[AWS WordPress Guide #2] Registering with Google Search Console and Essential Settings for AdSense

(For the Korean version, click here)

Introduction: Registering Your Address After Building Your Home

In the previous post (#1), we built a ‘home’ using AWS Lightsail and added a ‘front gate’ with a domain. However, no one can find your home if the address isn’t registered. In this second part, I will explain the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) setup to ensure my posts appear in Google search results and the process of creating essential pages for Google AdSense approval.

1. Installing and Integrating Google Site Kit

To manage Google Search Console, Analytics, and AdSense in one place, I installed the official plugin, Site Kit by Google.

Process: After installing the plugin, I clicked [Start Setup] and linked it with my Google account.
Benefits: It was highly efficient from an engineer’s perspective because it completed the Search Console connection with just a few clicks, without needing to manually insert complex HTML codes.

2. Submitting a Sitemap to Google Search Console

Connection is just the beginning. You must tell the Google search robots, “Here is the map of my blog,” to speed up content indexing.

Access Google Search Console.
Click [Sitemaps] in the left menu.
Enter sitemap.xml in the Add a new sitemap field and click Submit.

💡 Result: I confirmed the green ‘Success’ message after submission. Now, whenever I write a post, Google bots will follow this map to visit my blog.

3. Mandatory Step for AdSense: Privacy Policy

For Google AdSense approval, you must have a Privacy Policy page that clearly states how visitor data is handled.

Method: I created a new page via the WordPress [Pages] menu.
Content: I included mandatory clauses regarding cookie collection and Google advertising cookies (DART).
Cleanup: To avoid duplicate content issues, I deleted the default English draft (Privacy Policy Draft) generated during WordPress installation and unified it into the Korean/English pages I created.

4. Improving UX: Menu Configuration

I placed the newly created pages in the menu so that visitors can find them easily.

Settings: Added the ‘Privacy Policy’ to the main menu under [Appearance] -> [Menus].
Housekeeping: Deleted the default “Hello World!” post to enhance the blog’s professionalism.

Conclusion: Ready for Operation

All technical settings for blog operation are now complete. From infrastructure to SEO, building a blog from an engineer’s perspective was a great opportunity to review the overall flow of web services.

Now, all that’s left is to fill this space with high-quality content. Please look forward to the various technical stories that will unfold on hwanfralog.com!