Our mission is to help all businesses grow, but we get especially excited when we see technology that can help small businesses take full advantage of the information age. Google’s Data Studio has the potential to transform how small and medium-sized businesses use data.
Google Data Studio (currently only available in the US) is one of the simplest data visualization tools we have seen, and even though it’s in ‘beta’ it is rich in features and straightforward to use. With Data Studio, Google is giving everyone a chance to turn complex data into reports that are easy to understand and will help business leaders make better decisions.
So what are the five reasons why we love Google Data Studio?
1. Interactive (Live) Reports
Having a wide array of graphs and charts is excellent, but the fact that all reports are interactive and updated in real time is what makes Google Data Studio a standout product. For example, your Google Analytics data will automatically be updated. Therefore your custom reports and dashboard will also be updated. Also, all reports are interactive, so you don’t need to send your manager multiple reports, because date ranges, values, and data sources can all be easily updated.
2. Data Connections
Being a Google product, Data Studio will easily connect to most other Google services (AdWords, Analytics, Sheets, Attribution 360, etc.), so it’s easy to import existing data into Data Studio. However, equally as important is the fact that you can import your own data, since many marketing teams and decision makers need multiple sources of data to create actionable reports.
3. Simple (drag and drop) Interface
If you’ve used Google G suite (Docs, Sheets, Forms, etc.) then you will feel right at home with Google Data Studio interface. You do not need to be technical, and if there is a learning curve, it will be minimal.
4. Collaboration
As is the case with most Google products, sharing is a breeze. You and your colleagues can easily share and modify reports, and as you would expect, grant individuals or groups different levels of access. You no longer need to export PDFs, Sheets or take screenshots; all reports and dashboards are easy to share and update to meet your specific needs.
5. Templates (dashboard and reports)
There are a number of templates you can use, so just connect your data, and the report will be automatically created for you. Feeling adventurous? You have all the tools you need to create custom reports from scratch.
In summary, try not to think of Data Studio as a replacement for Analytics or any other reporting tool, but as a master dashboard with multiple data sources feeding you real-time information. Having all this information in one place has the potential to be a game changer for many businesses, especially for small to medium sized organizations with limited resources. With Google Data Studio, you no longer have an excuse not to process and visualize data.
Other Google Data Studio resources:
