Google Information Studio (now referred to as Looker Studio) may be complicated and overwhelming to navigate. However with a top quality Google Information Studio tutorial, you’ll spend much less time pulling experiences and extra time offering insights.
On this article, you’ll learn to use Looker Studio to create and customise partaking dashboards along with your knowledge.
What Is Looker Studio (Previously Often known as Google Information Studio)?
In 2022, Google changed its in style Google Information Studio model with Looker Studio. It’s a free-to-use knowledge visualization instrument that allows you to create efficiency experiences simply.
It means that you can sync your knowledge and switch info into visible dashboards that you could customise to make data-driven choices.
Looker Studio takes the uncooked knowledge out of your web site, advertising and marketing, ecommerce, or different analytics instruments and is smart of it.
With charts, graphs, and tables, you’ll be able to inform the tales behind the numbers.
A line chart displaying how web site site visitors elevated over time, for instance, communicates info extra clearly than numbers in a spreadsheet.
Visualizing knowledge additionally makes it simpler to reply questions on enterprise targets. For instance:
- What are the highest site visitors sources to our web site?
- What are our best-selling merchandise?
- What are our top-ranking key phrases?
- Which pages have the very best bounce fee?
- Does the web site entice our goal demographics?
With this info, groups could make data-driven choices.
You should use Looker Studio to visualise knowledge:
- Internally, to assist stakeholders and crew members perceive your business, advertising and marketing progress, and financials
- Externally, to indicate analysis or efficiency insights to purchasers
Looker Studio is an enormous time saver, too. Say goodbye to knowledge exports and spreadsheets—the whole lot that you must analyze and current your knowledge is on this one-stop-shop platform.
Find out how to Signal Up for Looker Studio
If you know the way to make use of Google Information Studio, the method to join Looker Studio is comparable.
The excellent news: Looker Studio is free for everybody. However with a brand new title and face, Google has additionally launched a paid model, Looker Studio Professional.
Looker Studio Professional provides enterprise-level capabilities and technical assist for giant groups with a number of customers, together with:
- Staff workspaces with particular permissions relying on the consumer’s position (e.g., Supervisor, Content material Supervisor, or Contributor)
- Google Cloud challenge linking the place knowledge sources belong to the group moderately than particular person customers. That protects knowledge—even when the creator leaves the corporate
However until you want these extra options, the free model affords the whole lot that you must create partaking experiences.
Right here’s how to enroll:
Step 1. Go to Looker Studio and Check in with Your Google Account
To get began, go to the Looker Studio homepage and log in utilizing your Google account.
Use the identical account that you just use for Google Analytics and different G-Suite instruments to make sure the whole lot in your Google account stays related.
For those who don’t have already got a Google Account, otherwise you don’t need to use Looker Studio with a private account, you’ll be able to create a brand new account free of charge.
Step 2. Full Looker Studio’s Signal-Up Data
As a brand new consumer, you’ll must enter your location, firm title, and e mail preferences.
Looker Studio will then ask you to decide on a connector. These are the information sources you’ll use to construct experiences. Let’s take a better look.
Find out how to Join Your Information with Looker Studio
Looker Studio enables you to connect with greater than 800 knowledge sources to sync your knowledge within the platform.
Presently, Google affords 21 connectors for its merchandise, together with Google Analytics, Google Sheets, Google Adverts, and BigQuery.
There are additionally greater than 700 companion connectors to sync knowledge from different advertising and marketing instruments and buyer relationship administration (CRM) instruments, together with:
Associate connectors are apps managed by third-party suppliers. Most are paid instruments.
You should purchase APIs for single knowledge connectors for a month-to-month price or buy them in bundles to make use of throughout your experiences. Builders set pricing.
Click on on a companion connector and choose “Study Extra” to go to the supplier’s web site and think about its prices.
Semrush customers with a Guru or Enterprise subscription can entry to our Looker Studio connectors.
As a brand new consumer, Looker Studio asks you so as to add a connector earlier than getting began. You may add extra connectors at any time by clicking “Create,” then “Information supply” out of your homepage.
Any new knowledge supply could have the default title: “Untitled Information Supply.” Change this to a title associated to your knowledge (e.g. “Google Analytics: semrush.com”). That may stop confusion down the road and make it simpler to seek out the precise knowledge in your experiences.
When you choose an information supply, authorize the connection. You want to grant entry solely as soon as.
As soon as that’s completed, you’ll discover a listing of accessible fields you should use to create charts in your experiences. Google separates these into two classes:
- Dimensions (inexperienced)
- Metrics (blue)
Dimensions are attributes of knowledge. They describe or categorize your knowledge—for instance:
- Nation
- Age
- Product ID
- Date
- Marketing campaign Identify
Google makes use of these to group your knowledge in a chart.
Metrics are quantitative measurements of knowledge. These are value-based—for instance:
- Quantity
- Share
- Length
- Forex
Within the chart under, you’ll be able to see dimensions and metrics working collectively:
The dimension is time—on this case, the times on the horizontal (X) axis. That’s what the chart is measuring by.
The metric is new customers. On this case, the quantity counts on the vertical (Y) axis. That’s what’s being measured.
If that you must recategorize knowledge, click on the drop-down menu within the “Sort” discipline. Sorts embody Numeric, Forex, and Share.
By clicking on a dimension or metric title, you can too edit what it’s referred to as. That is perhaps helpful in the event you’re importing knowledge from Excel or Google Sheets and by accident use column headings as knowledge labels.
Together with your knowledge related, you’ll go to your Looker Studio homepage.
A Be aware on Looker Studio Homepage
For those who’re aware of Google Analytics 4, Google Docs, or Google Sheets, you’ll be happy to know Looker Studio shares the identical easy interface:
That ought to make it simpler to seek out your approach round.
On the prime of the homepage, you’ll see tabs for Reviews, Information Sources, and Explorer.
- Reviews enables you to create a brand new report, view current experiences, or get began with a template
- Information sources are the instruments you’ve related to Looker Studio (e.g., Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, and Google Sheets)
- Explorer is a short lived scratchpad the place you’ll be able to edit visualizations and filter knowledge with out affecting the dwell model. Recordsdata are personal and non permanent until you save them.
On the left of the homepage is a menu with a number of choices:
- Create enables you to create a brand new Report, Information supply, or Explorer
- Shared with me to view shared experiences or knowledge sources
- Owned by me to see your created experiences
- Trash to view our discarded experiences
- Templates to sift by the Looker Studio template gallery
For those who get misplaced, click on the Looker Studio icon to return to this web page
Find out how to Create a Report in Looker Studio
Earlier than you get hands-on with knowledge visualization, that you must be clear on why you’re making a report. Take into consideration:
- Your viewers: What does the viewer need to be taught out of your report?
Looker Studio experiences are customizable. You may embody metrics from a number of sources—however that doesn’t imply you must.
For those who overwhelm stakeholders with irrelevant knowledge, you run the chance of them lacking essential particulars. A report for a gross sales supervisor that features knowledge on best-selling merchandise is perhaps irrelevant to a advertising and marketing supervisor who desires to know which channels are prime performers.
Base experiences round your targets. Each stakeholder or consumer has totally different wants. Find out how they measure success so you’ll be able to function dimensions and metrics that assist them make data-driven choices.
For instance, a report utilizing Semrush’s Looker Studio integration can be useful for search engine optimization administration and reporting. Customers can analyze area analytics and place monitoring whereas conducting web site audits.
When you realize what your report must get throughout, you can begin creating.
A very good place to start out is with the Looker Studio Tutorial (or Information Studio Tutorial) Report. You’ll discover this within the “Owned by me” menu in your homepage.
The Tutorial Report is absolutely interactive and walks you thru the way to view, edit, and create experiences step-by-step.
Use this to get a really feel for the way Looker Studio works and be taught the fundamentals. While you’re prepared to maneuver on, there are two choices for constructing a report:
- Edit a template
- Create from scratch
Making a Looker Studio Report from a Template
Looker Studio has all kinds of report templates for various use circumstances that will help you create a professional-looking report simply.
The largest advantage of templates is that the whole lot that you must create your report is in place. If charts match along with your targets, you’ll be able to merely change the title and substitute pattern knowledge with your personal.
Each template can also be absolutely customizable. You may edit knowledge and mess around with layouts and colours to create one thing clear and complete.
Right here’s the way to get began:
Step 1. Discover a Appropriate Template
To view the Looker Studio Template Gallery, click on “Templates” out of your homepage menu.
Within the gallery, you’ll discover templates for numerous Google instruments:
- Google Analytics
- BigQuery
- Google Sheets
- YouTube Analytics
- Google Adverts
- Search Console
- Show & Video 360
- Search Adverts 360
You may filter choices to discover a appropriate template by clicking on the “Class” drop-down menu.
In order for you a template that focuses particularly on natural site visitors, try our free search engine optimization report template.
Step 2. Add Your Information to the Template
While you’ve discovered a template, you’ll be able to substitute Google’s pattern knowledge along with your knowledge sources. To do that, click on “Use my very own knowledge.”
Looker Studio will ask you to authorize the information supply or add a companion connector and ensure your alternative.
When your knowledge is added efficiently, the “Use my knowledge” button will show a inexperienced checkmark.
Step 3. Open the Editor and Identify Your Report
If you wish to tweak the template dashboard, click on “Edit and share” to create a duplicate of the template and open the report editor
Each a part of the template is now customizable. Click on the title of the template within the prime left of the display screen to call your report. That may make it simpler to seek out in your “Owned by me” folder.
Making a Looker Studio Report from Scratch
Creating a brand new report offers you a clean canvas to design customized dashboards.
You may get began in just a few clicks:
Step 1. Create a New Report
To construct a recent report, click on “Create,” then “Report” out of your homepage.
Step 2. Select a Connector
Subsequent, add a connector. That’s the information supply you’ll use to construct your report.
In case your knowledge supply is already related, you solely want to pick the information you need to use. If not, you’ll be able to select a brand new connector from the out there choices.
For those who’re engaged on a report and need to embody extra knowledge sources, you’ll be able to all the time add connectors from inside the editor by clicking “Add Information” within the Information column.
Step 3. Identify Your Report
By default, new experiences are named “Untitled Report.” Click on on this to provide your report a customized title.
Hold the title associated to your knowledge and web site so it doesn’t get misplaced within the shuffle. For instance: “Ecommerce Efficiency Report for MyShop.com.”
Find out how to Edit and Customise Dashboards in Looker Studio
The Looker Studio editor is identical whether or not you’re enhancing a template or new report. The one distinction is a template already has parts in place to customise. Because of this, beginning with a template is an efficient solution to get a really feel for the way the whole lot works
As with the homepage, the editor interface is just like Google Docs and Google Sheets:
On the prime of the web page is the toolbar. Within the top-right nook of the web page are choices to share and think about or edit (clicking “View” in edit mode switches to view mode and vice versa).
On the precise of the web page is the information out of your related supply. These are the size and metrics that may energy your charts. We’ll chat extra about charts quickly. First, let’s check out the toolbar.
The toolbar homes the whole lot that you must construct and edit a report. From right here you’ll be able to add:
- New pages
- Information sources (connectors)
- Pictures
- Textual content bins
- Strains
- Shapes
- Charts
- Controls
Clicking on any of those instruments and deciding on a function from the checklist will add it to your report robotically.
For instance, in the event you needed so as to add a textual content field to clarify the way to use a report, you’ll be able to click on the textual content icon so as to add it. Then, transfer the cursor to position it.
Clicking into the field enables you to sort. It additionally opens the “Textual content Properties” column. From right here, you’ll be able to format font measurement and kind, alignment, and elegance choices.
If you wish to transfer your field, click on it and drag it to a brand new place. If you wish to resize it, click on and drag any of the border squares.
Repeat this course of to maneuver, resize, or stylize any ingredient that you just add (e.g., chart, share, line).
If you wish to copy, paste, duplicate, delete, or order a component, right-click on it and choose your most popular choice from the pop-up menu.
Time-saving tip: Maintain shift when clicking objects to pick a number of charts directly. Any edits you make will apply to all sections.
From the toolbar, you can too make adjustments to your theme. Click on “Theme and structure” to open the properties column.
Within the Theme tab, you’ll be able to select from a number of preset themes. You may customise any of those to match your model.
A fast solution to import your model colours is the “Extract theme from picture” choice. Select a picture out of your laptop (e.g., your model brand or web site banner) or a URL, and Looker Studio will robotically generate themes from the colours therein.
Within the “Format” tab, you can also make adjustments to:
- Header visibility (in view mode)
- Navigation
- Report canvas measurement
Any adjustments you make will apply to your theme. In case your report has a number of pages and also you need to change the background and measurement of a particular web page, click on “Web page” then “Present web page settings” within the toolbar to open model properties.
Varieties of Charts in Looker Studio
When you’re aware of the drag-and-drop editor and theme choices, you can begin to customise charts.
Charts are the primary visible element of your Looker Studio dashboards—and the way you’ll talk the that means behind the numbers.
There are 14 forms of charts out there within the editor. Every chart serves its personal function.
It’s essential to decide on the precise chart to indicate the worth of your knowledge. A viewer ought to be capable of perceive what a chart is telling them at a look.
Listed below are the choices and finest use circumstances for every:
- Desk: When that you must show knowledge in rows and columns (e.g., product class, product merchandise, and amount bought)
- Scorecard: Show single metrics associated to your report (e.g., whole gross sales, bounce fee, advert impressions)
- Time sequence: Present how knowledge adjustments over a time period (e.g., web site periods over per week or quarterly revenue margins for the final three years)
- Bar chart: Examine an even bigger set of knowledge, spotlight classes, or present adjustments over time (e.g., the variety of web site guests from totally different international locations)
- Pie chart: Present relative proportions and percentages of a small dataset of as much as six classes (e.g., the age demographics of your viewers)
- Google Maps: Present the distribution of metrics (e.g., periods) the world over to visualise the place the viewers resides and permit customers to zoom in
- Geo chart: Like a Google Map, however for extra common knowledge. You may’t zoom in on a Geo chart
- Line chart: Present steady knowledge that adjustments over time or show a number of sequence on the identical timeline (e.g., displaying gross sales, views, or tendencies over time vs. the competitors)
- Space chart: Like a line chart or time sequence chart. Use to check knowledge tendencies over time (e.g., gross sales of 1 product vs. one other, or touchdown web page comparisons)
- Scatter chart: Present the connection between two metrics for as much as three dimensions (e.g., the correlation between advert spend and conversion fee for a marketing campaign)
- Pivot desk: Pivots present knowledge in a approach that’s cleaner than normal tables. Use to show knowledge relationships (e.g., show income by nation or demographic)
- Bullet chart: Present how effectively a particular metric is performing in opposition to goal benchmarks (e.g., precise vs. goal gross sales, or precise site visitors vs. goal vs. earlier 12 months)
- Treemap: Use as a substitute for pie charts to indicate the share of a number of classes (e.g., common gross sales for various classes or prime buyer demographics)
- Gauge chart: Present how effectively a metric is performing in opposition to a goal aim (e.g., precise conversions vs. goal conversions)
Find out how to Add a Chart in Looker Studio
So as to add a brand new chart, click on “Add a chart” within the editor toolbar and choose the one you need from the checklist. Looker Studio selects a dimension and metric suited to the kind of chart.
Within the under instance, we’ve chosen a line chart, which is populated with “Date” and “New Customers” knowledge:
Alternatively, click on and drag any dimension or metric from the information panel. Looker Studio will select the chart it thinks will work finest for the job.
Within the under instance, we’ve chosen “Age” because the dimension. The metric is “New customers.” Looker Studio has determined to show this knowledge as a desk:
Inserting your chart opens up the properties column with choices to customise your chart.
If you wish to change the kind of chart, click on on the arrow subsequent to “Chart.”
For instance, a bar chart makes higher visible use of our knowledge than a desk. We will choose this from the checklist and Looker Studio places the identical knowledge into the brand new format:
Within the “Setup” tab, verify that your chart contains the precise info. For those who’ve used the “Add a chart” choice, you may want to pick totally different dimensions and metrics.
If you wish to add one other dimension or metric, click on on the + icon under every choice.
Underneath knowledge supply, you’ll additionally see an choice to mix knowledge.
Mixing knowledge enables you to add a number of knowledge sources to your charts. For instance, you’ll be able to mix Google Adverts knowledge with Google Analytics knowledge to get a unified view of a advertising and marketing marketing campaign.
Any metrics you add are included in your chart. Within the under instance, we’ve added “Classes” to our bar chart. This knowledge now reveals alongside new consumer knowledge:
Underneath Metric you can too select to:
- Activate Non-obligatory metrics to alter which columns you need to see in a chart with out having to edit the chart configuration each time
- Activate Metric sliders to restrict the chart by worth (e.g., solely present orders between $50 and $100)
If you wish to present multiple dimension in your chart, you’ll be able to select the Default drill down stage.
For instance, if we add nation as a dimension to our Age bar chart, we will select Age or Nation because the default drill down choice. We will then swap between the 2 datasets in the identical chart:
Charts are styled based on your theme, so colours and fonts ought to match different parts.
If you wish to make adjustments, click on the “Fashion” tab to tweak shade, textual content, axis, and background.
Controls in Looker Studio
Controls are filters that permit customers change the view as they analyze knowledge. They assist hold dashboards concise and provides viewers autonomy over how they devour the knowledge.
Say you need to present how a marketing campaign performs on cellular vs. desktop. Reasonably than making a separate chart or web page, you’ll be able to add a management that lets customers swap between cellular and desktop efficiency.
There are two ranges of controls you’ll be able to add to your experiences:
1. Report-Stage Controls
Report-level controls change each chart in your dashboard directly. Looker Studio enables you to do that by:
- Date vary management
- Information management
Date vary management enables you to or your viewers set a date vary for all the information on a report.
For instance, you may set the date vary for the previous 30 days, however a consumer desires to see knowledge from the previous three months.
Information management enables you to show the identical charts for various makes use of. That’s helpful in the event you management a number of dashboards.
For instance, an company marketer who manages analytics for a number of purchasers can add an information management to change between dashboards moderately than constructing a number of experiences.
2. Chart-Stage Controls
With chart-level controls, you’ll be able to change a single dimension or metric inside charts moderately than the dashboard as a complete.
For those who use the identical metric or dimension in several charts, a management will change the knowledge for each chart.
For instance, if in case you have two charts that present pageviews and new customers, a management added to at least one chart will change the information on each when used.
There are six chart-level controls you’ll be able to add to experiences:
- Drop-down checklist: Use a drop-down to let customers view particular knowledge inside a chart (e.g., change the web page to view metrics resembling session size or bounce fee for the particular web page)
- Mounted-size checklist: Similar to a drop-down checklist, besides it already seems open so the consumer doesn’t should open the checklist
- Enter field: Use enter bins to let customers sort the worth they need to view moderately than have them choose it from a listing
- Superior filter: Use this selection to let customers construct a customized filter. Filter choices embody “Equals,” “Incorporates,” and “Begins with.” These give customers extra management over their search.
- Slider: Use the slider to let customers set up a spread or restrict for the metric in your chart (e.g., date or variety of pages)
- Checkbox: This feature is reserved for boolean values (true/false statements). Use a checkbox if you wish to let the viewers choose all true or false values (e.g., exclude a particular area).
Find out how to Add a Management in Looker Studio
Click on “Add a management” within the toolbar and choose the management sort from the checklist. Drag and drop your management the place you need to place it.
As soon as positioned, you’ll be able to customise the management within the properties panel.
Use the “Setup” tab to set your dimension and metric. Use the “Fashion” tab to edit the look of your management consistent with the remainder of your dashboard.
In case your report has a number of pages, you can also make the management seem on each web page. To do that, right-click on the management and choose “Make report-level.”
Find out how to Share Your Looker Studio Reviews
While you’ve created a report you’re proud of, you’ll be able to share it from the Looker Studio editor by clicking “Share.”
There are a number of methods to share a report:
- Invite folks: Share the report in actual time with members of your crew (they should have a Google account)
- Schedule e mail supply: Ship the report back to a stakeholder or consumer’s e mail deal with at a particular time and date
- Get the report hyperlink: Get a report hyperlink to repeat and paste to share by way of e mail or message
- Embed report: Get an embed code so as to add your dwell report back to a webpage
- Obtain report: Save the report as a PDF. It may be password protected and downloaded with or with no hyperlink and background shade
For those who’re inviting folks to view a dwell report, verify the share settings. They allow you to select what the recipient can and may’t do after they open the report.
Every individual you add may be set as a “Viewer” or “Editor.”
Viewers can take a look at interactive experiences and use controls, however entry to enhancing instruments is eliminated.
Editors can use the toolbar and navigate the report in the identical approach you do. However you’ll be able to set utilization parameters to restrict their entry.
Within the share settings, click on on the gear icon in the precise nook of the pop-up to:
- Stop editors from altering entry and including new folks
- Disable downloading, printing, and copying for brand spanking new viewers
Lastly, as an added safety function, Looker Studio enables you to select the way to share hyperlinks to the report:
- Restricted: Solely folks you have got shared the report with can open the hyperlink
- Unlisted: Anybody with the hyperlink can view or edit the report (relying on the permissions)
- Public: Anybody can discover and think about or edit the report
For those who’re sharing a report with the general public, consider carefully about consumer permissions. Making your report out there to edit offers anybody with the hyperlink entry to your knowledge, probably compromising its integrity.
Use Looker Studio to Carry Your Information to Life
A efficiency dashboard is a strong instrument for any marketer. Combining the precise knowledge with the precise charts will make it easier to spot weaknesses and alternatives to make higher enterprise choices.
Use this information to get began with Looker Studio and swap tedious spreadsheets for clear, complete experiences. Save much more time with our Looker Studio search engine optimization Template.