Note: This guide is only for sites that have a staging environment AND a production site. The staging site displays the production site data. The staging site must be accessible by Google services. A local-only staging site using a service such as WAMP or Local is not supported at this time. 

  • Ensure that you have Site Kit set up and working on your production site, with the dashboards showing data for this site 
  • Log in to your WordPress admin for your staging environment
  • Install and activate Site Kit on your staging site, but DO NOT start the setup flow in Site Kit
  • Install and activate the Site Kit helper plugin. This plugin allows you to pull the data from your production site to the staging site.
  • Navigate to Site Kit > Developer settings and fill in the fields:
    • Add the URL of your live site in the Custom Site URL field. 
    • Leave the Custom Search Console Property ID field blank unless you are using a domain property (i.e. sc-domain:example.com). If using a domain property, add it to this field.
    • If your site is not publicly available (i.e. is password protected or behind a login), you will need to create custom credentials per the instructions below. If your site is publicly accessible, you can skip the steps below.
      1. Create OAuth tokens by clicking on Create your credentials
      2. If you’re already logged into your browser with the Google account you used to setup Site Kit on your live site, verify the details that are automatically populated. The Support Email should match the email address that you used to set up Site Kit on your live site. If everything looks good, click on the Get OAuth Credentials button. 
      3. If you’re not logged into your browser, click on the Get OAuth Credentials button. Log in to the Google account that you used to set up Site Kit on your production site. Verify the details that are automatically populated and if all looks good, click Get OAuth Credentials.
      4. Enter a project name and click Next.
      5. Copy the Client ID value and paste that into the Google OAuth2 Client ID field in Site Kit Developer Settings on your staging site
      6. Copy the Client Secret value and paste that into the Google OAuth2 Client Secret field in Site Kit Developer Settings on your staging site
    • Press the Save Changes button in the Site Kit Developer Settings on your staging site
  • Start the setup flow for Site Kit by going to Site Kit > Dashboard

If you decide to change your staging site to a production site, be sure to uninstall the helper plugin and reset Site Kit.