verified in Google Search Console, so many owners never need a Bing tag at all.
Bing tags grow with popularity, Google tags do not
Popularity changes the Bing figure but not the Google one. msvalidate.01 appears on 7.2% of 754 Top 1K homepages and 5.5% of 6,746 Top 10K homepages, then 4.1% in the Top 100K tier and only 2.8% in the Top 1M tier.
The google-site-verification tag, by contrast, stays between 20.5% and 22.5% in every tier. Large sites seem more likely to set up Bing directly, while the share of sites using a Google meta tag is about the same at every level of traffic.
What this means for your site
A verification tag is not a ranking signal. It only proves ownership so you can see your site's search data. What matters is that your site is verified in both tools and stays verified.
- Check both tools. If you only use Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools can import your verified sites from it, which takes a few minutes.
- Prefer DNS verification for a whole domain where you can. It covers every subdomain and protocol, and it survives theme changes.
- If you use a meta tag, keep it in the template that renders your homepage. Redesigns, theme switches and platform migrations often drop it, and verification can lapse without anyone noticing.
- Remove tags for old owners or agencies you no longer work with, and review who has access in each tool.
Sources
- HTTP Archive crawl, September 2026, mobile, top 1M sites by Chrome traffic, homepage meta elements
- Google Search Console Help, verify your site ownership (meta tag, HTML file and DNS record methods)
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of websites have a Google site verification tag?
22.3% of 782,850 top-1M homepages carry a google-site-verification meta tag. Sites can also verify through DNS or a file, which a crawl cannot see, so the real verification rate is higher.
How many websites have a Bing msvalidate.01 tag?
2.9% of 782,850 top-1M homepages carry Bing's msvalidate.01 meta tag. Wix is the exception at 23.5%, and the tag is more common on popular sites: 7.2% of Top 1K homepages.
Which platforms add Google verification tags most often?
Wix (76.9% of 899 homepages) and Shopify (72.2% of 47,127), against 35.2% of Webflow, 30.2% of WordPress and 16.9% of other or custom homepages.
Verification takes minutes to set up in both Google and Bing, and keeping it in place means you never lose sight of your site's search data. Need help with this? See our technical SEO services.