Managing Google Analytics

• Setup
  • Connecting Analytics during Site Kit setup
  • Connecting Analytics after Site Kit has been setup 
• Viewing Analytics data within Site Kit
  • Using the Site Kit widget on the main WordPress Dashboard
  • Using the Site Kit dashboard
  • Using the WordPress admin bar
• Site Kit Analytics Settings
• Verifying that Site Kit has added the Google Analytics code snippet to your site
• The Google tag
• Frequently Asked Questions

Site Kit allows you to easily connect with Google Analytics and view basic Analytics information within the Site Kit dashboard and from the WordPress admin bar. 

Setup

Google Analytics can be connected during initial Site Kit setup or later via Site Kit Settings. 

Connecting Analytics during Site Kit setup

Google Analytics can be connected as part of the initial plugin setup process by following the steps in this guide. 

Connecting Analytics after Site Kit has been setup 

If Site Kit has already been set up without Analytics selected as part of the setup process, it can be connected later:

1. Go to Site Kit > Settings > Connect More Services > Analytics > Set up Analytics.
   

   

   Alternatively, the Analytics setup process can be started from the Site Kit dashboard (Site Kit > Dashboard) or from the main WordPress dashboard.
   

   

2. In the Analytics setup flow, select an existing Google Analytics account, property, and web data stream. Alternatively, you can select the option to allow Site Kit to set up a new account, property, or web data stream on your behalf. 

   

   

3. After you select your preferred Analytics account and property, or follow the process to create a new one, click on the Configure Analytics button to complete the setup process. 

   

4. Once setup is complete, you’ll be directed back to the Site Kit dashboard, with a congratulations notification appearing to confirm that you’ve successfully connected the Analytics module. 

   

   If the Analytics property you connected doesn’t have data yet, you’ll see a notice within the Site Kit dashboard that Analytics is gathering data. It usually takes a day or two before data is available from your Analytics account.

   

   If the Analytics property you connected does have existing data, you’ll be able to view Google Analytics data within the Site Kit dashboard. This data comes directly from the connected user’s Google Analytics account.

   

Viewing Analytics data within Site Kit

With Site Kit, users can view Analytics data for their site without having to leave WordPress. Data can be viewed for your site overall or for specific site URLs.

Using the Site Kit widget on the main WordPress Dashboard

Within the WordPress dashboard, there is a Site Kit widget that displays basic Google Analytics and other service data about how your site is performing. 

The following data is displayed: 

• Total Unique Visitors – The total number of unique users who visited your site 
• Avg. Time on Page – The average amount of time that visitors spend on a page of your site during their session
• Total Impressions – The number of times your site has appeared within Google search results
• Total Clicks – The number of times your site was accessed by clicking on a link directly from a Google search result
• Unique visitors over the last 28 days – Displays the number of unique users who initiated sessions on your site over the past 28 days. You can also compare with the previous 28 days.
• Top content over the last 28 days – The most visited pages on your site over the previous 28 days 

The Site Kit widget on the WordPress dashboard is visible to all WordPress administrators who sign in to Site Kit with their Google account. This widget can be displayed or hidden using the toggle buttons at the top-right of the widget. It can also be repositioned to suit your preference. 

Using the Site Kit dashboard

Analytics data can also be viewed in the Site Kit dashboard. To find out more, please see the Using the Site Kit Dashboard guide. 

Using the WordPress admin bar

If the WordPress admin bar is enabled, users can use the Site Kit tab to view Analytics data for the current page.

• Total Impressions – The number of times your site has appeared within Google search results
• Total Clicks – The number of times your site was accessed by clicking on a link directly from a Google search result
• Total Users – The total number of total unique users who visited your site
• Total Sessions – The total number of sessions initiated by all your users

Site Kit Analytics Settings

To edit Analytics settings, go to Site Kit > Settings > Connected Services > Analytics > Edit.

Account, Property and Web Data Stream: These settings allow you to select the Google Analytics account, property, and web data stream to connect with Site Kit.

Place Google Analytics code: This setting allows you to use Site Kit to insert your Google Analytics code across all pages of your site. More details on how Site Kit places the code snippet is available in this guide. If Site Kit determines that there is no Google Analytics code snippet placed on your site already, the default configuration will be toggled on and the plugin will insert the snippet for you.

Enable enhanced measurement: This setting allows you to enable enhanced measurement if the selected web data stream does not have it enabled already. This will automatically measure interactions with your content (e.g. file downloads, form completions, video views) with no extra code required. More information on enhanced measurement is available in this guide.

Exclude Analytics > All logged-in users: This setting allows users to select if logged-in users are included in Analytics tracking. By default, logged-in users will be excluded from Analytics tracking.

Verifying that Site Kit has added the Google Analytics code snippet to your site

As part of the setup for Analytics, Site Kit can place the necessary code snippet on your site. If you have already manually placed the Analytics code snippet on your site, you will be given the option to allow Site Kit to place the code snippet. To check that Site Kit has successfully placed the Google Analytics code snippet on your site:

1. Log into your site with your admin account
2. From the admin menu, go to Tools > Site Health
3. Select the Info tab at the top of the page

4. Open the Site Kit by Google section
5. Find the heading Analytics snippet placed, which will show yes or no

“Yes” means that Site Kit has successfully placed the Analytics code snippet.

“No” means that Site Kit did not place the Analytics snippet on your site. 

Check out our Analytics Troubleshooting guide for troubleshooting steps. If you need further assistance, please open a support topic on our WordPress.org support forum.

You can also verify that Site Kit has placed your Analytics code by following this guide.

The Google tag

The Google tag is a single, reusable tag that allows you to connect several Google services to your site with a single code snippet. Currently, the Google tag only supports Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads, with more support for other Google services to follow. You can find out more in this Google guide.

Site Kit will manage the creation of a Google tag for you as part of the Analytics module setup for GA4 if you don’t already have an existing Google tag. More information on the Google tag can be found in our Google tag guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I already have an Analytics snippet placed on my site and I also connect the Analytics module within Site Kit?

Site Kit will notify you during setup when it has found another Analytics snippet on your site. You can choose to use this existing snippet to connect to Site Kit if desired. The plugin will allow you to connect to that property without inserting the snippet for you, or you can choose to allow Site Kit to place the same snippet on your site.

Alternatively, you can select a different Analytics property to connect with if preferred. Note that Site Kit will display data based only on the property you have connected within the plugin. 

You can also check how your Analytics snippet has been placed on your site by checking the Site Kit tag placement section in your Site Health Status. 

Can I change the connected Analytics property?

Yes, this can be changed in Site Kit Settings. If the connected property is changed, Site Kit will display data for the newly connected property within the Site Kit dashboard. The connected Analytics property can be changed by going to Site Kit > Settings > Connected Services > Analytics and selecting a new property.

The data I see in the Site Kit dashboard is not what I expected. What’s wrong?

Site Kit pulls data from the connected user’s Analytics account using the Google Analytics Reporting API. You can compare what you see within the Site Kit dashboard with what you see from analytics.google.com by clicking on the Source: Analytics link within the Site Kit dashboard. 

You may notice some minor discrepancies between data in the Site Kit dashboard and analytics.google.com due to the usage of totalUsers vs. activeUsers for some calculations.

More details on the differences between totalUsers and activeUsers are available in this Google Analytics guide.

Where can I find more detailed statistics about visitors to my site?

The Site Kit dashboard will show you select information for the connected Analytics account. If you’re looking to review more detailed data, go to analytics.google.com or click on the Source: Analytics link within the Site Kit dashboard.

Why don’t I see a GA4 code snippet when checking my site’s source code?

Site Kit uses a Google tag to connect your site with a Google Analytics 4 property where possible. When in use, this Google tag is visible when checking your site’s source code, using a GT- prefix. Your Google Analytics 4 property is stored as part of this Google tag ID; however, it is not visible directly if viewing your site’s source code. 

Please see this guide for more details on the Google tag. 

I want non-administrators to be able to view my Analytics data. How can I do this?

The Dashboard Sharing feature allows users to share access to Analytics data in the Site Kit dashboard with other WordPress user roles. More information about this feature is available here. 

How do I track events in GA4?

GA4 includes several common events (for example, scroll tracking) by default. For more information about events, check out Google’s Events reference guides and guide on automatically collected events.

Is there eCommerce tracking in GA4?

Yes, GA4 can be used to track eCommerce events. See this guide from Google for more information.

I’ve implemented GA4 via Site Kit but I don’t see any real time reports on Analytics. Why?

As of June 2023, GA4 statistics are displayed in the Site Kit dashboard. This data does not include real time data, which can be viewed from analytics.google.com. If you have GA4 data in your Analytics account but you can’t see any GA4 data in your Site Kit dashboard, you can open a support topic in the plugin support forums.