If I’m editing PHP files for my site, to add some site verification scripts from Google, should I install CP first, then add the code to the index page or does it matter?
Presuming that you’re needing to paste the code into the header, a good bet is to get ClassicPress installed, and then add the verification code to your theme’s header file.
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I just migrated about 5 sites over to a new hosting provider and added CP to several new sites as well, so I need to budget several hours to spend with Google Console/Webmaster Tools/Analytics and it’s about as much fun as a root canal. I’d rather watch CSPAN for three hours. But you’re saying installing CP will over write the files?
I need to do the Google Console set ups for a roster of sites but I also need to set up the wp-contents fix in the HTACCESS file, so wondering if I should switch to CP first and then do it or if it even matters. I’d rather not have to repeat everything obviously. 
Usually you add these type of things to the header file of the theme. And usually you would not do that directly (hard-coding), but you would use either a plugin or a function, which would be added to the functions file of your child theme.
Either way ClassicPress does not touch any file in the wp-content directory to which your theme belongs, so there is nothing to worry about.
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Thanks for that reply, Pieter. I’m not the advanced programmer many others are on this forum but know how to add a line of code to the HTACCESS file (just press enter and paste a line of code there - easy enough). And with Google Search Console/Analytics/Tag there was some code to add to header code, but the hosting guy I spoke with said I could get around that discomfort by just uploading a HTML page to the database through the C Panel. So if switching over the ClassicPress will not change those elements, I’m “sound as a pound.”
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