Integrating GA4 with Google Data Studio for Visual Analytics

To integrate Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with Google Data Studio (now known as Looker Studio) for visual analytics, you need to connect your GA4 property as a data source in Data Studio. This allows you to create customized, interactive reports and dashboards using your GA4 data.

Steps to connect GA4 with Google Data Studio:

1. Open Google Data Studio and create a new report or open an existing one.

2. Click on the "Add Data" button in the toolbar.

3. In the connectors panel, search for and select "Google Analytics".

4. Choose your GA4 property from the list of available properties (GA4 properties are identified by IDs starting with "GA4").

5. Click "Connect" to link the GA4 data source to your report.

6. Once connected, you can select dimensions and metrics from GA4, such as user activity, page paths, events, and custom dimensions, to build tables, charts, and other visualizations.

7. Customize your report by adding charts (e.g., tables, bar charts), applying filters, and formatting to suit your analysis needs.

For example, you can create a table showing "Top Pages by Unique Visitors" by dragging the "Page path" dimension and the "Active users" metric into a table chart.

Additional notes:

• GA4 does not have separate reporting views like Universal Analytics, so you connect directly to the GA4 property.

• You can also use third-party tools like Hevo Data to extract and load GA4 data into other destinations before connecting to Data Studio, which can be helpful for complex data pipelines.

• Ensure your GA4 property is properly set up and collecting data before connecting it to Data Studio for meaningful reports.

This integration enables powerful, customizable visual analytics for your website or app data tracked via GA4.