Wouldn’t it be great to know if people are opening and interacting with your reports? This way, you won’t have to guess if your analysis is reaching the end user, and if it isn’t, you can take action to ensure it does.
With Google Analytics 4, we can add tracking to Looker Studio and know not only if the report is opened but also which pages our users are visiting.
1. Creating an Account in Google Analytics 4
The first step is to have an account set up in Google Analytics 4. If you don’t have one, the process for creating it is quite straightforward. You need to go to https://analytics.google.com/ and follow these steps:
Create Account

The only required field here is the account name. You can call it “My Websites” if you plan to use it for various sites.
Create Property

Again, the only required field is the name of the property. Each account can have up to 2000 properties. To keep this process as simple as possible, and since this book isn’t about Google Analytics 4, I recommend creating a property specifically for Looker Studio.
Business Details

This step and the next exist because Google wants data about your business. They are not relevant for tracking your reports, but both the industry and the size of your company are required fields.
Business Goals

Here, I recommend selecting Examine user behaviour. After all, what we want is to understand how users interact with our reports.
Terms of Service

At this point, you will need to accept the terms of service for Google Analytics 4.
Data Collection

Once you accept the terms of service in the previous step, the account and property will be created. In the Data Collection section, choose Web to go to the configuration screen for your Data Stream, which will provide you with the code you need to insert into your Looker Studio report.
Set Up Data Stream
In the URL field, enter lookestudio.com, and in the Stream Name field, enter Looker Studio, then click Create Stream.

Since we made up the URL, the instructions for installing the Google Analytics 4 code will be manual. The only part you need to use in Looker Studio is the identifier that starts with “G-.” Copy it and open your report in Looker Studio.

2. How to Add GA4 Tracking to Your Looker Studio Report
Let’s see where you need to add your tracking ID in Looker Studio to start seeing data in Google Analytics.
Once the report is open, go to File and select Report Settings.
In the configuration column that appears on the right of the canvas, there is an option called Google Analytics Measurement IDs. Paste your identifier that starts with “G-” there.

That’s all you need to do to start collecting data on your Looker Studio reports in Google Analytics!
3. Viewing Your Looker Studio Report Data in Google Analytics
Google Analytics may take up to 24 hours to start showing data, although it shouldn’t take that long.
You can navigate through the various reports offered by the tool using the left menu, but if you want to see a summary of how many users you’ve had, where they come from, and which pages they visit most, you can do so by selecting Reports → Reports Snapshot. At the top of that page, you can modify the dates.
Aside from knowing how many users are entering your reports, understanding which pages they visit most indicates what content is of greatest interest to them. This is incredibly important for comprehending which information they consider most relevant.
If you want to see real-time visits, you can do so below the Reports Snapshot, under Real Time.
Google Analytics is a comprehensive tool with many more options than we’ve covered here, but for our purposes, this is the most important information.
Leave me a comment if you have any questions! 🙂