Website verification in listing claim

If you are claiming an existing NearbySpy listing for your agency, website verification is one of the strongest ways to prove the listing belongs to you. This article explains how the website verification step works, what we check, and what to do when the automatic check cannot resolve.

Where website verification fits

The full claim flow is covered in Claiming an imported listing. Within that flow you choose how you want to prove ownership — phone OTP, document upload, or website verification. Website verification is the right choice when the listing already includes your domain and you control the website at that domain. The phone and document paths are documented in OTP and verification documents for claims.

What we check

When you choose website verification, NearbySpy compares the website URL on the existing listing against the website you submit during the claim. If they match, we then look for one of the following pieces of evidence on your domain:

• A contact email at the same root domain (for example, info@youragency.com) that we can send a verification code to.
• A small text record we ask you to add to your DNS configuration that we can resolve from a public DNS lookup.
• A meta tag or file we ask you to publish at a specific path, that we can fetch over HTTPS.

You only need one of these to succeed. Pick whichever is easier for the way your website is hosted.

Step-by-step

1. In the claim wizard, choose website verification.
2. Confirm the domain we should verify against — it must match the website on the existing listing.
3. Pick your verification method (email at the domain, DNS record, or meta tag).
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to send the email, add the record, or publish the file.
5. Click verify. If we can confirm the evidence within the timeout, the claim moves forward.

Common reasons it fails

• Domain mismatch. The listing has youragency.com but you submitted youragency.net. Update the listing or pick a different verification method.
• DNS propagation lag. A new TXT record can take time to propagate. Wait a few minutes and try again.
• Meta tag stripped. Some content management systems sanitize unknown meta tags. Use the file path option instead.
• Contact email rejected. The address must exist and accept incoming mail. Generic addresses like info@ or admin@ are usually accepted.

If website verification is not an option

Use the phone OTP path if your listed phone number is current, or upload the requested verification documents. Both alternatives are described in OTP and verification documents for claims.

After verification

Once the website check passes, the listing transfers to your NearbySpy account and you can update the public profile, specialties, and gallery. From there you can complete the rest of Completing Investigator onboarding and start using the dashboard.

Privacy

The verification email, DNS record, or file we ask you to publish does not contain Case data, account secrets, or personally identifying information about anyone other than the agency claiming the listing. For the broader trust model see Security practices and legal pages.