Google Data Studio – It’s Here!

Natalia Joyce - October 6, 2016

Analytics can be a hard concept to grasp for marketers, let alone when you are attempting to explain the inner workings of a website to a client. Your analytics team can seem like some sort of marketing geniuses (which essentially they are), being able to decipher data at the drop of a hat, and explore metrics in ways you are still trying to learn. With the release of Google Data Studio, we are able to tap into the analytics genius in all of us.

Historically, you most likely would take screenshots of Google Analytics, or would recreate the data provided into easy-to-read charts. Now, with the release of the Google Data Studio beta, you can get a taste of what it feels like to have all of the data placed into easy-to-digest charts, at your fingertips. These customizable charts allow you to showcase data, even allowing you to import Facebook data into your analytics reporting. As long as you have a Google sheet that the data is being pulled from, you can pull in as much additional data as you would like. The reports provided by the Google Data Studio are also dynamic, meaning that any updates made will be reflected in your reports. They have the same functionality as Google Sheets, and the data and reports can be shared with your clients at the click of a button.

If you are using the free version of Google Analytics, you will get a limited version of Data Studio, and will be able to generate five free reports. If you are utilizing Google Analytics Suite 360, you will have unlimited access to this new tool. To access Google Data Studio, log into your analytics account where you will see some examples of reports you are able to access. If you click the tab labeled Welcome to Data Studio! (Start here), you can begin exploring the tutorials available. There is also a tutorial video provided for reference, when you begin to analyze the newly available options.

Google Data Studio is heaven sent for marketers that do not enjoy analyzing spreadsheet after spreadsheet, and would prefer an easy-to-digest report at the click of the mouse. If that is you, then prepare to rejoice – Google Data Studio may be something in which you would like to invest.