This guide explains how to connect your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Search Console accounts to SiteStats using secure OAuth 2.0 authentication. The steps below show the exact flow that users will experience when granting access.
1. Start the Connection #
In your WordPress dashboard:
- Go to SiteStats → Settings.
- Click “Connect Google”.
After clicking the Google Connect button, you will be redirected to a secure Google login page. SiteStats never sees your Google password or login credentials.
Follow the prompts to connect SiteStats to Google.
2. Choose Your Google Account #
Google will ask you to select the Google account that has access to your GA4 or Search Console properties.
If you have multiple Google accounts, choose the one associated with the website you want to analyze.
3. Review Permissions #
You will see a Google consent screen listing the read-only permissions requested by SiteStats. These may include:
- View your Google Analytics data
- View your Google Search Console data
These permissions are required to display analytics inside your WordPress dashboard. SiteStats never modifies or deletes your Google data.
3.1 Why These Permissions Are Needed #
- analytics.readonly — fetches GA4 metrics (sessions, page views, events, etc.)
- webmasters.readonly — fetches Search Console data (queries, impressions, CTR, etc.)
All permissions are read-only. No write or administrative scopes are requested. This means that SiteStats can only see your Google Analytics and Search Console data – it can never modify or change anything within these accounts.
4. Grant Access #
Click “Allow” to grant SiteStats permission to retrieve your analytics data. This step allows SiteStats to request OAuth tokens from Google, which are stored securely on your WordPress site.
5. Complete the Connection #
After approving the permissions, Google will redirect you back to your WordPress dashboard. You will see a confirmation message that your account is connected.
5.1 Select Your Properties #
Once connected, you can now visit the SiteStats > Google Analytics and the SiteStats > Search Console settings pages.
From here, you can choose the specific sites/properties that you want to view in SiteStats.
SiteStats will begin populating your dashboard with analytics data immediately.
6. Disconnecting Your Account #
You can disconnect SiteStats from your Google account at any time:
- Go to SiteStats → Settings
- Click “Disconnect Google Account”
You may also revoke access from your Google Account settings under “Security → Third-party access”.
7. How SiteStats Uses Your Data #
SiteStats retrieves your Google Analytics and Search Console data solely to display analytics dashboards inside WordPress. It does not:
- Modify or delete your Google data
- Share data with third parties
- Use data for advertising
- Send data to external servers (unless optional cloud features are enabled)
For full details, see our How SiteStats Uses Your Google Data page.
8. Troubleshooting #
If you encounter issues during connection:
- Ensure you are logged into the correct Google account
- Confirm the account has admin or viewer access to the GA4 or Search Console property
- Check for browser extensions that block redirects or popups
- Ensure your hosting environment allows outgoing HTTPS requests
If you still experience problems, please contact us using our support page.
9. Contact Support #
SiteStats Support
Email: info@sitestatswp.com
Website: https://sitestatswp.com
Support Page: https://sitestatswp.com/support
