I was just assigned the claim token XJKJ57RMGWP8 from Technorati.  They sent me the code after I registered my new blog’s web address with them.

At first I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with it.  The instructions said I should put the claim token into a post on my blog but that seemed a bit odd.  Couldn’t somebody else then use the claim token from my blog post for their own purposes?  Not really sure how that would be useful… but it did kinda feel like I was putting up a password of some kind into the public domain.   Not something I do willingly.

So anyway… as I sometimes do, I did a little searching around and found the following link on Technorati’s site: http://technorati.com/blog-claiming-faq/.

The faq page lists all the details on how and why Technorati uses a claim token to verify my site.  Basically, by putting my claim token into an actual blog post and making sure it is visible in my sites feed, Technorati could tell that I had the administrative rights to place posts on the blog I am trying to list with them.

By claiming my blog using the token, Technorati will now list me in the categories and for the tags that I previously assigned to my blog when I registered it.  It also enables me to see links from existing sites in their index that point back to to my blog.  That all certainly sounded like a good reason to go for it.

This claim token process reminded me a lot of using a verification code for Google Webmaster Tools.  In order to verify you are a webmaster of a particular site, Google requires you to put a piece of HTML code onto your web sites homepage.  Once you can prove to Google you can make changes to your site that no one else could, they open the front door into what they know about your site and how you can improve it. (If you are not using Google Webmaster Tools you should do so immediately!)

In addition, verifying my blog using the Technorati claim token allows it to show on my Technorati public profile page… also a good thing.

To my amusement, they even mentioned that I might think it was a little weird putting a verification code onto one of my blog post but they say “it’s the best method we’ve found so far to demonstrate to us that you control the blog.”

Technorati also advises that you “remove the code once the claim is complete.”  So, if you have read this post and my claim code above has a bunch of goble-dee-goop for a claim token, you’ll know that my site has finally been verified.

Now, why don’t you go try it yourself.  Just register with Technorati and off you go!

Happy Blogging…

Steve

Steve Scott is the owner of the Tampa SEO Training Academy