WiscWeb - WordPress UW Theme - Google Tools

The following document aims to differentiate between the various Google tools that are currently offered as integrations for the UW Theme in WiscWeb.

Important

Please note that support of these tools is limited within the Google and WiscWeb teams at DoIT. WiscWeb will assist with connecting the tools to your site in the UW Theme, and will offer best effort troubleshooting for issues that you encounter. However, we ask that you please seek out instructional documentation directly from the vendors and consider enrolling in their free training options (links included below) if you would like more familiarity with the tools.

Google Analytics

Vendor Documentation | Vendor Training

Area of Focus: Website Usage Metrics

Why You Should Use It: Google Analytics generates detailed statistics about a website's traffic and traffic sources. It is intended for learning more about how people use your website.It helps you make decisions about changes you may need to make to the site in order to improve the overall user experience.

Google Custom Search (AKA Programmable Search Engine)

Vendor Documentation | No Training Certificate Offered

Area of Focus: Website Search Function

Why You Should Use It: Google Custom Search allows you to provide your users with more robust search capabilities so that they can more easily find what they need on your website. The results provided by this tool are more fine-tuned and all-encompassing than the native WordPress search.

Google Search Console

Vendor Documentation | Vendor Training

Area of Focus: Search Engine Optimization (specifically, for Google)

Why You Should Use It: Google's Search Console tool allows users to monitor and optimize their site's performance in Google search results. This tool is helpful in keeping Google up-to-date with what exists on your site. Connecting your site to it allows Google to better-track things you’ve added or removed, and helps ensure that the content displayed in their search results are accurate.

Google Tag Manager

Vendor Documentation | Vendor Training

Area of Focus: Tracking + Website Usage Metrics

Why You Should Use It: Google Tag Manager is used to track events that users trigger when visiting your website. Most groups don’t need to go this deep with their metrics but it is helpful for those that have very marketing-specific website goals.