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Website Analytics Report with GA4 & Looker Studio

Check Hostname in GA4

This double-checks that all the data is coming from the website and not a stage.web.wsu.edu or local instance.

This video contains no sound and follows the following instructions.
A screen shot of the All accounts list in Google Analytics, Washington State University | Web Team and WSU Google Analytics.
Make sure to select the Account and Property from the Washington State University | Web Team account. This is where GA4 accounts are housed.

Hostname in GA4

  1. On the Home report page, find the Views by Page title and screen class link in the bottom corner of the panel.
  2. On this Reports page, in the table, select the plus (+) sign next to the Page title and screen class title.
  3. In the Search field, search for Hostname.
  4. Look through the views and see if there is anything other than the Properties Hostname.
  5. Just as a precaution, write down the Hostname to use in the Looker Studio Report.

Looker Studio

Looker Studio Report Template

This report template contains the following pages:

  • Audience at a Glance
  • Views
  • Views & Referral Channel
  • Activity by device
  • Top Views by Region
  • Email Campaign
  • Terminology

Following these steps to create an analytics report with GA4 and Looker Studio.

Video

This video contains no sound and follows the following instructions.

Copying Report and Connecting GA4

Video reference: From the beginning to 1:31.

  1. Select the Looker Studio Report Template button to open the report in Looker Studio.
  2. Select the 3 dots in the upper right corner and select Make a copy.
    • First time in Looker Studio?
      You’ll get a pop-up screen to add your country and company information.
    • The next screen will be a couple of fields to select yes or no. Then select Continue.
    • Select Make a Copy again.
  3. Select the dropdown list for New Data Source in the Copy this report screen. Then select Create data source.
  4. Select Google Analytics.
    • First time connecting GA4 to Looker Studio?
      Select Authorize. You’ll need to log into GA4 with your account.
  5. Select the GA4 Account, then Property.
    Make sure to select the Account and property from the Washington State University | Web Team account. This is where GA4 accounts are housed.
  6. Finish connecting the Google Analytics property by selecting Connect. Then Add to Report.
  7. In the new pop-up screen, select Copy This Report. The selected property may not show in the dropdown list.
A screen shot of the All accounts list in Google Analytics, Washington State University | Web Team and WSU Google Analytics.
In Step 5, make sure to select the Account and Property from the Washington State University | Web Team account. This is where GA4 accounts are housed.
A screen capture of the looker report with No Data displayed.
After Step 7 the report will not have any data displayed. Customize Step 3: updates the filter for the Hostname or delete the filter for Hostname.

Customize Report

Video reference: From 1:31 to 3:19.

  1. Select File, then Report Settings.
  2. In the Report Settings panel confirm the Data source displays the property.
  3. Scroll down to Filter. Select the pencil for the Report Filter. Replace pullman.wsu.edu with the property’s hostname found in GA4. Update the Filter Name as well.
    • You can remove the Hostname Filter if you don’t need it. But it won’t hurt to have it there as long as the hostname used is the one used in the property.
  4. Close the Reports Settings panel.
  5. Select Resources, then Manage Blends. (These Blends compile two pieces of data into one and are used for the New vs Returning Users pie charts on Page 1 and Page 6. More information about Blends.) You might need to open Manage Blend again after updating one of the blends.
  6. For GA4 new vs returning users
    • On the Blends page select Edit for GA4 new vs returning users.
    • On the Blend Data make sure Table 1 and Table 2 have the data source selected. Some of the Dimensions and Metrics are custom equations (Fx).
    • Select Close.
  7. For Campaign: GA4 new vs returning users
    • On the Blends page select Edit for Campaign: GA4 new vs returning users.
    • On the Blend Data make sure Table 1 and Table 2 have the property selected. Some of the Dimensions and Metrics are custom equations (Fx).
    • Scroll down to Filters. Make sure the Session Campaign: Exludes Filters are used.
    • Select Close.

Page 5 Top Views by Region: Washington Map

Sometimes the Washington map on Page 5 doesn’t copy over the dimensions or metrics.

This is the setup for the Washington Map Chart.

  • Geo dimension: City
  • Metric: Views in Washington State
  • Zoom area: Washington
  • Filters: Geo Chart Filter:
    • City: Exclude: (not set)
    • Region: Include: Washington
    • Country: Include: United States
A screenshot of the washington regional map showing the Geo dimension, metric, zoom area, and filters.

Final Updates to the Report

  1. Update the Report name. Copy of Copy this Template Report OG is a pretty ridiculous name.
  2. Update the Site Title. Updating the Site Title on one page will update it on all pages. The Site Title is a report-level item.

Other Pages in the Report

Page 7: Terminology

The terminology contains some definitions used within the report

Page 8: Style

These are just some handy notes for consistent formatting in the report.

In addition, the Theme and Layout uses WSU brand colors and should be readily available with editing a Chart’s Style.

Page 9: Gridlines

Use these gridlines to help with the alignment of charts in the report. Select the gridlines and right-click for the secondary menu to appear. Select Make report-level. Reverse the procedure (Make page-level) to remove them from the rest of the pages.

More Information on Looker Studio