The Final Information to Google Knowledge Studio in 2020

Should you’ve used Google Docs, Sheets, or Drive earlier than, this dashboard ought to look fairly acquainted. Within the heart, you have got the choice to start out a clean report, begin a tutorial, or see report templates. To the left, you will see a column that homes a number of tabs together with Studies, Shared with me, Owned by me, Trash, and Templates. On the high, you will see three extra tabs: Studies, Knowledge sources and explorer.

Let’s go over every of those tabs intimately.

Studies

Right here’s the place you’ll be able to entry all your stories (equal to a workbook in Tableau or Excel).

To create a report in Google Looker Studio:

• Click on the Create button.
• Select Report.
• Add an information supply.
• Customise your report.

As soon as you have created your report, you’ll be able to entry it later in your dashboard. To comfortable by a number of stories, filter them by title, proprietor, or final opened date through the use of the dropdown filters.

Knowledge Sources

Knowledge sources listing all of the connections you’ve created between Looker Studio and your authentic information sources.

To create an information supply in Google Looker Studio:

• Click on the Create button.
• Select Knowledge supply.
• Enter in your organization data, click on Proceed.
• Arrange electronic mail preferences.
• Choose a Google Connector.
• Authorize the Google Connector utilizing a Google Account.
• Select the account and property you wish to view.
• Click on Create Report.

Professional Tip: Should you’re utilizing Google Analytics and/or Search Console (which I extremely advocate), you’ll have to individually join every view and property, respectively. So you probably have three GA views for 3 totally different subdomains, you’ll have to arrange three separate information sources.

Looker Studio presently helps 760+ information sources. Beneath are the most well-liked sources:

Explorer

Explorer is an experimental software that permits you to experiment or tweak a chart with out modifying your report itself.

As an example, let’s say you’ve created a desk in Looker Studio that exhibits the highest touchdown pages by conversion price. Whereas this desk, you assume, “Huh, I ponder what I’d discover if I added common web page load time.”

The method is sort of an identical for different sources.

If you wish to observe alongside precisely with what I’m doing, join the Google Analytics Demo Account for the Google Merchandise Retailer.

3. Authorize the connection and choose an account.

You’ll be introduced with one thing just like the view under: a listing of each subject in your Analytics account (each the usual ones and those you’ve added).

Does this really feel overwhelming? Yep, identical right here.

We may do rather a lot on this step — add new fields, duplicate current ones, flip them off, change subject values, and so on. However, in fact, we may additionally do all these issues within the report itself, and it’s a lot simpler there. So let’s try this.

Create a Report in Google Looker Studio

1. Click on “Create Report” within the higher proper.

Right here’s what you’ll see. It’s fairly naked, however not for lengthy!

2. Click on “Add a chart” within the toolbar.

It’s time so as to add your very first chart. The excellent news is that information Studio makes it simple to check chart varieties with some helpful illustrations.

3. Select the primary choice below “Time collection.”

As soon as it seems in your report, the right-hand pane will change. Right here’s what it is best to see:

By default, the dimension is “Date”; you’ll be able to change this to any of the time-based dimensions, together with “Yr,” “Hour,” and so on.

I’ll follow “Date” as a result of the Demo Account doesn’t have a whole lot of historic information.

Looker Studio will robotically choose a metric (i.e., what’s displayed on the Y-axis) for you. Be happy to vary this; as an illustration, it defaulted to “Pageviews” for me, however I’d reasonably see “Income per consumer.”

4. Add one other metric.

First, ensure you’ve chosen the chart, so that you see the pane:

You’ve gotten two choices for including a metric (or dimension).

You’ll be able to click on the blue plus-sign icon — which is able to deliver up a search field so yow will discover the sphere you need — or you’ll be able to drag a subject from the suitable into the metric part.

To delete a metric, merely hover over it along with your mouse and click on the white “x” that seems.

5. So as to add a desk, select the third choice below “Add a chart.”

My chart defaults to Medium (for dimension) and Pageviews (for metric), so I modify it to Product and Distinctive Purchases.

And I feel this desk’s formatting may use some work.

Change the “Rows per web page” from 100 to twenty (a lot simpler to learn) and test the field for including a Abstract row.

6. Lastly, click on “Model” to go to the type tab.

Scroll down and choose “Add border shadow.” That is considered one of my favourite methods to make an information visualization pop off the web page.

7. To see the completed product, click on “View” within the high nook.

This transitions you from Editor to Viewer mode.

Voila!

8. Click on “Edit” to complete up and title the report.

And with that, your first Google Looker Studio report is full. Click on that acquainted icon above the Chart Editor and add some electronic mail addresses to share your report.

Okay, don’t share the report simply but—I’m about to disclose the secrets and techniques that’ll assist you to significantly improve it.

Newbie Google Looker Studio Ideas

1. Use templates.

First, enter your recipients’ electronic mail addresses, then select a schedule, whether or not day by day, each Monday, or each month.

That is notably helpful when working with prospects, since you could not wish to give them entry to the dwell report.

7. Obtain the report as a PDF.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to obtain your report as a PDF. That is useful for one-off conditions, like in case your boss asks for a standing report or your consumer needs to understand how an advert has carried out to date this month.

To obtain the file, click on “obtain” on the drop-down menu.

Looker Studio provides the choice of downloading your present web page or all the report. You’ll be able to even add a hyperlink again to the report so your viewers can dig in deeper in the event that they’d like and add password safety to make sure your information stays protected.

Intermediate Google Looker Studio Ideas

7. Add a date vary.

Give your viewers extra freedom by letting them choose which dates they’d prefer to see data for.

For instance, my stories all the time default to the final 30 days, but when considered one of HubSpot’s weblog editors needs to see how their property carried out within the earlier calendar month, the date vary controls allow them to regulate the report.

They’ll select from predefined choices, like “yesterday,” “final seven days,” “12 months to this point,” and so on., or decide a customized interval.

To allow this, first navigate to the web page you wish to give customers date management. Subsequent, click on on the drop-down menu by “Add a management.” Subsequent, click on “Date vary” from the toolbar.

Clicking this module will deliver up a panel on high of your report referred to as Date Vary Properties. Set the default date vary to “Auto date vary,” if it isn’t already.

In case your viewers choose a date vary utilizing the date vary widget, each report on the web page will robotically replace to that interval.

There are two methods to override this:

• Set a time interval inside a selected chart. That point interval will all the time supersede the date vary management.
• Group the charts you wish to be affected by the date vary management with the module. Choose the chart(s) and the field, then select Prepare > Group.

Now, solely the chart(s) on this group will replace when somebody adjusts the date vary.

Be sure this setting is obvious to your viewers — in any other case, they’ll most likely assume all of the charts they’re on their present web page are utilizing the identical time interval.

8. Create interactive chart filters.

Wish to make it even simpler on your viewers to filter the charts in your report? Create responsive chart filters.

This sounds fancy, but it surely merely means choosing a dimension in a chart will filter all of the charts on that web page for that dimension.

As an example, when you click on on “natural” on this chart, the opposite charts on the web page will replace to indicate information for natural site visitors solely — similar to you’d utilized a conventional filter management.

You too can create chart controls for time, line, and space charts. For instance, if a consumer highlights say, January by March on a time chart, the opposite charts on the web page will present information for January by March as properly — similar to date vary management.

And likewise, similar to filter controls, you’ll be able to group chart controls.

To allow chart management, choose the suitable chart. Within the right-hand panel, scroll to the underside and test the field labeled “Apply filter.”

Add a caption subsequent to charts that assist interactive filtering, so your viewers comprehend it’s an choice:

9. Add an information management.

Knowledge controls could be one of many coolest Looker Studio options, full-stop. Place considered one of these dangerous boys in your report, and also you’ll give viewers the flexibility to decide on the supply of the info being piped into your charts.

It is a game-changer for anybody managing a fancy property or working with a number of stakeholders.

As an example, think about you’re the admin of HubSpot’s Google Analytics account. You create a Looker Studio report monitoring key web site efficiency indicators, like common web page velocity, variety of non-200 response codes, variety of redirect chains, and so forth.

Not solely does this prevent from rebuilding the identical report for various teams, but it surely additionally means you don’t want to fret about by accident sharing delicate or confidential data. Every viewer can solely choose information sources they’ve been granted entry to.

You’ll be able to embrace a number of information controls in a single report.

Add the info management widget to your report by clicking this icon:

10. Add a dimension breakdown.

As an alternative of telling you what a dimension breakdown is, it’s simpler to indicate you the way it works.

Suppose we wish to see customers by supply. To seek out out, we create a easy bar chart.

That is attention-grabbing — but there’s some context lacking. For instance, is all of that natural site visitors coming from Google? (Since that is U.S. information, most likely, however think about creating the identical chart for China or Japan, the place Baidu and Yahoo have a far better presence.)

What about referral site visitors? Clearly, we’re getting a major variety of customers from referral hyperlinks; is a single supply driving most of them, or is it distributed pretty equally throughout all kinds of sources?

We may create separate bar charts for every supply — first filtering by medium after which making the dimension “Supply” and the metric “Customers.”

Or we may click on a single button and have Looker Studio do it for us.

Underneath Breakdown Dimension, click on “Add dimension.”

Add “Supply.”

Right here’s what it is best to see:

Fairly positive my former Knowledge Analytics professor would cry if he noticed this. However don’t fear, we’re not finished but.

Soar over to the “Model” tab and test the field “Stacked bars” to show your common bar chart right into a stacked bar chart (it is best to see the chart sort replace accordingly).

Looker Studio will robotically make your bar charts “100% stacking,” which means that each bar will go to the highest of the chart. Nonetheless, this type is deceptive — for instance, right here, it suggests each medium drove the identical variety of customers.

Uncheck this field.

Now test it out:

11. Use Looker Studio Explorer.

To deliver any chart into Explorer, mouse over the house subsequent to its top-right nook. You’ll see three vertically-stacked dots seem; click on them.

Choose “Discover.”

You’ll see one thing like this:

You’ll be able to toggle between totally different visualizations; add and take away dimensions and metrics; change the date vary, and apply segments.

Be aware: In contrast to each different Google software on the market, Explorer doesn’t robotically save your work.

To protect your chart, click on the “Save” button on the highest nav bar (to the left of your profile icon). When you try this, your Explorer “report” will likely be saved within the Explorer part of your dashboard. As well as, each change you make will likely be saved by default.

Create a brand new Explorer view by clicking the “Create” button on the left aspect..

At first, Explorer confused me. It feels similar to the core Looker Studio — what was the purpose of getting each?

Nonetheless, after spending a while in Explorer, I’ve come to understand its distinctive worth.

In contrast to Looker Studio, any modifications you make to a chart in Explorer are short-term. Meaning it’s an important place to dig into your information and check out other ways of visualizing it with out making any everlasting adjustments. Then, when you’re blissful along with your chart, merely export it again into Looker Studio.

To do that, click on the small sharing icon within the high navigation bar.

Then select whether or not so as to add your Explorer work on a brand new or current Looker Studio report.

Superior Google Looker Studio Ideas

12. Create report-level filters.

By default, a filter applies to each chart on that web page. However what if the viewer goes to the following web page? The filter gained’t go along with them.

That is complicated for non-technical people and inconvenient for data-savvy ones. To deliver a filter up from page-level to report-level, merely right-click on it and choose “Make report-level.”

13. Create blended fields.

Looker Studio is highly effective as a result of you’ll be able to usher in 760+ sources of information right into a single report. However, because of a brand new function, blended sources, it simply acquired even mightier.

Heads up: this can get a little bit technical. Stick with me, and I promise it’ll be price it.

Should you’re aware of JOIN clauses in SQL, you’ll perceive information mixing instantly. No concept what SQL is? Not an issue.

One of the best ways to consider mixing information is with a Venn Diagram. You’ve gotten two information units. Every information set has distinctive data — e.g., resembling the info dwelling within the inexperienced and blue areas.

However they’ve (no less than) one information level in widespread: the data within the blue-green overlap part.

This shared information level is named a key. In case your information units shouldn’t have a key, they’re not blendable.

For instance, suppose you wish to evaluate how customers behave in your web site versus your app. The secret’s the consumer ID, a customized dimension you’ve created in Google Analytics that your app analytics software program additionally makes use of. (Be aware: The important thing doesn’t have to have the identical title in each information sources; it simply must have an identical values.)

You mix your web site habits report from GA along with your app utilization report. This provides you all of the information from the primary report together with any matching ones from the second; in different phrases, if a consumer has visited the positioning and used the app, they’ll be included.

Nonetheless, in the event that they solely used the app however didn’t go to the positioning, they won’t be included within the new blended information.

This panel will pop up:

Choose your first information supply on the left. Keep in mind, that is the first information supply. Then add your second information supply. Looker Studio enables you to add as much as 5 information sources in a chart, however let’s stick to 2 for now.

Now decide your be part of key(s). If the sphere exists in each sources, it’ll flip inexperienced. If it doesn’t exist, you’ll see this:

Do not forget that the important thing acts as a filter for the second information supply. So on this instance, solely information that match the touchdown web page from the GA view for hubspot.com will likely be pulled from Google Search Console.

Selecting a number of keys will additional restrict the variety of information pulled from the second information supply.

When you’ve picked your be part of key(s), decide the scale and metrics you wish to see on your first information supply. Then do the identical on your second.

You too can restrict the outcomes by including a filter or date vary (or for GA sources, segments). Filters, date ranges, and segments utilized to the left-most information supply will carry over to the opposite information sources.

When you’ve completed customizing the report, click on “Save.” Congrats: you simply created your first blended information chart!

Should you discover it simpler to create two separate charts after which mix them, Looker Studio presents an important shortcut.

Simply choose each charts, right-click, and select “Mix information.”

14. Mix your information supply with itself.

Do this workaround when you’re bumping into limitations along with your information supply connectors: mix an information supply with itself.

To offer you an concept, the GA information connector solely enables you to add one “lively consumer” metric to a chart, so there’s no method to see 1 Day Energetic Customers, 7 Day Energetic Customers, and 28 Day Energetic Customers on the identical chart… until you mix your Google Analytics information supply with itself.

Comply with the identical directions as above, however as an alternative of selecting a brand new supply on your second information supply, simply choose the primary one once more.

And since all the fields are an identical, you’ll be able to decide whichever be part of key you’d like.

This selection can also be excellent when evaluating developments throughout two-plus subdomains or segments.

As an example, I wished to take a look at natural customers for the HubSpot Weblog (weblog.hubspot.com) and first web site (www.hubspot.com) on the identical time.

This helps me work out if we’re rising search site visitors throughout the board. It’s additionally useful when site visitors decreases — have rankings dropped site-wide, or simply for the weblog (or the positioning)?

Nonetheless, you’ll be able to’t add two separate “consumer” metrics to a chart without delay… until, in fact, you’re mixing information.

Create a brand new blended information supply (following the identical course of as above) to set this up.

Add your first view to the left-most column, your second view to the next column, and so forth.

Be aware: Be sure to’re selecting views with mutually unique information. In different phrases, I wouldn’t wish to use “weblog.hubspot.com” as my first supply and “weblog.hubspot.com/advertising” as my second supply as a result of all the info for the weblog.hubspot.com/advertising view is included within the weblog.hubspot.com one.

Due to that overlap, we wouldn’t have the ability to spot developments clearly.

I added the natural site visitors section to each sources, however you’ll be able to select whichever section you’re concerned about (paid site visitors, social site visitors, and so on.) Or depart it off solely! Tons of potentialities right here.

Actually, listed below are some further concepts for mixing a supply with itself:

• Evaluate two-plus customized segments
• Evaluate two-plus touchdown pages
• Evaluate two-plus aim completions

15. Create a primary calculated subject.

When your current information doesn’t provide you with sufficient data, it’s time to create a calculated subject.

Calculated fields take your information and, as their title suggests, and make calculations.

It’s most likely best to elucidate with an instance.

Let’s say you wish to have a look at the common variety of transactions per consumer. You’ll be able to create a calculated subject that takes the metric “Transactions” and divides it by the metric “Customers.”

As soon as this subject has been created, it’ll be up to date robotically — so you’ll be able to change the chart’s time vary, dimensions, and so on., and the common transactions per consumer information will replace accordingly.

There are two methods to create a calculated subject.

Create a data-source calculated subject

This selection makes the sphere obtainable in any report that makes use of that information supply.

It’ll even be obtainable as a filter management or in new calculated fields (like calculated subject inception).

Clearly, this can be a good choice when you plan on utilizing this practice metric greater than as soon as. The one caveat — you could have edit rights to the unique information supply. You can also’t use an information supply calculated subject with blended information.

To create a data-source calculated subject, add a chart to your Looker Studio dashboard, then select the info supply you wish to derive your new subject from.

Click on “Add a brand new subject” within the decrease left-hand nook.

(You too can do that by clicking the pencil subsequent to the info supply after which choosing “Add a subject” within the higher proper nook of your subject menu.)

Use the left menu to seek for the metrics you want; click on one so as to add it to the system.

If the system has an error, a notification will seem in pink beneath the editor explaining the place you went incorrect.

In case your system works, you’ll get a inexperienced checkmark.

Click on “Save” so as to add your new subject to the info supply.

And don’t neglect to call yours — which I forgot to do. 🙂

Now you’ll be able to add this calculated subject to any chart similar to an everyday subject.

Create a chart-level calculated subject

For this selection, you’ll solely have the ability to use the sphere for that particular report.

This selection is a little bit simpler as a result of all the restrictions of the opposite sort are reversed.

Whilst you can’t use a chart-level calculated subject in one other chart, filter management, or further calculated subject, you don’t want edit rights to the unique information.

You too can use a chart-specific calculated subject for information mixing, which we’ll cowl within the subsequent step.

To create a chart-level calculated subject, merely click on “Add a subject” beneath the present dimension(s) and metric(s) you’ve chosen.

From right here, enter the system on your new subject — merely typing within the title of your required metric will set off a menu of choices — and click on “Apply.”

Your new subject will likely be added to the chart.

If the system works, you’ll see a inexperienced checkmark. Give your new subject a reputation and click on “Save.” Now you’ll be able to add this subject to any chart or information viz that makes use of this information supply.

You is perhaps pondering, “Okay, nice, however was that system written in Klingon? How do I provide you with my very own?”

Then click on “Add metric” > “Create Discipline” as you’ll to create a standard calculated subject.

Enter your system.

Be aware: It may get a bit bushy right here when you’re utilizing two totally different fields with the identical title, as I’m doing right here. Typically Looker Studio is wise sufficient to acknowledge the distinction, and generally it’s not.

Should you run into points, I like to recommend enhancing the title of 1 or each fields within the authentic information supply(s), which you are able to do at any time by clicking the pencil subsequent to the blended information supply.

Then click on the pencil subsequent to the sphere title you wish to change.

Then click on “Save” and return to your calculated subject to replace the system:

Accomplished! I can now see each in my report.

Google Looker Studio is the Finest Option to Visualize Your Knowledge

Now that you recognize Looker Studio inside and outside, you’re well-prepared to create gorgeous interactive stories on your coworkers, shoppers, and executives. Use the guidelines I shared above to profit from it and efficiently present the ROI of your advertising efforts.

Editor’s be aware: This put up was initially revealed in October 2018 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.