Looker Studio
Looker Studio dashboard design and setup
A well-built Looker Studio dashboard puts your marketing, sales and operations numbers in one live report that updates on its own. We design and build Looker Studio dashboards for US businesses and agencies that are tired of screenshotting ad platforms and pasting numbers into slides. Every project starts with a free review, has a fixed price, and is built in your own Google account.
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Quick answer
What is a Looker Studio dashboard?
A Looker Studio dashboard is a live report built in Google's free Looker Studio tool, formerly Google Data Studio, that pulls marketing, sales and operations data into one place and updates on its own. It replaces manual screenshots and spreadsheets, and can be shared with owners, managers or clients, each with their own view.
- Looker Studio is free and was called Google Data Studio until 2022.
- Blending data from different sources is where most DIY reports go wrong.
- Meta Ads and some CRMs need third-party connectors, since Google lacks native ones.
- Looker Studio suits Google-centric teams and agencies, while Power BI suits Microsoft 365 companies.
01
What is Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio)?
Looker Studio is Google's free reporting tool. It was called Google Data Studio until 2022, so you will still see both names. Any Google Data Studio dashboard you already have now runs in Looker Studio.
It connects natively to Google Ads, GA4, Search Console, YouTube, BigQuery and Google Sheets, and to many other platforms through partner connectors. Reports are shared by link like a Google Doc, so viewers do not need a paid license.
02
Looker Studio dashboards we build
We design each dashboard around the decisions it supports. A marketing manager needs different pages from an owner or a client, so we build views for each audience rather than one crowded report.
Most dashboards combine at least two sources, such as ad spend and CRM leads, so you can see cost per qualified lead rather than just clicks.
- Marketing performance: Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads and GA4 in one view
- SEO reporting: Search Console queries, landing pages and organic conversions
- Agency client reports: one template, filtered per client, shared by link
- Sales and pipeline: CRM deals, stages and sources from HubSpot or a Google Sheet
- Operations and finance: orders, jobs, revenue and costs from Sheets or BigQuery
- Ecommerce: Shopify sales, ad spend and return on ad spend by channel
WHAT WE BUILD
What we automate
Typical automations, each scoped and quoted at a fixed price after a free review.
Ad platform data pipeline
A scheduled job pulls daily spend and conversions from Google Ads, Meta Ads and LinkedIn Ads into BigQuery or Sheets so the dashboard loads fast and stays consistent.
CRM lead matching
Leads from HubSpot or a CRM are matched to campaigns using UTM data, so the dashboard shows cost per qualified lead and closed revenue by channel.
Scheduled report emails
Looker Studio emails a PDF of the dashboard to owners or clients every Monday, with no one exporting it by hand.
Agency client templates
One master report is copied and pointed at each client's accounts automatically when a new client is onboarded.
Sheets data cleanup
Apps Script or n8n cleans and appends raw exports to a structured Google Sheet each day, so the report always reads tidy data.
Anomaly alerts
A workflow checks key metrics daily and sends a Slack or email alert when spend spikes or conversions drop below a set range.
03
Why hire a Looker Studio expert
Looker Studio is easy to start, but larger reports often become slow, break when a connector changes, or show numbers that do not match the source platform. Blending data from different sources is where most DIY reports go wrong.
A Looker Studio expert prepares data before it reaches the report. That can mean a cleaned Google Sheet, a BigQuery table, or an automated pipeline that loads ad and CRM data on a schedule. The result is a report that loads quickly and matches the numbers your platforms show.
- Calculated fields for cost per lead, ROAS, conversion rate and margin
- Data blending done correctly, or moved to BigQuery when blends get heavy
- Filters, date controls and drill-downs that viewers can use without training
- Consistent branding, layout and metric definitions across pages
- Access set up through your Google accounts, not a freelancer's
04
Working with a Looker Studio consultant: the process
We start with a free review of your sources, current reports and the questions each viewer needs answered. You then get a written scope with a fixed price.
The first dashboard typically ships in 1-2 weeks. A Looker Studio consultant engagement for multiple dashboards or an agency template with automated data pipelines is delivered in stages over 2-6 weeks, followed by a handover so your team can edit and extend it.
05
Looker Studio vs Power BI
Looker Studio suits Google Workspace companies, marketing teams and agencies. It is free, browser-based, simple to share, and has the best native links to Google's ad and analytics products.
Power BI is stronger for complex data models, finance reporting, row-level security and Microsoft 365 companies, but viewers usually need paid licenses. If you are unsure which fits, we will recommend one during the review. We build both.
06
What a Looker Studio dashboard costs
Looker Studio itself is free. Costs come from our build and, in some cases, third-party connectors for platforms Google does not connect to natively, such as Meta Ads or certain CRMs. BigQuery has usage-based pricing that is often small for business reporting.
Our price is fixed after the free review and depends on the number of sources, pages and audiences. We list any connector or data costs in the quote so you know the full running cost before we start.
TOOLS
Tools we connect
FAQ
Looker Studio Dashboards questions
Is Looker Studio the same as Google Data Studio?
Yes. Google renamed Data Studio to Looker Studio in 2022. Existing Data Studio reports moved over automatically and work the same way.
Is Looker Studio free?
The standard Looker Studio is free to build and share reports. There is a paid Looker Studio Pro tier with team management features, and some third-party connectors charge their own fees.
Can Looker Studio connect to Meta Ads or my CRM?
Not natively for most platforms outside Google. We use a partner connector or an automated pipeline that loads the data into Google Sheets or BigQuery, which the dashboard then reads.
Why is my Looker Studio dashboard so slow?
Slow reports usually come from many live connectors, heavy blends, or large Google Sheets. Moving data into BigQuery or pre-aggregated tables and reducing charts per page typically fixes it.
How long does a Looker Studio dashboard take to build?
A single dashboard from Google sources typically takes 1-2 weeks including your feedback. Multi-source dashboards or agency templates with data pipelines take 2-6 weeks and are delivered in stages.
Who owns the dashboard?
You do. The report, data sources and any pipelines are created in your Google account. We hand over editing access and documentation.
GET A FREE PROPOSAL
Tell us what you want automated
Describe the process that eats your team's week. We reply within one business day with a first take on what can be automated, which tools fit and roughly what it would cost.
- Free 30-minute automation review
- Fixed quote before any work starts
- You own every workflow, account and line of code