Utilizing free resources is a favorite pastime of mine, especially the ones from Google because they generally have bells and whistles you can’t always find elsewhere. It’s important to take advantage of all the aspects of what we’ll call the “Google-webmaster-suite,” as this will force Google to index your site. So on every site, you want to include Analytics, Webmaster Tools and, if you’re site’s large enough, Custom Site Search.
Make sure you have these three resources under one Google Login—it makes life much easier; plus you will be able to view one dashboard to look at your metrics. Lastly, make sure you connect the aspects of your GWS to enjoy integrated tracking and more informed statistics.
How to Connect Google Analytics to Google Webmaster Tools
- Once you're logged in to Google Analytics > select your portal and domain
- Go to "Admin" in the upper right corner
- Go to "Property Settings"
- Under webmaster tools settings, click edit
- [A new window will open] Select the site [in webmaster tools] you wish to connect to & click Save
- Important! [The webmaster tools window will close automatically] on the Analytics property settings - Click "Apply" or the changes will not save!
How to Connect Google Analytics to Google Webmaster Search
- Once you're logged in to Google Analytics:
- Select your portal and domain
- Go to "Admin" in the upper right corner
- Go to "Profiles" [should be default tab]
- Go to "Profile Settings"
- Under site search settings: Select "do track site search"
- You must select at least one query parameter* - most likely "q" for "query" and it should be the same as what you chose in the Google Site Search set up
- Important!! Click "Apply" or the changes will not save!
How to Connect Google Site Search to Google Analytics
- Once you're logged in to Google Site Search > select your search engine by clicking "control panel" next to the one you want to edit
- Select "Google Analytics" on the left menu
- On the page - complete the information so that your search is connected to the proper analytics account.
- Remember: You must select at least one query parameter* - most likely "q" for "query" and it should be the same as what you chose in the Google Analytics setup
*General Google Site Search Recommendation: It's a best practice to have the meta description and keywords for your home page listed under the search settings
At this time there isn't a way that we can find to connect Google Webmaster Tools and Google Site Search any more than they are already connected automatically – if anyone knows how to achieve this, we’re all ears; let us know in the comments below.
Image: keso
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