Importance:

Marketing and communications professionals are using analytics to track how their websites are performing. Different tools give different insights about your audience, such as demographic information, what people search to find you, what buttons people click on your website and more. You can install multiple analytics tools, but if you use WordPress there is a plugin that can manage all of them together. This written training will show how to install and use Site Kit by Google for WordPress.

Target Audience:

• Web Developers
• Analytics Specialists

How-To/Instructions:

1. Create accounts for your website in:

a. Google Analytics 4

b. Google Tag Manager

c. Google Search Console

2. Install Site Kit by Google to your WordPress website

a. Open WordPress and go to “Plugins”

b. Click “Add New Plugin” at the top

c. Search for “Site Kit by Google” and click “Install Now”

d. Click “Activate”

3. Sign In to Site Kit and Add Site

a. Go to the Site Kit plugin

b. Check “Connect Google Analytics as part of your setup.”

c. Click “Sign in with Google” — Be sure to use the Google account associated with your Google Analytics property.

i. Choose the account to login, click “Continue,” “Continue.”

d. Click “Verify” to verify site ownership

e. Click “Allow” to grant access to Google account data

f. Click “Set up” to add Search Console

g. Click “Next” to set up Google Analytics

4. Connect Google Analytics — Either continue from your initial setup (skip steps A and B below), or, if you come back to the Site Kit plugin, you will click “Complete setup.”

a. Go to Site Kit > Dashboard

b. Click “Complete setup”

c. Select the account you wish to link

i. Options will be available if you set up GA4 using the same account as you used to set up Site Kit.

ii. Select the corresponding Property and Web Data Stream if you have already created those as well.

d. “Enable enhanced measurement”

e. Click “Complete setup”

i. Note: If you had to set up a new Property/Web Data Stream, you’ll need to grant Site Kit permission and login again. Click “Proceed” or create them in GA4 directly.

f. Click “Ok, Got it!” to connect Tag Manager and Search Console

5. Connect Google Tag Manager

a. Go to Site Kit > Settings

b. Click “Connect More Services”

c. Click “Set up Tag Manager”

d. Select your Account and Container and click “Complete setup”

i. Note: As with GA4, if you have to set up a new Container, you must grant Site Kit permission.

e. Complete!

6. Connect Search Console

a. If you used the same account to set up Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Site Kit, Search Console should recognize that you are an Administrator for this Site and connect automatically.

Tips and Tricks:

• It is best to install Site Kit to replace individual plugins or manually add tag codes to every page on your website.
• Be sure to work with your developer(s) and inform your team leadership when installing plugins.

Contact:

• Maggie Evenson, Analytics and Alignment Team, stratcomanalytics@illinois.edu
• Rashmi Tenneti, Analytics and Alignment Team, stratcomanalytics@illinois.edu