Google has issued a fresh reminder to website owners and SEOs: if you host images, videos or other files on third party cloud services, you should set up cloud hosting provider verification in Google Search Console. The company says this helps you monitor search performance, spot crawling issues and get security alerts for content stored on platforms like AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
Why cloud hosting provider verification matters for SEO
In a recent tip, Google’s John Mueller said that anyone using cloud storage for content delivery should verify those hosts in Search Console. This ensures you see how those files appear in Google Search and lets you debug problems faster.
To do this, Google recommends using your own subdomain that points to your cloud bucket.
Key steps for cloud hosting provider verification:
- Set up a custom hostname such as:
images.your-site.comvideos.your-site.comcontent.your-site.com
- Create a DNS CNAME record that points this hostname to your cloud bucket (for example,
your-bucket.cloudstorage.com) - Update all internal links so that images, videos and other assets load from your new hostname
- Verify the property in Google Search Console using DNS verification (or by verifying the main domain)
Google notes one important caveat for image heavy sites: changing image URLs can cause short term fluctuations in Google Images traffic while the search index processes the new paths. Over time, rankings and visibility should stabilise.
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The company also highlights a major long term benefit of cloud hosting provider verification with your own hostname. If you ever switch from one cloud provider to another, you can simply remap the CNAME or use redirects, without breaking links or losing data in Search Console.
Google’s message is clear: if your content lives in the cloud but not on your verified domain, you are flying blind. Proper setup gives you full crawl data, malware alerts and more control over your site’s search presence.
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