6 Reasons Why You’ll Love Google Data Studio
November 1st 2018 | By Emma Grant
When I first discovered Google Data Studio, I’m not going to lie – I got excited. I only discovered Google Data Studio a month ago at Brighton SEO, and yet it didn’t take me long to dive in and devour everything I could find out about it.
It was as if the penny had finally dropped and I had found an easier, more efficient way to manage client SEO reports. It took a day or two of studying hard and feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, but I had it down and ever since, I can’t stop talking about it!
I’ve been so invested in this particular method of collating and reporting data, that a very good friend of mine recently accused me (in jest, of course) of choosing it over my husband. Obviously, my husband comes (a very close) first in life, but Google Data Studio is my newest love. While I was giving a last minute lightning talk at Wordcamp Manchester recently, it occurred to me that I needed to get out all that excitement in a post where I can gush about the reasons I love Google Data Studio – so that you can be switched onto its genius, too!
Lightning Talk at Wordcamp Manchester
So, What Is Google Data Studio?
Google has come up with so many additions over the years that it’s perfectly reasonable that you may not have heard of Google Data Studio. It’s been around in its beta phase for a couple of years now, but to the world as a whole it’s a relatively new dashboard suite from Google that can integrate with major data sources. And it’s not a small list of data connectors, either, here they are:
Google Data Studio Data Sources
- Google Analytics
- Google AdWords
- Google Search Console
- DoubleClick
- Google Attribution 360
- Google Cloud SQL
- MySQL
- Data Uploader
- YouTube Channels
- Google Sheets
- CSV files
You can customise, share and use the data that you have and turn it into informative, attractive reports for your audience to look at. Let’s face it: data can be rather boring to digest. Pretty it up, though, with pie charts and bar charts and notes on the side, and you can garner a little more interest. As I mentioned earlier, I use it for SEO reporting, but others choose to use it to track things like business KPIs and generate periodic reports.
If I could have compared it to anything, it’s like Analytics, but a hyped-up version and I have finally found a way to make client SEO reporting more efficient. You get the chance to turn your data into amazing visuals, which allows you to explore your data the way that works best for you. You can also insert dynamic controls – which is just amazing. It means that the people that are viewing your data right now can interact with it. They can filter the content according to date and then share and collaborate with you if they have any queries.
6 Reasons Why You’ll Love It
1. It’s Free
Who doesn’t love something that works, looks great, is efficient and doesn’t cost anything? I love the fact that there are a lot of dashboard tools out there, but the problem with most of them is that you have to pay out for them. If you can save your business budget just a smidge, then you’d do it, right? The WordPress community love a freebie, and so do I.
2. It’s Easy
Google Data Studio is one of the easiest things to manage, you’ll forget what it was like to live without it. Once your dashboard is set up, you can just manipulate the date and your data updates to suit you and your viewers. The fact that it can all come together under the programmes I mentioned earlier is just a bonus!
3. It’s Pretty
The fact that you can add your own company branding to the reports and attach it as a PDF for your client (or your business, whichever) just adds to it’s attraction. Speaking of attraction, Google Data Studio can only be described as pretty! You can colour it, add pictures, arrange it in the most aesthetically pleasing way – you name it, you can do it.
4. No More Trawling Through Google Analytics
Do you use Google Analytics? If so, you’ll know how time consuming it can be to trawl through it to find the right data. Instead, Google Data Studio has handy drag and drop features which allow you to connect your Google Analytics to it and access the data easily that way. Everyone loves a bit of efficiency.
Google Data Studio Sample Report: Google Analytics
5. Integrations
The integration with other major data sources is a winner – and pretty much the reason I fell in love with this programme. Alongside the other platforms in the big list I made earlier, you can also integrate your data with social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, SEM Rush and Search Console. You can check out the Google Data Studio sample reports on the website to see exactly how it’ll look when all of these data sources are connected together. I promise you, it’s beautiful – like a moth to a flame.
6. It’s a Massive Time Saver
In business, you need efficiency, and when you’re not wasting time screenshotting and pasting Google Analytics information, you’re massively saving yourself some time. Your clients will be impressed by the quality of the data reports, and you’ll find yourself with extra time on your hands while you create perfectly collated data reports for your business and your clients.
My Conclusion
So, as you can see, there are plenty of reasons to love Google Data Studio. It’s not too hard to learn and you can be up and running with it fairly quickly. I’m loving the ease of use with Google Data Studio, and as someone who works with data a lot, I can promise that I will be writing a Google Data Studio Guide as soon as I can tear myself away from it long enough. Don’t take the word of this tech geek, though, experience it for yourself and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.
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