> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.sageseo.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.sageseo.ai/getting-started/integrations.md).
# Search Integrations
Sage's value compounds with each external system it can read from + write to. The three most important integrations to set up: **Google Search Console**, **Google Analytics**, and **WordPress**. Each one unlocks a specific capability — and the more you connect, the more of the content lifecycle Sage can automate end-to-end.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Key Takeaways**
* GSC is non-negotiable — Sage needs it to suggest topics, monitor indexing, and inform the AI Writer
* WordPress connection is required for direct publishing — without it, articles must be exported manually
* Google Analytics adds on-site behavior data (engagement, conversions) on top of GSC's search visibility
* CRM and social integrations are on the roadmap — they'll close the loop from content → search → conversion
* All integrations use industry-standard OAuth — your passwords never touch Sage's servers
{% endhint %}
## The integration stack
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A[Google Search Console] -->|Search visibility +
keyword rankings| Z[Sage]
B[Google Analytics] -->|On-site engagement +
conversion data| Z
C[WordPress] -->|Where Sage publishes articles
+ category list| Z
D[CRM systems] -.coming soon.-> Z
Z --> E[Topic suggestions
grounded in real data]
Z --> F[Articles published
without manual upload]
Z --> G[Indexing tracked
automatically per URL]
Z --> H[Performance attributed
to specific articles]
classDef src fill:#F0F6FF,stroke:#0052CC,color:#091E42
classDef sage fill:#EAE6FF,stroke:#6554C0,color:#091E42
classDef value fill:#E3FCEF,stroke:#006644,color:#091E42
class A,B,C src
class D src
class Z sage
class E,F,G,H value
```
## Google Search Console (GSC)
**Required** — without GSC, Sage can't do its core job.
### What GSC unlocks
* **Live keyword rankings** for the AI Suggestions Engine — Sage knows which queries the site is almost ranking for (positions 5–20) and suggests articles to push them onto page one
* **Per-URL indexing status** for the Google Index dashboard — Sage tracks which articles got indexed and which are stuck
* **Impression + click data** for the Performance Dashboard + SEO Analytics
* **Automatic URL submission** — every Sage-published article goes to Google for fresh crawl
### How to connect
1. Go to **Domains Overview** in Sage
2. Click **Add Project** (or **Connect GSC** on an existing domain)
3. Sage opens the Google OAuth flow
4. Choose the Google account that owns the GSC property
5. Approve the requested permissions (read-only access to GSC data + write access to submit URLs)
6. Sage pulls 30 days of historical data within \~30 seconds
{% hint style="warning" %}
**The domain must already exist in GSC.** Sage doesn't add domains to GSC for you — that's GSC's separate verification step. If a client's site isn't in their GSC yet, that's prerequisite step zero.
{% endhint %}
### What Sage does + doesn't access
| What Sage reads | What Sage writes | What Sage NEVER does |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Search performance data (queries, pages, clicks, impressions, position) | Submit URLs for re-indexing | Modify your GSC settings |
| URL inspection verdicts | Run URL inspection checks (read-only) | Delete or change existing data |
| Sitemap URL list | — | Access GSC properties you didn't connect |
All access is read-only except the indexing submissions (which are pure additive — Sage can only *request* indexing, never remove or modify anything).
## Google Analytics
**Optional but recommended** — adds the layer of "what happens after someone clicks."
### What GA unlocks
* **On-site engagement** — bounce rate, session duration, pages per session per article
* **Conversion attribution** — which articles drive form submissions, email signups, demo requests
* **AI referral traffic** — clicks from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews (a growing channel)
* **Cross-channel context** — see how organic traffic compares to paid, social, direct
### How to connect
1. Go to a domain's settings page
2. Click **Connect Google Analytics**
3. Choose the GA4 property associated with the same domain
4. Approve Sage's read access
5. Sage pulls historical data based on your retention window
{% hint style="info" %}
**Sage uses GA4, not Universal Analytics.** UA was sunset by Google in July 2023. If your client is still using UA, the integration won't work — they need to migrate to GA4 first.
{% endhint %}
### What GA adds to Sage
* The Performance Dashboard adds engagement metrics next to ranking metrics
* The AI Suggestions Engine factors in which existing content actually engages users vs which just ranks
* The Google Index dashboard adds context: "this URL is indexed AND driving engaged sessions"
## WordPress
**Required for direct publishing** — without it, Sage generates articles but you have to copy-paste them into WP manually.
### What WP integration unlocks
* **Direct publish** — finished articles push to the client's site with one click (or zero, in autopilot mode)
* **Auto-pick categories** — Sage picks the best-matching non-Uncategorized category from the WP site
* **Featured image upload** — generated images attach to the WP post properly
* **Bidirectional URL tracking** — Sage knows which URL each Sage article published to, for indexing + analytics attribution
### How to connect
Modern WordPress (5.6+, December 2020 onward) uses **Application Passwords** — a native feature. Setup:
1. Go to **Settings → WordPress** in Sage
2. Click **Connect WordPress** on the domain
3. Sage redirects to the WP site's authorization screen
4. Approve "Sage" as an authorized application
5. WP generates a unique App Password and sends it back to Sage
6. Connection live — articles can now publish directly
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
participant You
participant Sage
participant WP as Client's WordPress
You->>Sage: Click Connect WordPress
Sage->>WP: Redirect to wp-admin authorize-application URL
WP->>You: "Approve Sage to access this site?"
You->>WP: Click Approve
WP->>Sage: Return with generated App Password
Sage->>Sage: Store credentials securely (encrypted)
Note over Sage,WP: Connection live — auto-publishing now works
```
See [Publishing Articles to WordPress](/getting-started/publishing.md) for the full publish flow.
### What Sage does + doesn't access
| What Sage reads | What Sage writes | What Sage NEVER does |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------ |
| Existing post list (to detect duplicates) | New posts (publish articles) | Modify your WP themes |
| Category list (for auto-pick) | Update existing Sage-published posts | Install plugins on your behalf |
| Media library (to upload featured images) | Upload featured image media | Access other users' content |
App Passwords are revocable from your WP profile — if you ever want to disconnect, you can do it from WP itself without needing Sage's involvement.
## Coming soon
### CRM systems
The roadmap closes the loop from search → site visit → conversion → revenue. Planned integrations:
* **HubSpot** — track which articles drive contacts and deals
* **Salesforce** — attribute pipeline value to content
* **Pipedrive / Close** — same idea, smaller-business CRMs
These will let Sage answer the question agencies care most about: **"which articles actually made money?"**
### Twitter / social
Auto-sharing of newly-published articles to a connected Twitter/X account, with AI-generated tweet copy. Useful for agencies running social-first amplification.
## When to set up each integration
```mermaid
flowchart LR
A[New Sage account] --> B[Connect GSC immediately]
B --> C[Add first domain]
C --> D[Connect WordPress for that domain]
D --> E[Get first article published]
E --> F[After 1-2 weeks, connect GA]
F --> G[Track which articles actually engage users]
G --> H[Later: connect CRM when available]
classDef phase fill:#F0F6FF,stroke:#0052CC,color:#091E42
class A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H phase
```
GSC first, WP second, GA third, others later. The first two are the difference between "Sage works for you" and "Sage doesn't work." The others compound the value over time.
## Frequently asked questions
### Are my Google credentials safe?
Sage uses OAuth — your password never reaches Sage's servers. Google issues us a short-lived access token that we can use to query GSC/GA on your behalf. You can revoke that access anytime from your Google account security page.
### What if my GSC token expires?
Sage automatically refreshes the token using Google's refresh-token mechanism. You'll only see a "Disconnected" status if the refresh itself fails (rare — usually means you revoked the connection or changed your Google password). One click reconnects.
### Does Sage support GA4 or Universal Analytics?
GA4 only. Universal Analytics was sunset by Google in July 2023 and is no longer queryable.
### What if my client doesn't have GSC set up?
That's prerequisite step 0 — they need to verify their domain in GSC before Sage can do anything. It's a 5-minute task (verify via DNS or HTML tag). Sage's docs include a quick walkthrough for clients who haven't done this.
### Can I connect multiple Google accounts?
Each domain in Sage connects to one Google account (the one that owns its GSC/GA). You can have different domains connected to different accounts — useful if you manage clients who use different Google Workspaces.
### What happens if I disconnect WordPress?
The connection drops, articles stop publishing automatically, and you'll need to reconnect to resume. Already-published articles stay published — Sage doesn't unpublish anything. Sage's record of which articles published to which URLs is preserved.
## Related
* [Domains Overview](/getting-started/domains.md) — where domains (and their GSC connections) are managed
* [Publishing Articles to WordPress](/getting-started/publishing.md) — full WP publish flow once connected
* [Google Index Status](/getting-started/google-index.md) — uses the GSC connection to track indexing
* [SEO Analytics](/getting-started/seo-analytics.md) — visualization of the GSC data Sage pulls