Looker Studio

Looker Studio: best for Google-centric ecosystems

Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is a free, cloud-based data visualisation tool ideal for B2B marketers heavily invested in the Google ecosystem. It integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Sheets, and other Google services, allowing for easy data visualisation and reporting. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible for users without a technical background. However, while it's free and user-friendly, Looker Studio may require additional connectors or custom development for advanced features or integration with non-Google platforms. If your marketing strategy revolves primarily around Google tools, Looker Studio can be a great addition to your data analytics toolkit.

Databox: best for real-time, multi-tool dashboards

Databox, on the other hand, is a paid business intelligence platform designed for real-time performance monitoring across various tools. It offers over 70 integrations, including Google services, HubSpot, Facebook Ads, and more. Databox stands out with its real-time data syncing, goal tracking, and alerting features, making it suitable for B2B marketers who need to monitor performance metrics across multiple platforms in real-time. Its user-friendly interface and pre-built templates allow for quick setup and customisation of dashboards. For marketers managing a multi-tool stack and needing immediate insights, Databox may be the better choice.

Having used both Looker Studio and Databox in my career as a head of growth and founder of two agencies, I can confidently say that each platform has its strengths depending on the situation. I’ll share my perspective on both tools based on my experience and my research into the latest features of Looker Studio.

Strengths of Looker Studio

Looker Studio excels in its integration with Google products, which makes it incredibly useful for marketers who are already using tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads. If your business relies on the Google ecosystem for data collection and marketing efforts, Looker Studio provides a streamlined and free solution for visualising your data. You can easily pull in data from Google Analytics, create custom dashboards, and visualise your website's performance with just a few clicks.

Another significant advantage of Looker Studio is its customisability. The drag-and-drop interface makes it simple to build custom dashboards tailored to your specific needs. Whether you want to track web traffic, conversion rates, or any other key metric, you have complete control over the design of your reports. Additionally, Looker Studio allows you to blend data from different sources, so even though it's primarily designed for Google tools, you can still incorporate other data sources via connectors.

The best part of Looker Studio is its cost: it's free. If you’re just starting out or your team is small, it’s a fantastic way to get started with business intelligence without investing in a paid tool. The free access to all the basic features can handle most of a marketer’s reporting needs without requiring additional costs.

Limitations of Looker Studio

However, Looker Studio isn’t without its challenges. While it’s fantastic for Google-centric data, its integrations with non-Google tools are limited. If your marketing stack includes platforms like HubSpot, Facebook Ads, or other third-party tools, you may find it difficult to pull all your data into Looker Studio without using additional connectors or custom scripts. For marketers with complex reporting needs across multiple platforms, this could become a bottleneck, requiring extra time and effort.

Another issue I’ve noticed is the learning curve involved in setting up Looker Studio for more advanced features. While basic dashboard creation is straightforward, using Looker Studio’s full potential — especially for blending data from multiple sources — requires some technical know-how. If your team lacks experience with business intelligence tools, there might be a bit of a learning curve involved before you can use Looker Studio to its full capacity.

When Looker Studio is the right fit

Looker Studio is ideal for B2B marketers already embedded within the Google ecosystem. If your team primarily uses Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Sheets, this platform offers the best integration and functionality for creating comprehensive reports and dashboards. The free pricing and ease of use make it particularly well-suited for smaller teams, startups, or businesses just beginning to implement data-driven decision-making. However, for larger organisations with a broader toolset, the limited integrations and advanced setup requirements might make Looker Studio less practical.

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.