Search Console is a required module when setting up Site Kit. When first setting up Site Kit, it will connect with an existing Search Console property or it will create a new property for you. Search Console provides a source for reporting data for your website’s performance in Search which you will see in your Site Kit dashboard. Learn more about Search Console.

Features

Using Search Console with Site Kit provides the following features:

  • Automatic connection: your site is added to Search Console automatically during setup.  
  • View Search Console data without leaving your WordPress site: You can view data from your Search Console account on the main Site Kit dashboard, with a link to view further details from search.google.com/search-console/. 
  • View Search Console data while browsing your site: As an administrator, using the WordPress admin toolbar, you can view data specific to your active page when viewing your site. Find more details here.
  • Highlight key metrics: Using key metrics, you can highlight some Search Console data at the top of the Site Kit dashboard. 

Setup

Connecting Search Console is required for Site Kit and is done as part of plugin setup automatically. Simply follow the steps when setting up the plugin and Search Console will be connected once completed.

Once connected, relevant data will be displayed on the Site Kit dashboard.

Settings

You can access the Search Console module settings in Site Kit by going to Site Kit > Settings > Connected Services > Search Console.

Here you will be able to view your connected property. You can change the property if you have multiple available properties for the same site. As a required module, it cannot be disconnected.

Frequently asked questions

I am seeing insufficient permissions in Search Console on my Site Kit dashboard, why is this happening?
You can see this message when your Search Console access has been removed or the Google account associated with Site Kit was changed. You can read more on this and how to resolve these issues here.

Why is Search Console gathering data?
If you only recently connected Site Kit, this message can display for up to approximately 48 hours while data populates from Search Console.

If this message continues to display after several days, there may be an issue with your site that requires troubleshooting. Get in touch with us via our support forum for assistance.

I am seeing that the necessary verification token could not be found on my site. How do I resolve this?
Site Kit first tries to place a virtual HTML file upload method, and if that fails due to hosting or other restrictions, it tries to verify site ownership with an HTML tag.

If verification fails for both, there are some other options you can try to verify manually. One option is to verify ownership using an uploaded HTML file, by following the steps outlined here. Other verification options can be found here.

Additional Search Console support

For additional assistance, feel free to open a support topic on our WordPress.org support forum. Note that we are limited to Site Kit-related questions about Search Console, including questions about:

  1. Search Console module setup or functionality issues within Site Kit
  2. The configuration options within the Search Console module in Site Kit
  3. The Traffic and Content sections of the Site Kit dashboard
  4. Search Console error messages, notices, or warnings within Site Kit
  5. Search Console permission notices within Site Kit

For Search Console-specific questions such as help with site or account approvals, use the Search Console Help Center for assistance. Note that the Site Kit support team does not have access to users’ Search Console accounts and are unable to assist with account-related issues.

Additional resources