Google Analytics Dashboard Template for Data Studio

Do you wish that dashboards and custom reports in Google Analytics were more customizable? Perhaps you would like to use different chart types or add your company’s logo and brand colours. Perhaps you would like to have more than 12 widgets on a page or show data from different views at the same time.

Dashboards and custom reports in GA are a great place to start. But in many situations you will need greater flexibility and more options for customization. If you have ever felt limited by the customized reporting options in GA, it’s time to give Data Studio a try!

Google Data Studio has a built-in connector to Google Analytics, so accessing your data requires only a few clicks. Once you have connected to GA, Data Studio gives you a blank canvas on which you can design and build your report as you wish. You can add charts and tables, apply filters and segments, change colours, add images, and much more!

With all those options, starting off with a blank page can be a little intimidating. Where do you begin?

So, to help you get started in the right direction and to demonstrate some of what’s possible with Data Studio, we’ve created a Google Analytics starter dashboard template. This dashboard is intended to be a high-level view of your site activity and visitor behaviour, combining data from some of the most commonly-used reports in GA.

See below for the template link and instructions on how to use it.

Google Analytics Starter Dashboard

Click here to use this dashboard as a template

Using the Template in Data Studio

1. Open the dashboard template from the template link. Click the “Use Template” button at the top right of the screen.
   • Alternatively, open the dashboard in Data Studio. Click the “Make a copy of this report” button at the top right.
2. Add a Google Analytics Data Source (Create a new data source or add an existing one. If you need help with this, check the tutorial here.)
3. Click the ‘Create Report’ button.

Customizing the GA Starter Dashboard

This dashboard is designed so that you can easily connect to your data, add your organization’s logo, and apply your brand colours.

1. To replace the dummy logo at the top left:
   1. Click on the logo image.
   2. In the “Image Properties” panel to the right, click the button under “Image File” that shows the image file name.
   3. Select an image file from your computer in the window that appears.
2. To easily change the colour scheme:
   1. Click on the Theme tab in the Layout and Theme panel (If you don’t see the Layout and Theme panel, click on an empty portion of the dashboard to make sure you don’t have any items selected.)
   2. Edit the “Secondary” colour to change the blue bars across the top and bottom of the report:
   3. Edit the first box in the “Chart Palette” to change the colour of the sparklines:

As the name implies, this dashboard is intended to get you started with displaying your Google Analytics data in Data Studio. You should change or add metrics and charts as needed to match the measurement needs of your organization. Let us know how it works out for you!

If you found this post helpful, check out the other posts in our Data Studio series:
1. Tracking Your Data Studio Dashboards in Google Analytics
2. How to Share a Data Studio Report
3. Calculating Goal Flow Conversion Rate in Data Studio
4. Adding Images to Your Tables in Data Studio
5. Embedding Links in Data Studio
6. Simple Visualizations in Data Studio
7. Custom Channel Groupings in Data Studio
8. Calculating Percent of Total in Data Studio
9. Tips for Using RegEx in Data Studio
10. Data Studio Connectors from a Galaxy Far, Far Away
11. Audit Your Google Analytics Implementation with Data Studio

Looking to deepen your Data Studio knowledge? Check out our in-class Data Studio course to learn more about dashboard creation, data sources, community connectors and more!