# Search appearance and analytics for a portal

> Control how the portal shows in search results and shared links, and count visits in Google Analytics.

Each portal page has its own title, description and share card, and search engines get a sitemap. A few settings tune how the portal looks there, and one counts visits in your own Google Analytics.

## Search appearance

On the portal's **Settings** tab, under **Search appearance**:

| Field | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Title** | Your site's name in search results and shared links, such as Acme Help Center. Include your brand. Up to 120 characters. |
| **Description** | The summary in search results for the home page, and for any page without its own description. Aim for 1 to 2 sentences, about 160 characters. Up to 300. |
| **Share image** | A 1200×630 image for links to the home page. Other pages get a generated card with their own title. |
| **Hide from search engines** | Asks search engines not to list the portal |

Empty fields fall back to the portal's **Name** and **Description**. Other pages show their own title followed by yours, such as Reset your password · Acme Help Center. Select **Save changes** when you're done.

## What search engines see

- Each portal serves its own `robots.txt` and `sitemap.xml` on its main address: your custom domain once it's **Active**, otherwise your-address.help.chat.
- Sign-in, posting, account and unsubscribe pages are never listed.
- A portal set to **Members only**, or with **Hide from search engines** on, isn't indexed at all.
- Share cards for a **Members only** portal show only its name.

## Count visits in Google Analytics

1. In Google Analytics, open **Admin**, then **Data streams**, then your web stream, and copy its measurement ID.
2. On the portal's **Settings** tab, under **Analytics**, paste it into **Google Analytics measurement ID**, such as `G-ABC123XYZ`.
3. Select **Save changes**.

Every portal page then reports its page views to your property. Ask visitors for consent where the law requires it.

help.ai's own **Analytics** → **Content** counts what visitors open in the chat widget, not portal page views.

## Related

- [Connect a custom domain to a portal](https://support.help.ai/portals/connect-a-custom-domain)
- [Brand your portal](https://support.help.ai/portals/brand-your-portal)

<Tip>
Keep the portal **Name** short, such as Help Center, and put the full title, such as Acme Help Center, in **Search appearance** → **Title**. Search results then carry your brand while the header stays clean.
</Tip>