Building Custom Dashboards in Looker Studio for Clients

# Building Custom Dashboards in Looker Studio for Clients

In the world of Australian small business, data is only as valuable as your ability to understand it. For many business owners, logging into Google Analytics or Meta Ads Manager feels like trying to read a foreign language; Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) bridges that gap by turning complex data into clear, visual stories that prove the ROI of your marketing efforts.

By creating custom dashboards, you provide your clients with a single source of truth that updates in real-time, saving you hours of manual reporting every month and building long-term trust through transparency.

Prerequisites: What You’ll Need

• A Google Account: Preferably one linked to your agency or business email.
• Data Access: Admin or Viewer access to the client’s Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Google Search Console, or Google Ads accounts.
• A Content Plan: A list of the Top 5 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) your client actually cares about (e.g., Leads, Cost Per Lead, Organic Traffic).
• Brand Assets: Your client’s logo and their specific brand hex codes (colours).

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Step 1: Access Looker Studio and Start Fresh

Step 2: Connect Your Primary Data Source

• What you’ll see: A grid of connectors. Select Google Analytics.
• Action: Find the client’s Account and then select the specific GA4 Property.
• Tip: If you are reporting on SEO, you will also want to add Google Search Console later via the "Add Data" button in the top menu.

Step 3: Set the Canvas Size and Layout

• Action: Click on the white space of the canvas. In the right-hand panel, select Layout.
• Recommendation: Set the Display Mode to "Fit to Width" and consider changing the Canvas Size to 1200px width for a more modern, professional feel.

Step 4: Establish Your Visual Identity (The Theme)

• Action: Click Theme and Layout in the toolbar.
• Customise: Upload the client’s logo to the top corner. Use the "Extract theme from image" feature by uploading the logo; Looker Studio will automatically suggest a colour palette based on the logo's colours. This makes the report feel like a bespoke product created just for them.

Step 5: Add a Date Range Control

• Action: Click Add a control in the top menu and select Date range control.
• Placement: Place this in the top right corner.
• Screenshot Description: You should see a dropdown box that says "Select Date Range." Set the default to "Last 28 days" or "Last month" so it’s always relevant when the client opens the link.

Step 6: Create Your "Big Number" Scorecards

• Action: Click Add a chart > Scorecard.
• Setup: Drag the metric (e.g., "Sessions" or "Conversions") into the Metric field in the Setup tab.
• The Comparison: In the Setup tab, scroll to "Comparison date range" and set it to "Previous period." This shows a green or red percentage change, providing instant context on whether performance is up or down.

Step 7: Visualising Trends with Time Series Charts

• Action: Click Add a chart > Time Series Chart.
• Pro Tip: Use "Conversions" as the metric and "Date" as the dimension. This helps an Australian retail client see, for example, the spike in traffic during the EOFY (End of Financial Year) sales period.

Step 8: Break Down Traffic Sources

• Action: Add a Table or a Donut Chart.
• Dimension: Set this to "Session default channel group."
• Metric: Set this to "Conversions" or "Key Events."
• Screenshot Description: You should see a list showing 'Organic Search', 'Paid Search', 'Direct', etc., with corresponding numbers.

Step 9: Adding Context with Text Boxes

• Action: Click the Text icon (the 'T') in the toolbar.
• Usage: Add a sidebar or a footer section titled "Agency Insights." Explain that a dip in traffic was due to a public holiday or a technical update. This humanises the data.

Step 10: Filter Out Internal Traffic

• Action: Click on a chart, scroll down to Filter, and click Add a Filter.
• Logic: Exclude traffic from specific IP addresses (if configured in GA4) or exclude specific developer pages.

Step 11: Share the Report Securely

• Action: Click the Share button in the top right.
• Settings: You can invite the client via email or generate a "Report Link."
• Important: Ensure the sharing settings are set to "Viewer" so the client cannot accidentally delete charts or change data sources.

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Pro Tips for Professional Dashboards

• Less is More: Don't crowd the page. If you have a lot of data, use the "Add Page" feature to create separate tabs for "SEO," "Paid Ads," and "Conversion Data."
• Conditional Formatting: Set rules so that if a conversion rate drops below a certain percentage, the cell turns red. This acts as an early warning system for both you and the client.
• Currency Check: Ensure all monetary values are set to AUD. You can change this in the Data Source settings by clicking the pencil icon next to the data source and changing the type of "Revenue" to "Currency > AUD - Australian Dollar."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Ignoring Mobile View: Many clients will check these reports on their phones during a commute. Check how your layout stacks on smaller screens.
• Data Sampling: If you have a massive amount of data, Google might "sample" it to save speed, which can lead to slight inaccuracies. Keep an eye on the small "data quality" icon in the top right of your charts.

Troubleshooting

• Chart shows "Config Error": This usually means a field was deleted in the original data source or the connection has timed out. Try refreshing the fields in the data source settings.
• Data doesn't match GA4: Check your filters. Often, a hidden filter on the report or page level is excluding data you actually want to see.
• Report is slow to load: Reduce the number of charts on a single page. Using 20+ scorecards on one page will significantly lag the loading time.

Next Steps

If you need help setting up advanced tracking or integrating non-Google data (like Facebook Ads or LinkedIn) into your Looker Studio reports, our team at Local Marketing Group is here to help.