It’s always surprising to find another free Google platform. Let alone one packed with so many valuable tools and tricks. How did we all miss this fantastic service? That’s Google Data Studio in a nutshell. It’s the tool you’ve not been using — but really should have been.

Don’t worry, though. There’s no better time to discover what Data Studio is than today. And it’s straightforward to use. To get you started, we created this Data Studio how-to guide.

How-to Guide to Data Studio

Below, we’ll cover what Data Studio is, how it works, and how to use it to boost all your projects and businesses.

What is Google Data Studio?

Data Studio is a newcomer to data visualization and reporting tools. Created back in 2016, it’s been getting much attention in recent years — particularly among marketers and data analysts.

But Data Studio isn’t just for industry experts. It’s a free tool available to everyone. Inside the platform, you can harness the data using interactive dashboards and insightful reports to improve your business decisions.

Data Studio is a versatile web analytics platform designed to empower users in crafting data-driven reports and dashboards. It offers seamless connectivity to diverse data sources, such as SQL databases, BigQuery, and Google Sheets, enabling the creation of comprehensive depictions enriched with graphs, tables, and images.

Google Data Studio API also facilitates the effortless sharing of your reports, allowing for export as PDFs or publication on the web. A significant highlight is that Data Studio is entirely free and accessible on both desktop and mobile devices.

For marketers, Data Studio serves as a valuable tool, aiding in the achievement of the following objectives:

• Centralize a wide array of data sources into a unified presentation.
• Visualize data dynamically and creatively through various visualization options.
• Customize and brand reports to meet specific requirements and style preferences.
• Share data with stakeholders clearly and compellingly.
• Ensure accessibility to presentations from any location and device.

Still trying to understand exactly what is Google Data Studio?

Data Studio Example

Below, you can find an example of a Data Studio template that we use in-house. Only, we had it customized for our clients specifically:

Think: visualizing trends, tracking KPIs for clients, or comparing performance over time. Whatever the data or information you’re collecting, there’s no better way to visualize or monitor the output than with Data Studio.

Example of Data Studio Templates

Below, you can find a screenshot of the types of Data Studio Templates you can see directly on the Google Data Studio dashboard:

Data Studio is also cloud-based. So, as long as you’ve got an internet connection, you can access your data anywhere. And it’s super user-friendly and interactive.

There are tons of pre-built templates already in Data Studio, from eCommerce stores to YouTube channel reports. You can create beautiful dashboards full of valuable charts at the click of a button.

How to use Data Studio

Below, you can find a quick, bullet-point list of how to set up your Data Studio reporting tool. However, if you want a complete step-by-step guide to Google Data Studio, please scroll down to Step 1.

1. Familiarize yourself with the setup.
2. Data sources and connectors
3. Creating a dashboard/report
4. Charts and graphs
5. Get experimental

Before constructing an incredible dashboard, you must log in with your Google account. Next, head over to https://datastudio.google.com.

Step 1. Familiarize Yourself With the Setup

On the home page, you’ll notice:

1. Left menu. Here, you can create reports, data sources, or explorers. You can also access previous dashboards and reports from yourself or others.
2. Toolbar menu. Switch between all your reports, data sources, explorer, or tweak a chart (without modifying a report).
3. Search bar. Search for reports by name.
4. Template gallery. Start a new Google Data Studio dashboard or access previous creations.
5. Reports list. Sort your reports based on name, owner, or last opened.

Step 2. Data Sources and Connectors

To start analyzing data, first, you need data. Data Studio does come with built-in connections to over 200+ data sources. So, there’s no need to schedule periodic data refreshes. That’s not all. You can pull data from almost any source. Here are some of the data sets you can use to access Google Studio data:

• Google Marketing Platform products, like Google Ads, Analytics, Search Ads 360, and Display & Video 360
• Google consumer products, like YouTube, Search Console, and Sheets
• Databases, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, and BigQuery
• Flat files from CSV file upload or Google Cloud Storage
• Social media platforms like Facebook, Reddit, or Twitter

Pretty impressive, right?

In short, you can link data from practically any online or digital source. Now, you need to start building your dashboards and reports.

Step 3. Creating a Dashboard/Report

Once your data set is ready, you’ll want to visualize it. That’s where dashboards/reports come in.

Think about what you want your report to look like. What information must be displayed to understand the data on your Google Data Studio SEO report?

For example, suppose you’re analyzing your Google Ads data. You might want to show your Click Through Rate (CTR), Conversion Rate (CR), and Cost per Click (CPC). You can add these to your personalized dashboard.

Or, you can use one of the pre-made templates available. It’s often helpful to look at other dashboards before starting your own. It’ll help you explore all the platform’s features and maybe spark a few ideas.

Step 4. Charts and Graphs

The best way to start visualizing your data is through charts and graphs. There are lots of options from which to pick in Google Studio data. Below, we explore each of the different chart types and their potential uses:

• Pie charts give you an idea of proportions out of a whole. (They’re perfect for percentages.) For instance, what percentage of users access your site via desktop, mobile, or tablet?
• Bar charts can compare performance over time. And by adding multiple bars, you can even track various metrics. Data Studio also lets you add a progress line to enhance the graph further.
• Tables let users look through the whole data set. In our ad example, you could show the metrics for each keyword.
• Line charts display trends, helping to see relationships between two data sets, such as spotting the time of year when business peaks.
• Scorecards on the Google Data Studio dashboard pull significant numbers, giving them additional emphasis — for example, comparing search volume between years.
• Maps show geographic data, like where users are located.

Using Data Studio involves mastering these simple charts and graphs to display your data best.

Step 5. Get Experimental

Data Studio is a tool to be explored. There are so many features hidden away.

For example, data blending lets you combine data from separate sources as one source throughout your report — an interactive menu screen to help you decide how to combine the data sets. Remember to give the new data set a specific name — you don’t want to get confused later.

However, be careful not to overdo it. With Google Data Studio API, less is more. Just because you can add every graph, chart, table, and scorecard doesn’t mean you should.

Data Studio works best when you have clear goals about the data you want to display. After all, it’s supposed to be a helpful way to understand data, not to bombard users with your skills.

Advantages of Utilizing Data Studio

Given the array of reporting tools available, what makes Data Studio stand out? Let’s explore some of its key advantages.

It’s Both Cost-Effective and User-Friendly

Google Data Studio is not only free of charge but also exceptionally user-friendly. You have the liberty to generate an unlimited quantity of tailored reports without incurring any costs.

Furthermore, it offers accessibility on desktop and mobile platforms, ensuring you can use it wherever and whenever needed. Additionally, the platform supports seamless connections to many data sources, including your various Google Drive applications, SQL databases, and BigQuery.

Data Studio offers exceptional ease of use. You can swiftly connect to your data sources in minutes by clicking the “Data Sources” button in the toolbar. To create reports, you need only click on the “New Report” button.

Select from various layouts or kickstart your project with Google Studio templates. From there, adding data to your report and formatting it in many styles is straightforward and intuitive.

It’s 100% Versatile

Data Studio stands out for its exceptional flexibility, allowing you to customize various aspects of your reports. You can effortlessly tweak the font, color palette, text size, border color, background, and alignment of graphs and tables.

Additionally, you have the power to filter and manipulate your data in diverse ways to suit your analytical needs.

This platform excels at presenting both single metrics and data from multiple sources, making it ideal for creating real-time interactive dashboards tailored to your specific requirements.

Whether you’re working with a single data source or multiple sources, Google Data Studio API accommodates your needs. It even offers advanced options for those with technical expertise who wish to interact directly with the data connector code.

Furthermore, you can format your data in various styles and easily share your reports with others by exporting them as PDFs or publishing them online. Embedding your Data Studio reports on a website or within an SEO-enriched blog post is also a straightforward process.

Pro tip: For added convenience, you can schedule monthly reports and automatically send them to your entire team. Simply input their email addresses and click schedule to streamline the distribution process.

Continually Evolving

Data Studio undergoes regular updates, consistently introducing new features and enhancements. This dynamic approach to Google Studio data ensures that you can always explore fresh avenues for report creation and expand your roster of data sources with the latest additions.

Dependable and Secured

Data Studio is a highly reliable tool trusted by millions worldwide. It benefits from the backing of Google, assuring you that it will consistently be available when you require it.

Regarding security, Data Studio offers stellar protection for your data, leveraging Google’s extensive security measures. You can safeguard your reports with passwords or maintain them as private, granting access only to specific individuals.

Additionally, you can control which users have viewing or editing privileges for the reports you generate.

User-friendly and Accessible

Learning to use the Google Data Studio dashboard and other functionalities is a straightforward process, allowing you to create top-notch reports in minutes. The user interface is intuitive, and a comprehensive help center provides information on leveraging all its features.

Furthermore, you can engage with the community for support and insights from fellow users.

Take Data Studio To The Next Level

Data Studio is a powerful data analysis and visualization tool that lets you create various reports. It’s straightforward to use and provides many features that allow you to analyze your data in new and exciting ways.

Are you ready to launch the real potential of your online marketing efforts? Learn how to use Google Data Studio and see how Clicta Digital can improve your SEO and PPC efforts. Contact us today for a free consultation!