{"id":39927,"date":"2023-04-11T07:00:44","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/?p=39927"},"modified":"2025-05-21T22:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:51:10","slug":"analytics-reports-in-looker-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/analytics-reports-in-looker-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Website Analytics Reports in Looker Studio (Step By Step)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Steroids aren\u2019t just for bodybuilders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine: Website analytics<\/i> on steroids<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) to build a custom analytics report is like juicing up your most important data<\/a> to help you track, understand, and optimize your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looker Studio is extremely powerful, which means it can also be a bit complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, for this guide, we\u2019ll start with the basics. Together, we\u2019ll walk through setting up your first analytics report and starting to customize it for you, your team, and your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Google Analytics Report?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google Analytics reports display, combine, and visualize key analytics data in a single dashboard to make it easier for stakeholders to understand and make decisions. Using data from Google Analytics (a website analytics tool for measuring and tracking your site\u2019s traffic), an analytics report helps you understand how many people are coming to your site, where they are spending the most time, and how quickly they leave your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Google<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These reports can combine multiple types of data together, making it easier to identify valuable insights, discover trends, and benchmark KPIs from different date ranges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Do You Need an Analytics Report?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s the point of building a dashboard if the data is already in Google Analytics?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fair question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you\u2019re correct that the data you\u2019re adding to your analytics report might already be \u2013 technically \u2013 available inside Google Analytics. But finding the right data, combining it with other relevant data, and identifying trends is not always easy or obvious. Plus, if you work with a team, other stakeholders may not understand how to read and understand the data from inside Google Analytics properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n

Google Analytics<\/h3>\n

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It is currently a program within the Google Marketing Platform brand.<\/p>\n \n Read More <\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In other words, creating a custom analytics report just makes everyone\u2019s life a bit easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a Real-Time Analytics Report in Looker Studio (Google Data Studio)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The simplest way to build a real-time analytics report using Google Analytics data is with Looker Studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This reporting tool makes it incredibly easy to build insightful visualizations, charts, and graphs that show your key website metrics and provide more context than traditional reporting tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looker will pull the data from your existing Google Analytics account, format it, and display it in a dashboard. No other tools required!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best of all, building a basic report with Looker Studio is simple \u2014 You only need two things to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Google account<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Google Analytics installed on your website<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Step #1 – Choose a Report Template<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Looker Studio has a gallery of 100+ free report templates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Each template is customizable but offers a great starting point for working with Looker Studio. So before we discuss building a custom report, let\u2019s begin with a template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Browse the template library and click on the one that best matches your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Choose<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    (Note: Some \u201cFeatured\u201d templates are only available for purchase.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For this example, I\u2019m using the Google Analytics Audience report template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once it\u2019s opened, click the \u201cUse my own data\u201d option at the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Google<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    In some cases, you may not see this button. If it\u2019s missing, click the 3-dot menu and select \u201cMake a copy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"In<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Step #2 – Connect Your Data Sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As soon as you click \u201cUse my own data,\u201d you should see a new screen asking you to authorize Google Analytics access for Looker Studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Click the \u201cAuthorize\u201d button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"You<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    This allows Looker Studio to access your analytics data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After you click \u201cAuthorize\u201d and confirm, you should see a list of your connected Google Analytics accounts. Select the Account, Property, and View that you want to use for this report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"After<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Voila!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With that done, the report should refresh and display your data!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ve just created your first Looker Studio analytics report! Take a second to soak in the glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step #3 – Customize the Report<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    With the basic analytics report set up, now we can think about customization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Start by clicking \u201cEdit and Share\u201d in the top right corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"You<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Now the report should refresh again, and you\u2019ll notice that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. It\u2019s in \u201cEdit\u201d mode<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. The report is now a \u201cCopy\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      From here, you can start to change the report to better fit your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Ways you can customize Looker Studio analytics reports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n