How to Add Google Search Console to WordPress and Google Analytics

How to Add Google Search Console to WordPress and Analytics

Do you want to know how to add Google Search Console to your Google Analytics account and your WordPress website?

Google Search Console is a tool that, as a website owner, you can’t afford not to use. It’s an absolutely essential tool for anyone wanting to make sure their site is performing in Google’s search results.

In this article, we’ll show you how to connect Search Console to Google Analytics and your WordPress website.

What Is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console, which used to be known as “Google Webmaster Tools,” is a free set of tools available to all website owners.

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The tools are designed to help users analyze and manage their site’s appearance in Google’s search results. They can help you make the right decisions to improve your site’s position and overall look on the search results pages.

With Search Console, you can also:

  • Submit new content for indexing
  • Add a sitemap
  • Find and fix common malware and spam issues
  • See which search queries (keywords) cause your site to appear in search results
  • Find out which queries drive the most traffic to your site
  • See what other sites are linking to your site
  • See if your website passes Core Web Vitals tests
  • Check to make sure your structured data (breadcrumbs, reviews, recipes, or other schema) is configured correctly

In other words, Google Search Console is an incredibly helpful tool for that gives you information about your website and how your visitors are finding it.

Search Console Tutorials:

  1. How to Set up and Verify Your WordPress Website with Google Search Console
  2. How to Connect Search Console and Google Analytics
  3. How to View Search Console Reports in Google Analytics
  4. How to View Search Console Reports in WordPress

Video Tutorial

Set Up & Verify Your Website with Search Console

Before you can see you site’s Search Console data, you need to prove to Google that you’re the owner of your website.

To start, go to Google Search Console and sign into your Google Analytics account. If you haven’t created a property yet, you’ll go straight to the Welcome screen:

Select a Property Type in Google Search Console

If you have another property set up already and you need to add a new one, choose the dropdown at the top of the left-hand navigation and click Add a Property.

Add a Property in Google Search Console

Now to verify your site, we highly recommend the Domain method. We’ll be using the Domain property verification for this tutorial.

In order to verify a Domain property in Google Search Console, you have to verify that you are, in fact, the owner of the domain, and not just the URL.

That means you need to verify it with your DNS (Domain Name Service) provider. That would be whomever you bought your domain name and/or hosting services from, such as GoDaddy, Siteground, or Bluehost.

To do that, first input your domain name and click Continue:

Enter a domain to begin search console verification

Then, Google will try to give you specific directions if you have one of the hosts in their dropdown. Or, you can just pick Any DNS provider for the universal instructions:

Verify search console with DNS

Now, you just need to copy the TXT record (that string of code) and paste it into your DNS. The location of where you can add a TXT record differs between different DNS providers, but will generally look like this example in Siteground:

Create a new TXT record

All you would do here is paste the code from Search Console into the Value field and click Create.

When you go back to Search Console and click Verify, you should get a success message.

For more help with these steps, visit Search Console Help.

And that’s it! Your website is connected to Google Search Console. You can now begin viewing Search Console data.

Connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics

Click the Admin cog on the bottom left.

GA4 Admin

Now, you’ll find the Search Console Linking button at the bottom of the Property column:

Search Console Linking button in GA4

Now, click the blue Link button:

Search Console link a property

Now, click the blue Choose accounts link.

Choose accounts button

Now, click the checkbox next to the property you want to connect to and click the blue Confirm button.

Link to Search Console property checkbox

Click Next.

Next button Search Console linking

Click Select.

Select a web stream - Search Console linking

Choose the data stream you want to connect with by clicking Choose.

Choose a data stream - Search Console connection

Now, click Next.

Next step - connect Search Console and Analytics

Check that everything is correct and click Submit.

Submit Search Console Link

That’s it, your link is created!

View Google Search Console Reports in Google Analytics

You’ll need to add the Search Console report into the navigation in Google Analytics, as it’s not automatic. To do that, click Library:

GA4 Library

Now, find the Search Console card under Collections and click Edit collection.

Search Console Collection GA4

On the next screen, all you need to do is click the Save button, then Back.

Save the Search Console collection in GA4

Next, find the three dots on the Search Console card and click that to show more options. Click Publish.

Publish the Search Console collection in GA4

That’s it! You should now have a new Search Console section in your navigation:

Search Console Report in GA4

View Google Search Console Reports in WordPress

Lastly, you can use the MonsterInsights plugin to view your Search Console Queries Report right from your WordPress dashboard.

Don’t have MonsterInsights yet? You’re missing out!

MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It allows you to easily connect your WordPress site with Google Analytics so you can view all the data that matters most right in your WordPress dashboard.

MonsterInsights Home Dashboard

Plus, with the click of a button, you can set up sophisticated tracking features such as event tracking, eCommerce tracking, form tracking, custom dimension tracking, outbound link tracking, and more.

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If you’re already using the plugin, you can find your Search Terms report by going to Insights » Reports. From there, click on the Search Console tab.

Search Console Search Terms Report

Here you’ll see your website’s top search terms, organized by the number of clicks they’re getting from Google search. Next to each term, you’ll see the following:

  • Clicks
  • Impressions
  • Click-Through Rate
  • Average Position

This gives you a good idea of the keywords that are bringing people to your website.

It also shows you the position your keywords are ranking for in Google, which is the top point of working on your SEO.

And there you have it! That’s how you configure your WordPress website with Google Search Console and Google Analytics so you can make sure your site is not only showing up in Google search results, but looking and functioning great, too.

If you’re looking for great ways to improve on your overall SEO in an effort to drive even more traffic to your site, check out our post on Google Analytics SEO hacks designed to bring more organic traffic to your site. Or, read How to Use Google Search Console for SEO.

Not using MonsterInsights yet? What are you waiting for?

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for more helpful Google Analytics tips.

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Comments

  1. This instruction page is out of date. Google has changed the interface of these menus and it looks nothing like the images. Not only that some of them like the acquisitions tab don’t exist anymore.

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