How to use “Site Kit by Google” made by Google
The WordPress plugin “Site Kit by Google” from Google is fantastic.
First of all, many articles say “Site Kit is an analytics and analytics plugin” but they don’t understand important things. Or an article whose posting date is very old.
Here are some great features of Site Kit:
- It integrates with Google services like Google Analytics and Search Console and provides stats on your WordPress dashboard.
- You can automatically insert code from Google AdSense or Google Analytics without having to edit the website’s code.
Personally, I think “2” is very important.
What is Site Kit by Google?
Site Kit is the official WordPress plugin from Google.
It launched a beta release on December 6, 2018 under the name Site Kit, and officially launched Site Kit by Google on October 31, 2019 as a WordPress plugin.
Site Kit is the official WordPress plugin from Google for insights about how people find and use your site. Site Kit is the one-stop solution to deploy, manage, and get insights from critical Google tools to make the site successful on the web. It provides authoritative, up-to-date insights from multiple Google products directly on the WordPress dashboard for easy access, all for free.
Site Kit by Google Implementation Method
Deploy Site Kit to WordPress.
There are 2 ways to install the WordPress plugin: “Upload ZIP Plugin File” and “Install from Dashboard” This time, we will install it in “Install from Dashboard”.
Install Site Kit on WordPress
Click “Add New” for the plug-in in the left navigation of the WordPress administration screen.
In the upper-right search bar, type “Site Kit” and select Site Kit by Google “Install Now” from the search results.
After changing the status, click “Enable”.
After enabling, “Congratulations, the Site Kit plugin is now activated.” is displayed.
Click “START SETUP” in the notification.
Click “Sign in Google”.
Authenticate your Google account, grant permissions from Site Kit and complete the Site Kit account setup.
Click “Go to my Dashboard” to go to the Site Kit dashboard.
Integration with Google services
Site Kit integrates with the following Google services to display insights and automatically fill in code.
- Search Console
- Google AdSense
- Google Analytics
- PageSpeed Insights
- Google Tag Manager
- Google Optimize
Click “Connect Service” for the Google service you want to work with.
Just like with the Site Kit account, you can authenticate your Google account, grant permissions from Site Kit, and complete the integration with Google services.
Select the properties and views you want to work with, and click “CONFIGURE ANALYTICS”.
Linking Google Tag Manager and Google Optimize
For Google Tag Manager and Google Optimize, select Settinginngs from the left navigation and select “CONNECT MORE SERVICES” on the top tab.
The cooperation will be the same as before.
Automatic code insertion
Site Kit enables automatic insertion of Google AdSense and Google Analytics code.
The default state is “perform automatic insertion” for both.
The Google Tag Manager has not been selected and has automatically inserted the code.
Select “Settings” from the Site Kit in the left navigation, select “Google AdSense” from the CONNECTED SERVIES in the top tab, and click “Edit”.
Configuring Google AdSense
Verify that “Let Site Kit place code on your site RECOMMENDED” is ON.
Turn it OFF if you want to control it manually or with another plug-in.
*If your website is AMP-’d, it automatically codes for Google AdSense ads (AMP).
Setting Up Google Analytics
In Google Analytics, “Do you want to remove the Analytics snippet inserted by Site Kit?” is “Not at this time”.
Also, “Logged-in users” is set to “Exclude from Analytics”. In other words, it is “Logged-in users will be excluded from Analytics tracking.”.
Automatic Site Kit code insertion is in place within <header> <body>.
Site Kit Implementation Considerations
Duplication of Google Analytics‘s code
By default, Site Kit is set to auto-insert Google Analytics tracking code, which may cause Google Analytics to double-measure.
Check for the following conditions.
- It inserts Google Analytics tracking code into WordPress themes.
- That writes directly on functions.php and header.php.
- The theme function (Customize) is set.
- That set up Google Analytics tracking code for other plug-ins.
- Google has opened up Google Analytics measurement tags to Google Tag Manager.
If the above settings are true, Google Analytics may double measure.
If your Google Analytics measure.
- The number of user PV sessions has skyrocketed and is now (even number).
- The bounce rate has improved significantly to less than 40%.
The solution
The quickest way is to turn off automatic insertion of tracking code in Site Kit’s Google Analytics.
If you prefer Site Kit, remove Google Analytics code from each feature.
You can check with “View Google Analytics in Real Time” “Check the source of the page for code”.
It is recommended to use Secret Mode for checking.
Duplication of Google AdSense’s Code
The default Site Kit is set to auto-insert Google AdSense ads, so you may have double-inserted code.
Check for the following conditions.
- It inserts Google Analytics tracking code into WordPress themes.
- That writes directly on functions.php and header.php.
- The theme function (Customize) is set.
- Your set up Google Analytics tracking code for other plug-ins.
If the above settings apply, you may have double-inserted Google AdSense code.
Even if it is double-inserted, there are cases where advertisements are displayed.
The solution
The quickest way to do this is to turn off Site Kit’s Google AdSense auto-insert.
If you prefer Site Kit, remove the Google AdSense code from each feature.
You can check with “Check the source of the page for code”.
It is recommended to use Secret Mode for checking.
Memo
It’s been a long time coming, but here’s what Site Kit by Google looks like.
- Official Google WordPress plugin.
- It integrates with Google services and provides insights.
- You can auto-insert code from Google AdSense, Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.
Up until now, I used to fill in the file directly or use a plugin to insert code and visualize numbers, but it wasn’t official, so I felt like my credibility was being undermined.
Site Kit by Google makes it much easier to insert code. Also, as an administrator, it is very easy to check the numerical value in one place after moving.
The operation I was worried about is light and stable, so there is no problem.
I don’t think there will be any interference with other plug-ins since Site Kit’s functionality is “Insert Code Automatically” “Pull numbers from services”.
If you are using Google services such as Google AdSense, Google Analytics and Search Console, I think it is a plug-in you should install.
With Google vowing to focus on AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) rather than WordPress and to use its resources to scale ads through Google AdSense, it’s clear that Site Kit is the logical next step.
At Google’s official “Google for WordPress Publisher Traditional HCM” event, Googler said, “Google is ready to pay for ads (Google AdSense). We Want WordPress Publishers To Make Money With Improved Usability”. Also, the Google AdSense help community has posted a lot about “About Site Approval” “Insert Ad Code” and I think Site Kit will solve those problems.
From Google’s point of view, I think it will be structured so that contributors can earn money as a result of “Expand information = increase contributors” “Multifaceted evaluation of website information = Improved information quality” and “Quality Information for End Users = More Ads”.
No AdSense auto-insert code for AMP sites
As of February 6th, 2020, using the official AMP WordPress plugin “AMP” will now interfere with Site Kit’s automatic insertion of Google AdSense code for AMP sites, disabling automatic insertion of AMP code. Google Analytics & Google Tag Manager is automatically inserted.
This only happens for AMP pages, which usually automatically insert Google AdSense code.
To avoid this, you must revert the AMP version back to 1.3. 0. Alternatively, you can use the WordPress plugin to insert code such as Head, Footer and Post Injections.
The verified version of the WordPress plugin
- Site Kit by Google：version 1.2.0
- AMP：version 1.4.2
Originally published at https://googlecloud.4watcher365.dev on December 13, 2019.
