Google Data Studio: The Last Report You’ll Ever Make

At RED66, one of the things we all have in common is the fact that we’re all marketing nerds. 

Digital marketing can be a tricky thing to comprehend, which is why we love to dive into data and see how much work we actually do—what’s successful, what isn’t, and what to do next. 

Not only is this information important to us as marketers, but it’s important to our clients, as it allows us to show tangible results of our marketing efforts. While there are endless possibilities to present data, we use Google Data Studio to present ours to our clients. 

With its huge variety of potential data connectors and its ability to automatically update with the most recent data, creating your first Google Data Studio report could be the last time you ever do so.

What Can You Do?

The real question is—what can’t you do? 

From email marketing and social media insights to website traffic and PPC metrics, your Google Data Studio report can show you (and your clients) just about anything you want to see. 

Since each client and business is different, there are no pre-established rules on what to put on the report. You can choose to start from a template, or with a blank slate. With Data Studio’s great assortment of different data visualizations, there are few limitations to what you can’t show. 

Another great perk of Google Data Studio is its collaborative capabilities. Similar to a Google Doc, you can share Data Studio reports with your team. This allows multiple people to work on the same report at the same time. Plus, Data Studio automatically saves changes and maintains a revision history. That way, you can review older versions, see who made edits and when. 

Data reporting and analysis are one of the most important aspects of marketing, which is why we like to take advantage of all the high quality insights we can achieve with Google Data Studio.

Want to see your marketing data in a brand new way? Contact us now to learn how we can help your business grow. 

How Do You Do It?

So now that you know why you should use Data Studio, you might be wondering how to get started. Below, we outline the basic steps to get you on your way to your very own Data Studio Report:

1. Decide What You Want To See

Before you can even get started creating your report, you need to know what types of insights and data you want to present. This all depends on what you and your team or clients want to see. 

However, the common metrics most marketers and clients like to see include:

• Website traffic: Organic sessions, paid sessions, page views, top pages by view, and goal completions, and more.
• Keyword insights: Including non-branded keywords, top keyword clicks and impressions.
• Google Ads insights: Overall cost, cost per click, campaign overviews, keyword performance, and conversions.
• Social media and email marketing insights
• Asana or other task management tools

It’s important to know what you do and don’t want shown on your reports, as it’s easy to get carried away with all the different possibilities. Remember, it’s about quality and what helps you and your clients achieve what they want to. 

Want to see your marketing data in a brand new way? Contact us now to learn how we can help your business grow. 

2. Choose Your Connectors

One of the best things about Data Studio is that there are over 500 possible data connectors, or integrations. The ability to pull data from multiple sources eliminates the need for the manual compiling of data into spreadsheets. 

By using these connectors, you’ll get the latest and most accurate data every time. Some of our favorite data connectors include:

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• Google Business Profile (aka: Google My Business)
• Google Ads
• Asana
• Supermetrics connectors

Supermetrics connectors are third-party connectors that give you access to almost any data source out there. Our favorite supermetrics connectors include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn insights, MailChimp, and SEMRush. 

If you can’t find a connector for a specific data source that your business uses, Data Studio also allows you to upload Excel or .csv files—there is truly a connector for everything.

Want to see your marketing data in a brand new way? Contact us now to learn how we can help your business grow. 

3. Choose Your Design

Once you have your data sources established, the fun part begins. You can start with a template, or explore the many visualizations Google Data Studio offers, and create your own design! 

Some of the most effective elements we utilize are:

• Controls
• Scorecards
• Geo Charts
• Table Charts
• Time Series Charts
• Gauges

The elements you choose to include on your report depends on the type of data you’re showing. The great thing about Google Data Studio is the opportunity for trial and error; if you first choose a table chart to show the number of ad clicks you’re getting and decide you want to try a bar graph instead, it only takes one click to make that switch.

See Your Data in a Whole New Way

After the initial set up of your report, there isn’t much you need to do to update it. The connectors will pull data regularly, and you can set it to a specific time period. You can even compare the data to previous time periods! 

Make data reporting easy for you, and better for your clients, with Google Data Studio. 

Want to see your marketing data in a brand new way? Contact us now to learn how we can help your business grow.