Installing and setting up Site Kit

Installation requirements

To successfully install and use Site Kit, your site must meet the following requirements:

WordPress version 5.2+
PHP version 7.4+
Modern browser - Internet Explorer is not supported
Is publicly accessible - it isn’t in maintenance or “coming soon” mode, accessible only via password, or otherwise blocked.
Is a production environment, not a staging environment. For instructions on setting up Site Kit with a staging environment (on a separate domain, subdirectory, or subdomain), follow the Using Site Kit with a staging environment guide.
You and/or your site server are not located in a country that is blocked by Google services.
REST API is available - Site Kit must be able to communicate via the WordPress REST API. To ensure that the REST API is available for your site, go to Tools > Site Health. If the REST API is not available, you see a message that says “The REST API encountered an unexpected result” or “The REST API encountered an error” on the Status tab. If the REST API is working successfully, you see a message on the Status tab under Passed tests that says “The REST API is available.”

Installing Site Kit

To install Site Kit:

Log in to your WordPress site
In the left navigation menu, go to Plugins > Add New
Enter “Site Kit” in the search bar. You will see the Site Kit plugin in a search results page.
Click Install Now, then Activate

Setting up Site Kit

NOTE: If you’re having trouble with setup, check out our Setup Troubleshooting guide.

To set up Site Kit, go to Site Kit > Dashboard.

On the initial setup screen, you can opt in to two checkboxes:

Get visitor insights by connecting Google Analytics as part of setup. This connects Google Analytics to Site Kit during the setup process. If you choose not to connect Google Analytics as part of initial setup, you can always connect it later by going to Site Kit > Settings > Connect More Services.
Help us improve Site Kit by sharing anonymous usage data. If you’d like, you can choose to share anonymized data with the Site Kit team. All collected data is treated in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy.

Click Sign In with Google to proceed with setup. You are directed to a screen asking you to sign in and choose a Google account to connect to Site Kit. Choose the Google account that you or your client will use for the services that you/they plan to connect to Site Kit, e.g. Analytics and AdSense. Click the account name to proceed. If you’re setting Site Kit up for a client, make sure that you have access and permissions to the Google account before proceeding.
On the next screen, you are asked (if applicable) to provide additional permissions to allow Site Kit to access statistics from the relevant Google products connected to the Google account. This is necessary for displaying these statistics in the Site Kit dashboard. Check the empty boxes and click Continue.
Next, you are directed to the step where Site Kit verifies ownership of the site that you are connecting. First, Site Kit checks to see if your site is already verified. If not, Site Kit will verifies ownership by adding a verification token HTML file (or <meta> tag, if for some reason the HTML file fails) to the site and checking it against the Google Verification Service. Click Verify ownership to continue.
On the next step, you’ll be asked to turn on metrics in your dashboard and allow the site to access your Google account data. This allows Site Kit to display your connected modules’ metrics, e.g. Analytics, in the Site Kit dashboard within WordPress. Click Allow metrics to continue.
Next, you’ll be asked to add the site to Search Console if it has not already been added. This allows Site Kit to display data in the Site Kit dashboard about how people find and use the site. Click Set up to continue.

NOTE: You can exit the Site Kit setup at any stage in the process by clicking the Exit setup button. When you are ready to continue with the setup, go to Site Kit > Dashboard and you are taken back to the step that you were previously at.

Site Kit is now set up! You are taken to the Site Kit dashboard. Note that it may take up to 48 hours for the dashboard to begin to populate with data.

Setting up Analytics

If you checked the box to also set up Google Analytics, you will see an extra step to set up Analytics.

On the Analytics screen, you can choose an Analytics account (associated with the Google account that you connected) to connect to Site Kit, or create a new Analytics account. Click on the Set up button.

Depending on which option you select, you may be asked to approve additional permissions and/or details regarding a new Analytics account.

Next you will be asked what your main goal to get tailored metrics is. You need to choose what most closely matches the purpose of your site. This will help to tailor which key metrics are displayed on your Site Kit dashboard. Once you’ve made your selection, click on Complete setup. You will be redirected to the Site Kit dashboard.

Understanding the Site Kit setup process

Why Site Kit connects to your Google account

Site Kit connects to your Google account to establish a secure bridge between your WordPress site and Google’s services. This connection allows the plugin to communicate with Google APIs, enabling it to retrieve and display performance data from services like Search Console and Google Analytics directly within your WordPress site. By authenticating your account, you authorize Site Kit to securely fetch the specific metrics you need, saving you from having to toggle between different tabs to monitor your site’s performance.

Why site verification is required

To ensure that sensitive search performance data remains protected, Site Kit requires proof of site ownership. This verification process confirms that you are an authorized owner of the site before we display search performance metrics. This is a vital security measure that ensures your site’s private data is only accessible to those with the appropriate ownership permissions.

Why Site Kit requests permissions to show metrics

When setting up Site Kit, you are asked to allow your WordPress site to access Google services on your behalf. This authorization creates a link between your WordPress user and the Google APIs required to fetch your site’s metrics, allowing your site to display performance data securely in the dashboard. You retain control over this access, which you can manage or revoke at any time from your Google account settings or the site permissions management page.

Setting up Site Kit for additional users

At this time, only users with the Administrator role in WordPress can set up Site Kit. If an administrator has already set up Site Kit, other administrators are notified that Site Kit has already been configured by another administrator of the site. Other administrators can sign in with their Google account which needs access to the Google services for the site e.g. Google Analytics.

Other user roles can be granted access to a restricted view of the Site Kit dashboard by an administrator via dashboard sharing.

Managing multiple sites with Site Kit

Setting up Site Kit requires connecting your WordPress user with your Google account to enable communication with the Google APIs necessary for facilitating set up, and providing reporting data in the Site Kit dashboard.

Due to limitations that apply to all Google Cloud projects related to the number of connections a single Google account can have with a Google app at one time, if you manage many sites (e.g. 25+) with the same Google account, you may be affected by this limit. For example, if you notice that you frequently need to sign in to Site Kit again on a regular basis, this can be why. Again, this limitation only affects Google accounts that are being used with Site Kit on dozens of sites at the same time.

More specifically, the relevant limit applies to the number of active refresh tokens per Google account per project, but this is not the same as a maximum number of sites a single Google account can use with Site Kit. Because a site can use more than one of these tokens during set up depending on which selections are made, it isn’t possible to define an accurate maximum number of sites that can be used with Site Kit with a single Google account in all cases. The absolute limit is 100, but in practice this number will almost always be lower.

If you manage many sites that use Site Kit, consider using more than one Google account for set up and management to distribute the total number of sites such that a single Google account does not encounter this limit.

Managing sites connected with your Google account

You can view all sites that are connected to your Google account by going to Site Kit > Dashboard, clicking on your profile image, and selecting Manage sites.

Note this page lists sites that have a connection to your Google account (i.e. a user on the site which is signed in to Site Kit with this account), and have permission to communicate with Google APIs on your behalf. This permission can be revoked on this page at any time.

Best practices for setting up Site Kit for a client

If you’re an agency or manage multiple websites with Site Kit, follow these suggestions for optimal setup and security:

Use separate WordPress user accounts
Using dedicated user accounts is a general best practice for security and access management.
Use individual Google accounts for Site Kit
Avoid sharing Google accounts. Instead, share access to Google services as needed via the Google account which is common among all Google services.
Use client-owned Google service entities (Analytics properties, Tag Manager containers, AdSense accounts, etc.)
It’s crucial that the Google Analytics properties, Tag Manager containers, AdSense accounts, and other similar items connected to Site Kit are owned by the client’s Google account, not the agency’s.
This means that the client must own these items, and the agency must be granted access to them within the respective Google services (like Google Analytics or Tag Manager) to configure and connect them in Site Kit.
For example, instead of a developer creating an Analytics property on their own Google account and sharing access with the client, the client must own the property. The developer can then be granted access to connect it via Site Kit.
In some cases, like Google Analytics accounts or properties, ownership can be transferred between Google accounts. This means a developer could create the property and then transfer ownership to the client as part of their work delivery. This avoids burdening the client with creation while ensuring they own the data. Note that transferring ownership may not be possible for all things, such as AdSense accounts.
Configure dashboard sharing
Dashboard sharing allows administrators to share a limited, read-only view of the Site Kit dashboard, WordPress dashboard summary widget, and toolbar with other user roles, including non-administrators.
This lets users view Google data without connecting their own Google account. It’s recommended that the client or another administrator grants dashboard sharing access. Avoid granting administrator access solely for viewing Site Kit metrics; dashboard sharing is the preferred method.

Connecting additional Google services

After you complete the initial Site Kit setup, which activates Search Console and PageSpeed Insights (and Analytics if selected), you can connect to additional Google services by going to Site Kit > Settings > Connect More Services. Learn more about which Google services are right for you.

Moving domains

While Site Kit can recognize domain name changes, if you plan on moving domains, we recommend resetting Site Kit before migrating your site to your new domain by going to Tools > Available Tools > Reset Site Kit. This ensures your site records are reset on the Site Kit service.

If you’ve already moved domains and you’re encountering any issues you can perform a site reset in order for the plugin to recognize your new domain.

Note that by resetting Site Kit, all services become disconnected for all connected users. You’ll need to configure the plugin and set up each service once again.