If you’re a blogger or a business owner and you own a blog or your business website for which you always might be relay on Google services such as for tracking online traffic and conversions via Google Analytics, monitor your website’s search performance on Google search console also setting up events on Google tag manager that can be track on Google analytics and so many other services.
But managing all these services could be difficult for us and that’s why Google came up with an awesome plugin called as Google Site kit for WordPress. Its officially developed by Google and launched on October 31, 2019. It allows you to easily connect your site to multiple Google services such as Google search console and Google analytics to WordPress. Where applicable, you’ll also be able to view data insights inside your WordPress dashboard, like your statistics from Google Analytics.
And the best part is that you can do all of this directly from your WordPress site. No code editing required.
In this blog post, I’ll take a closer look at the Google Site Kit WordPress plugin, what it has to offer, and how to install and configure Google Site Kit in WordPress and connect the two most widely used Google services to your WordPress dashboard – i.e. Google Search Console and Google Analytics. Plus I’ll also tell you how to activate PageSpeed Insights in Google Site Kit.
So, Let’s dive in!
What is Google Site Kit Plugin for WordPress?
Site Kit is a WordPress plugin that enables you to connect your WordPress website with these 6 different Google services:
- Google search console: Monitor your site’s Google Search traffic and performance and indexing status.
- Google Analytics: It tells you about massive amounts of data about your site’s visitors how users find, use, and engaging with your website.
- PageSpeed Insights: Analyzes your site and suggests ways to make it faster. It evaluates an overall score, as well as suggests wide range of improvements on your site’s desktop and mobile experiences.
- Google AdSense: If you want to monetize your website using ads, Site Kit allows you to analyze the monetization performance of your site directly within the WordPress dashboard.
- Google Tag Manager: If you use marketing tags such as Pixel tracking on your site, you can use Site Kit to set up Tag Manager easily for your site without modifying code manually.
- Google Optimize: If you want to test variations of your pages, you can use Site Kit to set up Optimize easily—no code editing required.
Why should we use Google Site Kit?
First of all, for us its do important to understand that site kit is not a kind of replacement of all these Google services that mentioned above. It just simplifies the process of integration of all these services with the WordPress in all in one solution.
Once you integrated you services, Site Kit enables you to access key metrics from inside your WordPress dashboard. For example, with Google Analytics you can view your overall traffic, track your events and goals.
You don’t need any other plugin to connect any of those services with your WordPress website, because Google Site Kit makes the process a lot easier. All you have to do in most cases is click some buttons to provide a few authorizations.
Take a look on the Google’s Site Kit dashboard, its give you ability to display your site’s data at an overview or aggregate level and don’t need to open tabs for each of the services if you’re not want to observe more data in depth.
Also, Site kit also have have a superb feature at an individual level for post and pages that allows you to see your gaining search performance data directly in your WordPress dashboard, that’s saving you loads of new tabs, clicks, and most importantly, your precious time. The screenshot below is an excellent example of this feature.
If you’re already configured Search Console and Google Analytics in your WordPress site. Kudo’s to you!
If not then I’m recommending you to configure Google search console and Google Analytics first before installing Google site kit on your WordPress website or blog.
Here’s the reason why I’m recommending you to do it first,
Google Site Kit plugin’s primary task is to connect your WordPress site to various Google services (be it Search Console or Analytics).
Although Google Site Kit has the ability to set up a new account for your WordPress website in each of its services, we advise against doing so.
We think that manually setting up Google Analytic and/or Search Console will give you a far better understanding of both the individual tools and marketing statistics in general.
Let’s get started with the Site Kit Plugin tutorial!
How to use Google Site Kit with WordPress? (3 Easy steps)
Here’s how to get it up and running for your site in a few simple steps.
Step 1: Install & activation Google Site Kit WordPress plugin
Here you’ll learn how to install Site kit by Google plugin for WordPress.
Installing and activation for Google site kit plugin in WordPress is quite easy process:
Log in your WordPress Dashboard and Go to Plugins section.
Add New and in the search box, type “Google Site Kit”. Install and activate the plugin.
Once you activate Site kit plugin, you’ll be prompted to start its setup process. Now Click on Start Setup to begin the setup process of the Google Site Kit plugin.
Now, its time to configure Site Kit plugin!
Step 2: Verify site ownership by connecting Google Search Console
When you click on the Start Setup button in the previous step, a new tab opens, loading the Google Site Kit configuration page. Click on Sign in with Google to continue as shown in the screenshot below.
Note: Only use the same Google account that is linked to all of your site’s properties, including Search Console and Analytics. Site Kit won’t be able to locate the relevant properties and create additional ones for your WordPress site if you are using a different email. You’ll probably end up with duplicate data and a broken configuration.
Now, Sign in with the relevant Google account. If you closely notice the screenshot above, you’ll see that I’ve used my personal Gmail to sign it (which is the main account for all my Google properties).
Site Kit will ask for various permissions to access your connected Google services such as Search Console, etc. Click on Allow to proceed to the next step.
Upon successful configuration, you’ll see a screen similar to the one shown above. This confirms that:
- You’re the verified owner of your site’s domain and that domain is successfully configured in Search Console.
- Site Kit can access your general Google Account data and your Search Console data. It does not have access to data from other properties such as Google Analytics, etc. This means that you’ll have to give individual permissions for each property that you want to link.
That’s the basic setup done successfully.
Step 3: Integrate your preferred Google services
Google Site Kit primarily requires you to integrate Search Console with WordPress, but once you’ve completed the setup wizard you can customize which other 4 services you want to add it later.
Want to explore more different ways to verify your site with search console here.
If you’d rather wait to set up additional services, you can always do so later by navigating to Site Kit > Settings > Connect More Services:
Now, lets configure Google Analytics.
How to setup Google Analytics using Google Site Kit Plugin?
Go Back to Site Kit Dashboard, Click on the Connect Service button as shown in the screenshot above.
Now sign in with the same Google account which you used for connecting search console.
Click on Allow to grant Site Kit access to your Google Analytics data.
Make sure that you have selected the correct Google Analytics property and click on Configure Analytics to complete the connection.
Google Analytics is now linked to Google Site Kit successfully.
Want to view your site’s Google Analytics data in your WordPress dashboard just go to Site Kit → Analytics. (Analytics dashboard will be appear as shown in the screenshot below)
Now, lets connect Pagespeed insights.
How to Setup PageSpeed Insights in Site Kit?
You can connect other Google Services either from the Site Kit dashboard or the Site Kit settings as we’ll see later.
For instance, you just need to enable Pagespeed Insights by clicking on the Connect Service button from the Site Kit dashboard.
That’s it you have to do!
Once Pagespeed Insights is linked to Site Kit, you’ll be able to view your WordPress site’s overall Pagespeed performance data directly from Site Kit’s dashboard in WordPress.
The screenshot above is Site Kit’s default dashboard with active three services, including Search Console, Analytics.
For services such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics, Site Kit has to collect data for a while before it shows you any numbers.
Connect other services
Now, You can connect or disconnect individual Google services to Site Kit by accessing the plugin’s settings. As of January 2021, Site Kit supports six Google services including:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- PageSpeed Insights
- Google AdSense
- Google Optimize
- Google Tag Manager
As of now, we already has been learnt that 3 Google services primarily.
You can view your active connections under the Connected Services under Site Kit → Settings.
To connect additional Google services, go to the Connect More Services tab and select the service you want to connect.
The Admin Settings gives you an overview of the Site Kit plugin’s status and the ability to reset the plugin’s settings.
Additionally, it give you an additional option to allow displaying relevant page stats in the admin bar.
Also, you can choose to share anonymous plugin usage stats with Google to improve the development of the plugin. The option is disabled by default. I have chosen to data with the plugin’s developers.
Hope you got understood, how you can use Google site kit for WordPress and connect all services which are essentials for you.
Due to its popularity and market domination, WordPress has pushed industry giants such as Google to release official plugins. Today, we’re going to look at how to integrate a variety of 3rd party services into WordPress in a way that is more open and inclusive and ultimately beneficial to the user.
A fantastic illustration of this comprehensive integration is Google’s Site Kit. As many online businesses spend a lot of money on ads for paid content marketing and promotion, it’d be great to see stronger synergies with YouTube Analytics and Google Ads in the future.
Do you have any opinions about Google Site Kit? What about on your website? Please share your opinions in the section below.
