# Search and sharing

> How your website looks on Google and WhatsApp.

Source: https://paatya.net/docs/academy/search-and-sharing

When someone finds your academy on Google, or you share your address on WhatsApp, Facebook or LinkedIn, they see a title, a line of description and often a picture. Under **Settings → Search & sharing** you choose all three.

## Open Search & sharing

1. In the left menu, click **Settings**.
2. In the settings menu, under **Website**, click **Search & sharing**.

On the right, you'll see how your homepage looks **In a search result** and **In a WhatsApp message**, updating as you type.

![Settings → Search & sharing, with previews of a search result and a WhatsApp message](https://paatya.net/docs/img/academy-search-and-sharing-1.png)

## Search results

- **Title**: the blue link in a search result, and the heading of a link preview. Up to 70 characters, for example "Python and Tally courses in Pune | Bright Minds Academy". Leave it empty to use your academy's name and tagline.
- **Description**: the line under the title. Up to 170 characters. Say what you teach and who for. Leave it empty to use the description from your [setup wizard](https://paatya.net/docs/get-started/setup-wizard).

Click **Save**.

## Sharing image

The picture shown when your address is shared.

1. Under **Sharing image**, click **Upload** and choose a PNG or JPG, up to 2 MB. It is saved straight away.
2. A picture of 1200×630 pixels fills a preview best.

Without a sharing image, your logo is used. Click **Replace** to change the picture, or the bin to remove it.

## Search consoles

Optional. Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools show which searches find your website and warn you about problems. To add your website to one:

1. In the search console, add your academy's address as a property, and choose the **HTML tag** way of proving it is yours.
2. Copy the code it gives you. You can copy the whole `<meta …>` tag; Paatya keeps only the code.
3. Paste it under **Search consoles** in **Google Search Console code** or **Bing Webmaster Tools code**, and click **Save**.
4. Back in the search console, click **Verify**. Then submit your sitemap, which is your address followed by `/sitemap.xml`.

## Found in search

The **Found in search** list on the right shows what helps your academy be found, and what is still to do: a search title and description, a sharing image, a browser icon, course pages open to visitors, an address in your landing page's contact block, and a search console. Click an item that is not done to go where it is set.

## Course pages and policies

You don't need to set anything for these:

- A course's page uses the course's own title, subtitle and cover image.
- A course's address includes its title, such as `/courses/12-spoken-english-basics`. If you rename the course, its old address still works and moves visitors to the new one.
- Your full course list and each policy page use their own titles, followed by your academy's name.
- Search engines and AI assistants that read pages without running them get each public page's text, and a description of your academy and each course in a form they understand, with its price, language and teacher.

## How long changes take

- **Your website** uses the new title and description as soon as you save.
- **Link previews** use them the next time your address is shared. WhatsApp and Facebook keep old previews for a while, so a message sent before your change keeps its old picture.
- **Google** picks up changes the next time it visits your site, which can take days or weeks. Paatya lists your public pages for search engines automatically, including each course page when [Show course details](https://paatya.net/docs/public-website/course-details) is on.

Pages behind sign-in, such as your admin screens and your students' courses, are never listed.

## If something goes wrong

- **"Keep the title under 70 characters".** Search results cut longer titles off. Shorten it.
- **A preview still shows the old title or picture.** The app has kept an old copy. Share the address in a new message.

## Related

- [Branding](https://paatya.net/docs/academy/branding)
- [Web address and domain](https://paatya.net/docs/academy/web-address)