Most small business owners in Brisbane are so busy running the day-to-day operations that marketing data becomes an afterthought, or worse, a source of stress. But you can't grow what you don't measure, and having a clear view of your performance allows you to double down on what’s working and cut what isn’t before you waste your hard-earned budget.
This guide will show you how to stop ‘data-dreading’ and start ‘data-doing’ by building a repeatable, 15-minute reporting habit.
Why This Matters
If you aren’t looking at your numbers weekly, you’re essentially flying blind. A weekly check-in helps you spot if your Facebook ads have suddenly stopped delivering, or if a local news story has sent a surge of traffic to your website that you should be capitalising on. It’s about being proactive rather than reactive.Prerequisites: What You’ll Need
Before we dive in, make sure you have access to the following:- Google Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio): This is free and the gold standard for Australian SMEs. It connects directly to your data sources.
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Ensure this is installed on your website.
- Google Business Profile: Essential for local Brisbane businesses to track 'Direction' requests and calls.
- A Simple Template: We’ll be building one, but you only have to do the heavy lifting once.
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Step 1: Define Your "North Star" Metrics
Don’t try to track everything. This is where most people get stuck—they try to report on 50 different metrics and end up confused.For a local business, you usually only need to track four things:
- Visibility: How many people saw you? (Impressions/Reach)
- Engagement: How many people clicked or interacted? (Clicks/CTR)
- Conversion: How many people took a valuable action? (Enquiries/Sales)
- Cost: How much did you spend to get those results? (CPA/Total Spend)
Step 2: Set Up Your Looker Studio Dashboard
Go to Looker Studio. Don't be intimidated by the blank white screen—it looks a bit clinical, but it's actually quite friendly once you get moving.- Click 'Blank Report'.
- You’ll be asked to 'Add data to report'. Select Google Analytics.
- Find your account and property, then click Add.
Step 3: Create Your "Big Number" Scorecards
We want to see the most important info at a glance.- Click 'Add a chart' in the top toolbar.
- Select the 'Scorecard' icon (it usually just shows a single number).
- On the right-hand panel under 'Metric', search for 'Total Users'.
- Repeat this process to create scorecards for 'Conversions' and 'Event Count'.
Step 4: Track Your Local Presence (Google Business Profile)
Since we're focusing on local marketing, we need to know how many people found you on Google Maps.- Click 'Add data' again.
- Search for the 'Google Business Profile' connector (you might need to use a third-party connector like 'Supermetrics' or 'Porter Metrics' if you want it automated, but for a free 15-minute version, you can just manually type these numbers into a small table in your report once a week).
- If you're doing it manually (which is totally fine when starting out!), just create a small table in your report for 'Calls from Profile' and 'Map Views'.
Step 5: Add a Trend Line
Numbers in isolation are boring. We want to see the trend.- Click 'Add a chart' and select 'Time Series Chart'.
- Set your Dimension to 'Date' and your Metric to 'Sessions'.
- This will show you a jagged line of your traffic over the last 7 days. If you see a massive spike on a Tuesday, you can look back and say, "Oh, that's when we sent out that email newsletter!"
Step 6: Filter by Source/Medium
This is where you see which marketing channels are actually making you money.- Add a 'Table' chart.
- Set the Dimension to 'Session source / medium'.
- Set the Metrics to 'Sessions' and 'Key Events' (Conversions).
google / organic, facebook / ads, or direct / none. This tells you exactly where your customers are coming from. This is usually the most eye-opening part for our Brisbane clients—often they find that the social media platform they spend hours on is actually sending zero traffic compared to their Google listing.
Step 7: The 5-Minute Analysis (The Human Part)
Now that the report is built, it will update automatically. Your weekly 15-minute task is now just looking at it and asking these three questions:- What went up? (And why? Can we do more of it?)
- What went down? (Is something broken, or was it just a quiet week in QLD due to a public holiday?)
- What is the one action for next week? (e.g., "Double the budget on the 'Emergency Repair' ad because it's converting at 20%.")
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Checking every day: Marketing data is 'noisy'. Checking it daily will lead to knee-jerk reactions. Stick to once a week.
- Ignoring the 'Direct' traffic: If you have a lot of 'Direct' traffic, it often means your offline marketing (like vehicle wraps or local sponsorships) is working—people are typing your URL straight into their browser.
- Forgetting about seasonality: Don't panic if your numbers dip during the Christmas break or school holidays. Brisbane business cycles have natural ebbs and flows.
Troubleshooting
- "My data says 'No Data Available'": Check your date range in the top right corner. Ensure it's set to 'Last 7 days (including today)'.
- "The numbers don't match my Facebook Ads manager": This is normal! Every platform counts things differently (it’s called 'Attribution'). Use GA4 as your 'Source of Truth' for what actually happened on your website.
- "Looker Studio is slow": It can be a bit clunky. If it freezes, just refresh the page. It saves your work automatically.
Next Steps
Now that you have your dashboard, set a recurring calendar invite for every Tuesday morning (Monday's data is often still processing). Spend 15 minutes reviewing the numbers and writing down one single takeaway.If you find that your numbers aren't moving in the right direction, or you'd like a professional eye to audit your setup, we can help. Our team at Local Marketing Group specialises in turning these insights into actual growth for Brisbane businesses.
Ready to scale your results? Contact us today for a strategy session.