[5-Step Guide] How To Create Google Data Studio Reports

In today’s world, you have a wealth of data at your fingertips. It is thus essential that you have a tool to turn this data into reports that tell compelling stories.

And one such tool is Google Data Studio.

Today, we’ll explore how to create reports in Google Data Studio.

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Google Data Studio

Google Data Studio visualizes your data as interactive dashboards and beautiful customizable reports that are easy to read and share. By unlocking the power of data, you’ll gain actionable insights and inspire smarter business decisions. Most importantly, Google Data Studio is user-friendly and free.

• Connect: easily access & connect to a wide variety of data
• Visualize: quickly build reports & dashboards
• Share: share reports, collaborate in real time & embed on any web page

1. Access Google Data Studio With Your Google Account

First, access Google Data Studio with your Google account.

I recommend that you use the Google account that is an admin of your Google Ads, Google Analytics, YouTube channel, Google Search Console etc. This way, you can easily connect all relevant data because you have the highest level of access.

2. Connect Your Data Sources

Next, you create the data source to connect. There are many data connectors to choose from

• Google Analytics
• Google Ads
• Google Ads Manager 360
• YouTube Analytics
• Google Search Console
• Google Sheets
• and many more!

I strongly suggest that you name your data source properly. This way, you’ll be able to find it easily and won’t mix it up with another data source. For example, you could name it as “Google Search Console – nicolecw.com”.

3. Create Report: Choose From Template Gallery Or Create From Scratch

When creating your report, you have 2 choices

• Start with a template
• Create a new report

If you’re just learning to use Google Data Studio, I think it’s better to start with a template. You can also see what metrics and dimensions are used for various purposes.

However, if you previously use another software for reporting and you know exactly what metrics and dimensions you need, you can immediately create a report from scratch.

Here are some reports that are available in the Template Gallery

• Google Analytics
• YouTube Analytics
• Google Ads
• Google Search Console
• Display & Video 360
• Search Ads 360

4. Customize Your Report As Needed

The main goal of visualizing data into reports is to empower businesses to make informed decisions. Thus, do tailor the report by adding charts, maps, tables and graphs so that it’s easier for you to process data and make better business choices.

Here are some key customizations that you can consider

• Insert > Date Range Control: This is one of the most important features which allows you to adjust the timeframe of the report. You can choose to only show data for the campaign period.
• Filter: No matter what chart or table you’re using, you can always add a filter to focus on specific data.
• Reference Line: This is only available for charts. I usually use this to visualize daily leads against target no. of leads.
• Page > Current Page Settings > Style: Adjust the canvas size where you can choose to display all charts on 1 single page.
• Page > Hide current page in view mode Or Page > Manage Pages: This is a nifty feature where you can hide specific pages in view mode. You can use this to hide report pages under construction.

5. Share, Download & Embed Your Report

The purpose of the report is to make better business decisions. Therefore, you should share these insights with your stakeholders and make data-driven decisions together.

After you’re done creating your report, you can

• Share your report with others: You can add people individually or enable link sharing so people can view the report
• Download the report as PDF
• Embed the report

Now It’s Your Turn

I quite like Google Data Studio. It’s very comprehensive and there are many features. It’s especially useful since I use many Google products, including Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

How do you feel about Google Data Studio? What reports have you created?