How to Add Google Analytics to a WordPress Website with Google Site Kit: A Simple Guide

If you're running a website, you probably use Google services for data analysis, performance monitoring, and more. Managing these services can be a bit complicated, but now there's a plugin called Site Kit for WordPress that makes it easy.

By using the official Google Site Kit plugin, you can connect your favorite Google services to your WordPress site. If desired, you can also see various data directly in your WordPress dashboard, such as statistics provided by Google Analytics.

Click here to learn how to add Baidu Statistics to your WordPress site.

In this post, we'll dive into the Google Site Kit WordPress plugin, exploring its features and how to get started.

Introduction to Google Site Kit 

Site Kitis a plugin designed for WordPress that helps you easily connect your website to the following six Google services:

1. Search Console: Use it to check your website traffic, performance and status of being indexed by search engines.
2. analyze: This is a popular tool provided by Google to help you get detailed information about your visitors, which is very helpful for marketing and website optimization.
3. advertising network: If you are looking to make money through advertising, AdSense is a widely used platform that allows you to easily place ads on your website.
4. Page Speed Insights: This tool helps to check the speed of your website, provides an overall score, and gives detailed suggestions for improving your website's performance on computers and cell phones.
5. Label Manager: It allows you to easily add tracking code and code snippets to your website without having to edit the website code directly.
6. make superior: This tool allows you to do in-depth A/B testing to help you test different versions of your website to see which one is more effective. It also works with Google Analytics to give you a clearer view of your test results.

It is important to understand that Site Kit does not replace any of the services mentioned above. It actually makes it easier to integrate these services with WordPress sites. For example, if you haven't added Google Analytics to your site, Site Kit can help you add the necessary tracking code.

Once integrated with these services, Site Kit also allows you to view important data directly from your WordPress dashboard. For example, with Google Analytics, you'll be able to see information such as the total number of visits to your site, the number of times it's been displayed, click-through rates, and completion goals.

How to Use Google Site Kit with WordPress (4 Steps)

The best way to take full advantage of the benefits Google Site Kit brings to WordPress users is to experience it for yourself. Here are some simple steps to help you easily install it on your website and start using it.

Step 1: Install and activate Google Site Kit

Installing and enabling Google Site Kit is exactly like using any other WordPress plugin. Once you activate the plugin, it will guide you through the setup process.

Step 2: Verify ownership of your site and connect to Search Console

Once you start the setup wizard, Site Kit will ask you to sign in with your Google account, which confirms that you are the owner of the WordPress site.

Next, you need to give Site Kit some permissions so that it can access important data about your website and Google account. Each time you see a request, simply click the "Allow" button to continue.

If your WordPress site has been connected to Search Console before, Google Site Kit will automatically synchronize this setting. If it hasn't, it will walk you through the setup process.

After clicking the "Add Site" button, Google will automatically complete the next steps. Then, you can start using the plugin.

This is the basic setup process.

Step 3: Integrate your preferred Google services

Google Site Kit requires you to integrate Search Console with WordPress, but after completing the setup wizard, you can customize the services you want to add. The plugin immediately provides links to AdSense, Analytics, and PageSpeed Insights:

If you don't want to set up other services right now, no problem, you can always come back. Just visit Site Kit > Settings > Connect More Services later to add more features.

For each additional service, you will need to select an account and give Site Kit the appropriate permissions. If desired, you can also connect your site to the new tool directly from the control panel.

With just a few clicks, it's much faster than adding tracking codes manually.

Step 4: View your dashboard and reports

Google Site Kit can present data in different ways. First, you can see an overview of all your services by going to Site Kit > Dashboard.

Over time, the look of your dashboard may become more detailed and rich.

Is it worth using Google Site Kit for your website?

Overall, using Google Site Kit is basically all-merits for WordPress users, especially if you plan on connecting to more than one Google service. Although if you only want to use one service, it may feel a bit trivial.

But if you plan to take full advantage of multiple features, Site Kit can be a huge time saver and the integration process is very simple. For example, if you want to use page speed insights, it's just a click away.

One benefit is that Site Kit allows you to freely choose which services you want to connect to. For example, if you only want to use Search Console, it won't force you to add other services or have annoying pop-ups recommending you use Analytics.

Moreover, using Site Kit won't slow down the loading of your website. It only adds the necessary scripts (like Google Analytics tracking code) and doesn't add any new elements to the front end of your site.

reach a verdict

If you're looking to incorporate site management services into your website, the Google Site Kit plugin for WordPress can dramatically simplify the process. In our testing, we found that with a simple wizard, we were able to link to all the tools we needed in a matter of minutes.

All in all, Site Kit can be a valuable addition to your WordPress plugin set, especially if you're using multiple services. However, it doesn't completely replace the need to access each service's website directly. For example, while you can see key data from Google Analytics on your WordPress dashboard, for the full information, you'll still have to go to the Google Analytics dashboard.