Norton Safe Web is a service that scans websites for malware, phishing, and other security risks, and can display a trust rating to shoppers who look your site up. Verifying ownership of your site with Norton Safe Web lets you claim your listing and see your site's safety rating. This article explains how to verify your site using a meta tag added through Code Snippets.
In This Article
- Prerequisites
- Why verify with Norton Safe Web?
- Step 1: Get your verification meta tag from Norton Safe Web
- Step 2: Add the meta tag to your site using Code Snippets
- Step 3: Confirm verification with Norton
- Best Practices
- Troubleshooting
- FAQs
- Additional Resources
Prerequisites
- Admin, Websites Manager, or Web Developer access to your DecoNetwork account.
- A Norton Safe Web account, used to request and confirm site verification.
Why verify with Norton Safe Web?
Verifying your site with Norton Safe Web confirms to Norton that you own the site, which lets you claim your listing and view the safety rating Norton shows to visitors who look your site up before shopping. A recognized safety rating can help build trust with new or unfamiliar shoppers, particularly on storefronts that don't yet have an established reputation.
Step 1: Get your verification meta tag from Norton Safe Web
- Go to Norton Safe Web and start the site verification process for your domain.
- Choose the meta tag verification method when Norton offers you a choice of verification options.
- Copy the exact meta tag Norton generates for your site. You'll need to paste this exactly as provided in the next step.
Norton's Verify Your Site screen. Copy the meta tag under Method 1 rather than using the Method 2 file upload.
Step 2: Add the meta tag to your site using Code Snippets
- Go to Admin → Websites, select Manage for the site you're verifying, then go to Edit Website → Customize Template HTML.
- Click Add Custom Layout. This opens the Edit Template page with the Custom Code Snippets section selected by default.
The Custom Code Snippets panel, reached from Customize Template HTML → Add Custom Layout.
- Paste the meta tag Norton gave you in Step 1 into the Head Snippet field. This field is injected into the page's <head>, which is where Norton looks for the tag.
- Save, then Publish so the change goes live.
Paste the Norton verification meta tag into the Head Snippet field so it loads in the page's <head>.
Step 3: Confirm verification with Norton
- Return to Norton Safe Web and select the option to confirm or check verification.
- Norton checks your published site for the meta tag and confirms ownership once it's found.
Best Practices
- Publish before you verify. Norton checks your live site, so save and publish your Head Snippet before returning to Norton to confirm verification.
- Leave the snippet in place. Removing the meta tag later may cause Norton to lose verification of your site. Keep it in the Head Snippet field even after you're verified.
- Keep track of what's in your Head Snippet. If you add other services here later (analytics, search engine verification, and so on), keep a note of what each tag is for so the Norton verification tag doesn't get accidentally overwritten or removed during other edits.
Troubleshooting
Problem: Norton can't verify my site.
Cause: The meta tag wasn't published, was pasted with extra characters or line breaks, or was pasted into the wrong field (such as Body Snippet or Footer Snippet instead of Head Snippet).
Solution: Confirm the tag is in the Head Snippet field, matches what Norton gave you exactly, and that you've published your site since adding it. You can view your site's page source to confirm the tag appears in the <head> section.
Cause: DecoNetwork's dedicated Norton Safe Web app has been discontinued and removed from the app list on every plan.
Solution: Use the Code Snippets meta tag method in this article instead. It doesn't require the old app or any Store Configuration setting.
FAQs
What happened to the old Norton Safe Web app under Store Configuration?
It's been discontinued. Norton changed how it expects site owners to verify ownership through file upload, which broke DecoNetwork's old built-in verification flow. Since Norton now supports meta tag verification, DecoNetwork retired the dedicated app in favor of adding the verification tag through Code Snippets, which is simpler and doesn't rely on a separate app.
Do I need to keep the code snippet after I'm verified?
Yes. Norton can lose your verification if the meta tag is removed, so leave the snippet in place even after verification is confirmed.
Will adding this meta tag affect my site's design or performance?
No. A meta tag is invisible metadata in the page's <head> and doesn't affect how your site looks or loads for visitors.
Can I use this same Code Snippets method for other site verifications?
Yes. The Head Snippet field is designed for exactly this kind of use, and DecoNetwork supports "search engine domain verification" as one of its intended uses. Many services (search engines, analytics tools, and other verification systems) use the same meta tag approach, and you can add each one to the same Head Snippet field.
Additional Resources
Still have questions? Use the Search Tool at the top of the page to find more related guides. Need help? Click the icon to submit a support ticket – our Client Services team is ready to assist!
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