With "Site Kit", Google's official WordPress -Plugin, you get the Google services with just a few clicks directly into your CMS and can view all relevant data there. We show you how to connect the Site Kit Plugin with one or more services and get a clear view of your Google data within the WP dashboard.
What is the Google Site Kit plugin?
The Google Site Kit Plugin is the first official Google Plugin for WordPress . The Plugin combines all Google products in one dashboard and allows the user to quickly and easily view data on performance, search engine optimization or AdSense revenue.
The services you can manage with the Google Site Kit Plugin include the following:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google AdSense
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- Google Tag Manager
- Google Optimizer
The statistics and performance reports are well structured and clearly laid out so that they are comprehensible for everyone. Furthermore, setting up the Google Site Kit plugins does not require any programming knowledge.
This also applies to the Tag Manager, which allows you to easily integrate codes and scripts into your website without editing the source code.
In the following, I'd like to show you how to install Google Site Kit, what the dashboard of the plugins looks like and what reports are displayed here.
How to install the Google Site Kit plugin in WordPress
As mentioned before, you can download the Google Site Kit Plugin install and activate directly via the WordPress backend. Alternatively you can use the Plugin also about the Plugin-directory and install it manually.
After you've seen the Plugin you will find the dashboard and all settings in the menu WordPress bar. However, you can access the Plugin only users who are logged in as Admin have access.
When you first set up the Site Kit plugins on your site , you will find the "Start Setup" button on the dashboard.
With a click on the button you start the setup of the plugins WordPress site.
The Google Site Kit setup
In order to use the Google Site Kit PlugininWordPress, you must first verify that you are the owner of your domain or URL. Prerequisite for using the Site Kit plugins is - who would have thought it - a Google Account.
In order to complete the verification of your domain, you need to log into your Google account and allow Google Plugin to retrieve data from Search Console. If you have not yet used Search Console, you can also set it up during this process.
Once you have verified yourself as the owner of your domain, you will be automatically plugins redirected to the dashboard of the Google Site Kit and can now link other Google services such as Analytics, AdSense or the Optimizer to the Site KitPlugin.
Notice: If you do not use "www." in your domain, but it is stored with "www." within Google Search Console, this may result in you not being able to verify your domain and the Site Kit Plugin not being able to retrieve any data.
Google Site Kit: How to connect more services
Via the Site Kit → settings WordPress menu, you can access the overview where you can see which services the Google Site Kit is Pluginalready connected to.
In addition, you can connect the services that are not yet connected to the Site Kit Plugin under "Additional Services".
Would you like the Site Kit Plugin reset at some point - that is, disconnect all connections - you will find under the "Admin Settings" the possibility to reset the plugin.
The Google Site Kit Dashboard
On the Google Site Kit Dashboard, you'll find an overview of the most important metrics for each service you've connected to Plugin , or the most important performance metrics for each source.
In the following I will show you this with the examples of Google Search Console, Google Analytics as well as Google Pagespeed Insights.
Within the dashboard, you can select the time period of the displayed data for all services. By default, data from the last 28 days is displayed.
Search funnel
In the so-called "Search Funnel", data such as "Impressions", "Clicks" and "Unique Visitors from Search" are displayed. Under the individual key figures you can also see from which sources they originate.
- Impressions: Search Console
- Clicks: Search Console
- Unique Visitors from Search: Analytics
Popularity
Under the item "Popularity" you will find key figures on the most popular sites and articles. Among other things, the most frequently clicked and displayed search results and the most frequently accessed content of your website.
Under these displayed columns for "Popularity" you also have the option to analyze sites or posts individually. To do this, simply enter the title or the URL and click on the "View Data" button.
Afterwards you will get to a kind of "own dashboard", on which you will find exclusively data for the respective site or the respective article. Among other things, key figures on the "search funnel", traffic, keywords and PageSpeed.
Speed
In the Google Site Kit Plugin , the tool Google PageSpeed Insights is also available to you. As soon as you have started the analysis, the current data on the PageSpeed of your website will be displayed here. These are of course updated regularly and automatically.
Who should use the Google Site Kit plugin ?
The Google Site Kit Pluginis basically suitable for all those who WordPress operate their website and use Google services such as the Search Console, Analytics, AdSense or the Tag Manager.
If you want to check the performance of your website quickly and easily, the Google Site Kit plugindisplays all the important key figures from the individual tools on just one Dashboard page.
In addition, the Google Site Kit Plugin is also ideally suited for customer projects. With the help of the dashboard, the customer can view the most important key figures from the linked tools at any time without having to have in-depth knowledge of the individual services.
Benefits
The big advantage of Google Site Kit is that you can view plugin all Google services centrally via a dashboard, directly in WordPress it. It also makes your monitoring work easier and saves you time, because you don't have to log in to every single Google service.
In any case, another advantage from my point of view is the possibility to easily set up a dashboard for customers, where they can monitor their website on a daily basis and see how their site is developing.
Disadvantages
For advanced users, the Google Site Kit Plugin is of course again a Plugin "too much". This means that the Plugin naturally also affects the performance of the entire website. Even if it only has a minimal impact, this can be a disadvantage for one or the other user.
Privacy: How to use the Google Site Kit plugin GDPR-compliant
Because the Google Site Kit Pluginwith Analytics stores personal information, you must set up Analytics in accordance GDPR with your needs after you connect it. To do this, simply go to the settings of the plugins Google Site Kit and call up the menu with the connected services.
Then click on "Analytics". You will then see the "Edit" option, which you must click on to remove the snippet plugins et by the Google Site Kit.
Here you will see some details about the account, the property and the data that is displayed for your website. In order to remove the Analytics snippet, you need to check the option "Remove Snippet" under "Do you want to remove the Analytics snippet inserted by Site Kit".
That's it! In order to still be able to record data via Google Analytics, you also need a GDPR -Plugin - such as Borlabs Cookie or GDPR Cookie Compliance - in which you can store the Analytics snippet in a privacy-compliant manner.
The snippet for Google Analytics looks like this:
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=DEINE UA-XXXX-X"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'DEINE UA-XXXX-X', { 'anonymize_ip': true });
</script>Using Google Site Kit with Borlabs CookieIf you use the GDPR - and e-privacy-Plugin Borlabs Cookie, it is relatively easy to use the Google Site Kit Plugin in a privacy-compliant manner. This is because Borlab's cookie has a so-called script blocker which automatically recognises the legal snippet from the Plugin site kit.
How the whole thing works in Borlabs Cookie is explained step by step in the following documentation.
Conclusion
The Google Site Kit Plugin for WordPress is a great way to manage and view multiple Google services within one dashboard in the WP backend. In my opinion this is Google plugin therefore very useful in its application especially for laymen or customer projects.
Advanced and professional users however will find the Google Site Kit Plugin from my point of view less useful. Because the evaluation possibilities within the plugins are limited. In addition one would have here again another plugin in WordPress installed, which can ultimately affect the performance of the entire website.
Have you already had your own experience with the Google Site Kit Plugin or do you have any further questions? I'm looking forward to your comment.
