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Google Data Studio was one of Google's coolest tools. Its purpose was to generate reports and data visualizations. Besides being free, it allowed users to connect multiple data sources and create custom visualizations, all with the collaboration of multiple users. But Google acquired Looker Studio in 2019 and has since integrated the platform into Google Cloud Platform (GCP), strengthening its data analysis capabilities and offering a comprehensive solution for companies seeking actionable insights from their data.
Looker Studio has become a robust and affordable alternative for marketing teams that need to justify investments, track KPIs in real time, and deliver visually impactful reports. For those working in mid-sized companies with lean teams and multiple demands, the ability to create automated dashboards is a game-changer.
Continue reading this post and discover how Looker replaced Google Data Studio and what its benefits are!
What is Google Looker Studio
Google Looker Studio is a data analysis and visualization platform developed by Google. It enables companies to gain valuable insights from their data by transforming it into intuitive and interactive visualizations.
The platform offers a variety of features for data analysis, including the ability to connect to diverse data sources such as SQL databases, data lakes, and data warehouses. Therefore, with Looker Studio, users can create personalized dashboards and dynamic reports that help them better understand business performance, identify trends and make informed decisions.
Additionally, Google Looker Studio offers advanced data visualization capabilities, allowing users to create interactive charts, geographic maps, pivot tables, and more. These visualizations can also be customized to specific business needs and easily shared with colleagues and stakeholders.
“Looker Studio is ideal for marketing teams that need to track KPIs and justify investments with clear, visual data.”
Key Points of Google Looker Studio
The main features of the tool are:
- Connectivity to multiple data sources: Looker Studio lets you connect to a wide range of data sources, including SQL databases, data lakes, data warehouses, and cloud services like Google BigQuery, as well as Google tools like Google Analytics, Google Ads and Google Sheets.
- Flexible data modeling: Users can flexibly model data and create semantic models that reflect the structure and relationships of the organization's business data.
- Customizable views: Visualizations can be easily customized to meet specific business needs. Therefore, Google Looker Studio offers a variety of data visualization options, including interactive charts, pivot tables, geographic maps, and more.
- Intuitive data exploration: The platform offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface for exploring data. Thus, it allows users to filter, segment and analyze data efficiently.
- Collaboration and sharing: Users can easily collaborate on analyzes and reports, sharing visualizations and insights with teammates and stakeholders.
- Advanced Security: Google Looker Studio offers advanced security features, including granular access control and integration with corporate authentication systems.
- Process automation: The platform supports process automation through scheduling data updates, automated alerts, and custom workflows.
- Integration with other Google Cloud Platform tools: The platform integrates seamlessly with other Google Cloud Platform tools such as BigQuery, Dataflow and Dataprep. As a result, it provides a complete solution for cloud data analysis.
“The great advantage of Looker Studio is its ability to connect multiple sources and generate insights in real time.”
These are just some of the key features of Google Looker Studio that make it a popular choice for businesses looking for actionable insights from their data.
How Looker Studio can help lean marketing teams
If you work on a small team and need to manage multiple fronts (such as social media, paid media, content, and reporting), Looker Studio can be your best ally. With it, you can centralize metrics in a single dashboard, track the entire marketing funnel, and deliver visual reports to stakeholders—all without resorting to complex, paid tools. It's especially useful for marketing managers pressed for time, as it allows you to demonstrate results clearly and quickly.
“Companies using Looker Studio can automate KPI tracking with customizable dashboards.”
How to use Looker Studio
The tool is very intuitive and easy to use. So, the first step is to define clear objectives regarding the data you need to analyze. This way, you'll know which metrics to include in the dashboard before you start customizing. Therefore, keep in mind that choosing the right kpis will have an impact on all the following steps:
Access to the Platform:
- Access the Google Looker Studio through your web browser.
- Log in to the platform with your user credentials.
Connect Data Sources:
- Connect your data sources to Looker Studio. This can include SQL databases, data lakes, data warehouses, and cloud services such as Google BigQuery.
- Configure the connections necessary to access the data you want to analyze.
Explore the Data:
- Use Looker Studio's intuitive interface to explore your data. Finally, browse the different available data sets and view the information you want to analyze.
Create Data Models:
- Create semantic data models that reflect the structure and relationships of your organization's business data. This allows you to perform more advanced analyses and customize visualizations to your needs.
View the Data:
- Create custom data visualizations using a variety of options available in Looker Studio, such as interactive charts, pivot tables, and geographic maps.
- Customize views as needed to meet your specific needs.
- A strategic tip: when visualizing data, create specific sections on the dashboard to highlight metrics. ROI (Return on Investment) — such as CAC, LTV, CPL, and conversions. This makes it easier to demonstrate value to leadership and justify new campaigns.
Analyze and Interpret Data:
- Use Looker Studio's analytics tools to explore data in depth, filter and segment information as needed, and identify valuable insights.
Share Insights:
- Share your analysis and visualizations with teammates and stakeholders. Looker Studio offers options to share visualizations via links, embed them in other applications, or schedule automated reports.
Manage Access and Security:
- Manage access to data and analytics by configuring user permissions and granular access control.
- Ensure data is protected and in compliance with your organization's security policies.
“With Looker Studio, you can transform raw data into visual reports that clearly communicate results.”
The video below, prepared by Google, has an introduction to how to use the tool:
Tips for getting the most out of Google Looker Studio
Some tips to get the most out of Google Looker Studio:
1. Understand your Data Structure:
Before you start creating data models and visualizations, make sure you fully understand the structure of your data. This way, you will be able to create more accurate and relevant semantic models.
2. Explore Data Modeling Resources:
Familiarize yourself with Looker Studio's data modeling features such as scaling, pivoting, and filtering. This way, you can model your data effectively and create more meaningful visualizations.
3. Use Interactive Visualizations:
Explore the interactive visualization options offered by Looker Studio, such as line, bar, and pie charts. This way, you'll have visualizations that can help you communicate your insights more effectively.
4. Leverage Analytics Features:
Use Looker Studio's analytics tools like filters, segmentations, and custom metrics to explore your data in depth and identify valuable insights.
5. Customize your Views:
Customize your visualizations according to your target audience and analysis objective. Consequently, you can include adding clear titles, informative captions, and meaningful colors.
6. Collaborate with your Team:
Use Looker Studio's collaboration features to share your analysis and visualizations with teammates and stakeholders. As a result, it will foster a culture of collaboration and data-driven decision-making.
7. Apply Report Scheduling:
Set up schedules for automated reporting, ensuring relevant information is delivered to stakeholders in a timely and consistent manner.
8. Stay Updated:
Always stay tuned for updates and new features in Looker Studio. Eventually, Google is constantly adding improvements and features to the platform, so make the most of these updates to improve your data analysis experience.
9. Participate in Trainings and Communities:
Take advantage of the training resources offered by Google Looker Studio and participate in online communities where you can share knowledge, get support and exchange experiences with other users of the platform.
10. Create KPI Monitoring Dashboards:
Define your operation's most important KPIs and build dashboards that update automatically. This ensures continuous performance visibility and facilitates strategic meetings.
“Looker Studio makes data analysis easy, even for non-experts, with an intuitive and interactive interface.”
By following these tips, you will be able to get more out of Google Looker Studio and transform your data into valuable insights for your business.
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FAQ – Questions and Answers about Google Looker Studio
1. What is Looker Studio?
It's a free Google platform for data analysis and visualization. It allows you to create dashboards and reports by connecting different sources, such as BigQuery, Analytics, and Google Ads.
2. Who is Looker Studio suitable for?
Ideal for marketing professionals, BI teams, managers, and analysts who need to consolidate and visualize data to support strategic decisions.
3. Do I need to know how to program to use Looker Studio?
No. The platform is quite intuitive and doesn't require advanced technical knowledge. However, more experienced users can take advantage of advanced features with SQL and data modeling.
4. What data sources can I connect to Looker Studio?
BigQuery, Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Sheets, SQL databases, spreadsheets, and external APIs, among others.
5. Is Looker Studio secure for corporate data?
Yes. It features granular access control, authentication via Google accounts, and secure integrations with Google Cloud Platform.
Article originally published on 04/16/2024 and updated on that date.
Marcel Castilho is a specialist in digital marketing, neuromarketing, neuroscience, mindfulness and positive psychology. In addition to being an advertiser, he also has a Master's degree in Neurolinguistic Programming. He is the founder, owner and CEO of Vero Contentes and the offline agency VeroCom.
