Tool review & tips

Looker Studio

Free dashboard tool that pulls data from many sources, great for quick reports and shareable views.

Looker Studio

What it does in 1 sentence

Looker Studio connects to dozens of sources to build real-time dashboards and reports.

Looker Studio
Overview

Overview of

Looker Studio

You will love this tool when

You want to create clean, automated marketing reports.

Ideal for

Marketers and analysts building clean dashboards from multiple sources

Pricing

Who is it for icon

Annual pricing

0

Who is it for icon

Monthly starting at

0

Use cases

Who is it for icon

Build a client-facing SEO or traffic dashboard.

Who is it for icon

Pull in ad spend and conversion data across platforms.

Who is it for icon

Automate weekly reports from Google Sheets data.

Tools

Alternatives for

Looker Studio

Looking for other options? These are tools I've personally used with clients or tested extensively. Some might better suit your budget, tech stack, or team size. Consider this a shortlist if you need alternatives.

Dashboard setup
Databox
Tool

Databox

Dashboard tool with fast connectors and scorecards, ideal for exec views and alerts when you need speed over deep modelling.

Google Analytics
Tool

Google Analytics

Web analytics that tracks user behaviour and conversions, essential for understanding traffic and lead sources when configured well.

Automation tools

How to automate with

Looker Studio

Tools like Zapier, n8n and Make.com are incredibly powerful, but they can feel overwhelming when you’re just getting started. Since you can connect almost anything, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Read my guide on automation
Zapier
Tool

Zapier

No code automation that connects apps and moves data, great for quick wins and alerts that save time.

n8n
Tool

n8n

Open source automation with nodes and self hosting, ideal when you need flexibility and privacy with strong workflows.

Make
Tool

Make

Visual automation platform that connects tools and moves data with control and scheduling.

What to consider

Considerations before you buy

Looker Studio

If you’ve decided to use Looker Studio for your marketing data reporting, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started and make the most of its features.

Setting up Looker Studio

  1. Create a Google account: If you don’t already have a Google account, sign up for one. Looker Studio is tied to Google, so you’ll need an account to get started. Once you’re logged in, go to the Looker Studio website and create a new account.
  2. Connect your data sources: The first step in setting up Looker Studio is connecting your data sources. For Google users, the integration process is very straightforward. You can connect Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Sheets in just a few clicks. If you need to integrate non-Google tools, Looker Studio provides connectors, but they may require some configuration.
  3. Create a new report: Once your data sources are connected, you can create a new report. Looker Studio offers a simple drag-and-drop interface that lets you add charts, tables, and other visual elements to your report. You can start with a template or create your custom design from scratch.
  4. Select your metrics: Decide which metrics you want to track in your dashboard. You can choose from a variety of Google Analytics and Google Ads metrics, such as sessions, pageviews, bounce rates, and conversion rates. You can also import data from Google Sheets to track any custom KPIs you’re monitoring.

Customising your dashboard

  1. Choose visual elements: Looker Studio gives you the flexibility to visualise your data in different ways. You can create bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, tables, and more. The key here is to select the visualisation that best conveys the story you want to tell with your data.
  2. Create blended data sources: If you’re tracking multiple data sources, you can use Looker Studio’s blended data feature to combine data from different sources into one visualisation. For example, you could blend your website’s traffic data from Google Analytics with your Google Ads spend data to track ROI.
  3. Brand your dashboard: Personalise the design of your dashboard by adding your logo, custom colours, and fonts. This is especially useful if you need to share the reports with clients or stakeholders and want to maintain consistency with your brand.

Sharing and collaborating with your team

  1. Share your report: Once your dashboard is ready, you can share it with your team or stakeholders. Looker Studio provides options to share your reports via email, link, or embed them on your website. You can also restrict access by giving view or edit permissions.
  2. Collaborate in real-time: Looker Studio supports real-time collaboration, meaning multiple users can work on the same report simultaneously. This is particularly useful for marketing teams that need to update reports and make changes together.

Setting up alerts and notifications

  1. Track performance in real-time: Looker Studio doesn’t provide real-time alerts in the traditional sense, but you can set up your dashboards to automatically update at regular intervals. This ensures that the data you’re seeing is always current.
  2. Google Sheets integrations for automated reporting: If you want automated reporting, you can connect Looker Studio with Google Sheets and set up a script to update your dashboards regularly. Alternatively, you can schedule reports to be sent automatically via email.

Advanced features: blending data and custom calculations

  1. Blending data: Looker Studio allows you to blend data from multiple sources. This feature is useful when you need to compare data from different platforms in a single report. For example, you can combine data from Google Analytics with data from a CRM to see the entire customer journey in one place.
  2. Custom calculations: For more complex analysis, you can create custom metrics and calculations using Looker Studio’s formula features. This is useful for calculating things like cost per acquisition, return on investment (ROI), or lifetime value (LTV) from your raw data.

Conclusion

Looker Studio is a powerful and cost-effective solution for B2B marketers looking to create custom reports and dashboards within the Google ecosystem. It’s ideal for marketers who rely heavily on Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Sheets. The free pricing and customisation options make it a great tool for smaller teams or businesses that need simple yet powerful data visualisation capabilities.

However, for marketers who require more advanced features, such as real-time data syncing and integration with a wider range of tools, Looker Studio may not be enough. In those cases, Databox might be the better solution, especially if you need to pull in data from multiple platforms in real-time and track performance across a range of channels.

Looker Studio offers great flexibility for Google-centric teams, but your choice will ultimately depend on your specific reporting needs and the complexity of your data analysis.

Learn the tool

Ultimate guide to using

Looker Studio

My personal notes on how to use this tool.

If you’ve decided to use Looker Studio for your marketing data reporting, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started and make the most of its features.

Setting up Looker Studio

  1. Create a Google account: If you don’t already have a Google account, sign up for one. Looker Studio is tied to Google, so you’ll need an account to get started. Once you’re logged in, go to the Looker Studio website and create a new account.
  2. Connect your data sources: The first step in setting up Looker Studio is connecting your data sources. For Google users, the integration process is very straightforward. You can connect Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Sheets in just a few clicks. If you need to integrate non-Google tools, Looker Studio provides connectors, but they may require some configuration.
  3. Create a new report: Once your data sources are connected, you can create a new report. Looker Studio offers a simple drag-and-drop interface that lets you add charts, tables, and other visual elements to your report. You can start with a template or create your custom design from scratch.
  4. Select your metrics: Decide which metrics you want to track in your dashboard. You can choose from a variety of Google Analytics and Google Ads metrics, such as sessions, pageviews, bounce rates, and conversion rates. You can also import data from Google Sheets to track any custom KPIs you’re monitoring.

Customising your dashboard

  1. Choose visual elements: Looker Studio gives you the flexibility to visualise your data in different ways. You can create bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, tables, and more. The key here is to select the visualisation that best conveys the story you want to tell with your data.
  2. Create blended data sources: If you’re tracking multiple data sources, you can use Looker Studio’s blended data feature to combine data from different sources into one visualisation. For example, you could blend your website’s traffic data from Google Analytics with your Google Ads spend data to track ROI.
  3. Brand your dashboard: Personalise the design of your dashboard by adding your logo, custom colours, and fonts. This is especially useful if you need to share the reports with clients or stakeholders and want to maintain consistency with your brand.

Sharing and collaborating with your team

  1. Share your report: Once your dashboard is ready, you can share it with your team or stakeholders. Looker Studio provides options to share your reports via email, link, or embed them on your website. You can also restrict access by giving view or edit permissions.
  2. Collaborate in real-time: Looker Studio supports real-time collaboration, meaning multiple users can work on the same report simultaneously. This is particularly useful for marketing teams that need to update reports and make changes together.

Setting up alerts and notifications

  1. Track performance in real-time: Looker Studio doesn’t provide real-time alerts in the traditional sense, but you can set up your dashboards to automatically update at regular intervals. This ensures that the data you’re seeing is always current.
  2. Google Sheets integrations for automated reporting: If you want automated reporting, you can connect Looker Studio with Google Sheets and set up a script to update your dashboards regularly. Alternatively, you can schedule reports to be sent automatically via email.

Advanced features: blending data and custom calculations

  1. Blending data: Looker Studio allows you to blend data from multiple sources. This feature is useful when you need to compare data from different platforms in a single report. For example, you can combine data from Google Analytics with data from a CRM to see the entire customer journey in one place.
  2. Custom calculations: For more complex analysis, you can create custom metrics and calculations using Looker Studio’s formula features. This is useful for calculating things like cost per acquisition, return on investment (ROI), or lifetime value (LTV) from your raw data.

Conclusion

Looker Studio is a powerful and cost-effective solution for B2B marketers looking to create custom reports and dashboards within the Google ecosystem. It’s ideal for marketers who rely heavily on Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Sheets. The free pricing and customisation options make it a great tool for smaller teams or businesses that need simple yet powerful data visualisation capabilities.

However, for marketers who require more advanced features, such as real-time data syncing and integration with a wider range of tools, Looker Studio may not be enough. In those cases, Databox might be the better solution, especially if you need to pull in data from multiple platforms in real-time and track performance across a range of channels.

Looker Studio offers great flexibility for Google-centric teams, but your choice will ultimately depend on your specific reporting needs and the complexity of your data analysis.

My personal review

My review of

Looker Studio

If you’ve decided to use Looker Studio for your marketing data reporting, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started and make the most of its features.

Setting up Looker Studio

  1. Create a Google account: If you don’t already have a Google account, sign up for one. Looker Studio is tied to Google, so you’ll need an account to get started. Once you’re logged in, go to the Looker Studio website and create a new account.
  2. Connect your data sources: The first step in setting up Looker Studio is connecting your data sources. For Google users, the integration process is very straightforward. You can connect Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Sheets in just a few clicks. If you need to integrate non-Google tools, Looker Studio provides connectors, but they may require some configuration.
  3. Create a new report: Once your data sources are connected, you can create a new report. Looker Studio offers a simple drag-and-drop interface that lets you add charts, tables, and other visual elements to your report. You can start with a template or create your custom design from scratch.
  4. Select your metrics: Decide which metrics you want to track in your dashboard. You can choose from a variety of Google Analytics and Google Ads metrics, such as sessions, pageviews, bounce rates, and conversion rates. You can also import data from Google Sheets to track any custom KPIs you’re monitoring.

Customising your dashboard

  1. Choose visual elements: Looker Studio gives you the flexibility to visualise your data in different ways. You can create bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, tables, and more. The key here is to select the visualisation that best conveys the story you want to tell with your data.
  2. Create blended data sources: If you’re tracking multiple data sources, you can use Looker Studio’s blended data feature to combine data from different sources into one visualisation. For example, you could blend your website’s traffic data from Google Analytics with your Google Ads spend data to track ROI.
  3. Brand your dashboard: Personalise the design of your dashboard by adding your logo, custom colours, and fonts. This is especially useful if you need to share the reports with clients or stakeholders and want to maintain consistency with your brand.

Sharing and collaborating with your team

  1. Share your report: Once your dashboard is ready, you can share it with your team or stakeholders. Looker Studio provides options to share your reports via email, link, or embed them on your website. You can also restrict access by giving view or edit permissions.
  2. Collaborate in real-time: Looker Studio supports real-time collaboration, meaning multiple users can work on the same report simultaneously. This is particularly useful for marketing teams that need to update reports and make changes together.

Setting up alerts and notifications

  1. Track performance in real-time: Looker Studio doesn’t provide real-time alerts in the traditional sense, but you can set up your dashboards to automatically update at regular intervals. This ensures that the data you’re seeing is always current.
  2. Google Sheets integrations for automated reporting: If you want automated reporting, you can connect Looker Studio with Google Sheets and set up a script to update your dashboards regularly. Alternatively, you can schedule reports to be sent automatically via email.

Advanced features: blending data and custom calculations

  1. Blending data: Looker Studio allows you to blend data from multiple sources. This feature is useful when you need to compare data from different platforms in a single report. For example, you can combine data from Google Analytics with data from a CRM to see the entire customer journey in one place.
  2. Custom calculations: For more complex analysis, you can create custom metrics and calculations using Looker Studio’s formula features. This is useful for calculating things like cost per acquisition, return on investment (ROI), or lifetime value (LTV) from your raw data.

Conclusion

Looker Studio is a powerful and cost-effective solution for B2B marketers looking to create custom reports and dashboards within the Google ecosystem. It’s ideal for marketers who rely heavily on Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Sheets. The free pricing and customisation options make it a great tool for smaller teams or businesses that need simple yet powerful data visualisation capabilities.

However, for marketers who require more advanced features, such as real-time data syncing and integration with a wider range of tools, Looker Studio may not be enough. In those cases, Databox might be the better solution, especially if you need to pull in data from multiple platforms in real-time and track performance across a range of channels.

Looker Studio offers great flexibility for Google-centric teams, but your choice will ultimately depend on your specific reporting needs and the complexity of your data analysis.

Playbooks

Looker Studio

is part of

Dashboard setup

This tool is part of tactical playbooks that walk you through every stage of this engine. Read the full guides to learn how to implement the framework, set up your infrastructure, and execute the tactics that drive results.

See all playbooks
Playbook

Dashboard setup

Build dashboards that show what matters. Give your team clarity without noise or vanity metrics. Agree definitions and review insights on a simple schedule.

See playbook
Dashboard setup
Growth wiki

Growth concepts explained in simple language

Key concepts and frameworks explained clearly. Quick reference when you need to understand a term, refresh your knowledge, or share with your team.

See entire growth wiki
Eyebrow title

Pareto Principle

use case icon

Topic

Who is it for icon

Playbook

Focus effort on the 20% of activities that drive 80% of results, systematically eliminating low-yield work to maximise output per hour invested.

Eyebrow title

Stakeholder Management

use case icon

Topic

Who is it for icon

Playbook

Navigate competing priorities and secure buy-in by systematically understanding, influencing, and aligning internal decision-makers toward shared goals.

Eyebrow title

Deep Work

use case icon

Topic

Who is it for icon

Playbook

Block extended time for cognitively demanding tasks requiring sustained focus, maximising valuable output whilst minimising shallow distractions.

Eyebrow title

Eisenhower Matrix

use case icon

Topic

Who is it for icon

Playbook

Prioritise tasks systematically by sorting them into urgent-important quadrants, focusing effort on high-impact activities.

Eyebrow title

Braindump

use case icon

Topic

Who is it for icon

Playbook

Clear mental clutter by transferring all thoughts, tasks, and ideas onto paper or screen, creating space for focused work.

Eyebrow title

Prioritisation

use case icon

Topic

Who is it for icon

Playbook

Systematically rank projects and opportunities using objective frameworks, ensuring scarce resources flow to highest-impact work.

Course

Why most B2B marketers don't get the results they want

Most B2B marketers are either Random Ricks (trying everything) or Specialist Steves (obsessed with one channel). Generalists run tactics without strategy. Specialists hit channel ceilings. But there's a better way.

See entire course
Random Rick
Always-busy marketer

Tries everything at once. Posts on LinkedIn, runs ads, tweaks the website, chases referrals. Nothing compounds because nothing's consistent. Growth feels chaotic.

Specialist Steve
Single channel specialist

Obsessed with one tactic. 'We just need better ads' or 'SEO will fix everything.' Ignores the rest of the system. One strong engine can't carry a broken machine.

Solid Sarah
Full-funnel marketer

Finds the bottleneck. Fixes that first. Then moves to the next weakest link. Builds a system that's predictable, measurable and doesn't need 80-hour weeks.

Start for free

Sarah grows faster than Rick and Steve. Want to know how Solid Sarah does it?

Learn how she diagnoses bottlenecks, orchestrates the four engines, and drives predictable growth. Choose if you want to read or watch:

See full course
7-day mini-course in your inbox

Learn the system by email

Get practical frameworks delivered daily. Seven short emails explain how Sarah diagnoses bottlenecks, orchestrates the four engines, and builds systems that compound.

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Watch module 1 for free

See the course in action

Free 45-minute video module from the full course. Watch how to diagnose your growth bottleneck and see exactly what the course platform looks like.

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