Creating a Data Studio Dashboard for Website Performance Analysis

Adding Data Sources

To get started, navigate to the Data Sources section of Data Studio from the left-hand menu and create a new data source by selecting the Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 options and authenticating with your credentials to grant Data Studio access. You must have admin access to both assets with the Gmail account you put in to connect to them.

Google Search Console provides search performance data, such as clicks, impressions, and average position, while Google Analytics 4 provides website traffic data, such as pageviews and time on page.

To select the appropriate data source for each chart, you'll need to select the data source in the "Data" tab of the chart editor. Here are the detailed instructions for finding the metrics and dimensions for each data source:

Google Search Console

To find the metrics and dimensions for Google Search Console, follow these steps:

• Select the "Data Source" in the left-hand menu and choose "Google Search Console"
• Click "Create Report" to create a new report
• Select the "Query" and "Page" dimensions from the "Dimension" menu
• Select the "Clicks", "Impressions", "CTR", and "Average Position" metrics from the "Metric" menu
• Google Analytics 4

To find the metrics and dimensions for Google Analytics 4, follow these steps:

• Select the "Data Source" in the left-hand menu and choose "Google Analytics 4"
• Click "Create Report" to create a new report
• Select the "Page Path" dimension from the "Dimension" menu
• Select the "Pageviews", "Unique Pageviews", and "Time on Page" metrics from the "Metric" menu

Selecting Metrics and Dimensions

Select the following metrics and dimensions for each data source:

Google Search Console

• Metric: Average Position, Clicks, Impressions, CTR
• Dimension: Query, Page, Date

Google Analytics 4

• Metric: Pageviews, Unique Pageviews, Time on Page
• Dimension: Page Path, Date

Building the Dashboard

Here are the steps to build a dashboard that focuses on ranking tracking, SERP position, traffic over time, CTR, Impressions, and time on page:

1. Time Series Chart

Add a "Time Series Chart" to track your website's performance over time and identify trends. Select "Date" as the X-Axis Dimension and "Clicks" as the Y-Axis Metric. Add additional metrics like "Impressions" or "CTR" to the chart by clicking the "Add a metric" button.

2. Table

Add a "Table" to see which pages on your website are performing well and which ones need improvement. Select "Page" as the Dimension and "Clicks", "Impressions", "CTR", and "Average Position" as the Metrics.

3. Bar Chart

Add a "Bar Chart" to see which search queries are driving the most traffic to your website. Select "Query" as the X-Axis Dimension and "Clicks" as the Y-Axis Metric.

4. Scorecard

Add a "Scorecard" to track the overall traffic to your website and identify which pages are the most popular. Select "Pageviews" as the Metric and "Page Path" as the Dimension.

Predicting and Projecting Performance

To predict and project which articles/posts need to be improved on to get a better position and traffic, add the following charts and controls to your dashboard:

1. Top Conversion Paths Chart

Add a "Top Conversion Paths" chart to identify which pages on your website are most effective at converting visitors. Use this information to make strategic optimizations to drive even more traffic and conversions.

1.b What determines the conversion?

The specific metrics that determine a conversion will depend on how you define a conversion for your website. A conversion could be any action that you consider valuable, such as filling out a contact form, making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or clicking on an affiliate link.

In terms of tracking conversions using Google Analytics 4, you can set up specific goals or events to track in order to identify when a conversion has occurred. For example, you can set up a goal to track when a user completes a purchase or fills out a contact form.

In terms of determining which pages are most effective at converting visitors, you can look at a variety of metrics, such as the number of conversions per page, the conversion rate for each page, the average time on page for users who complete a conversion, and the number of users who navigate from a specific page to a conversion page. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify which pages are most effective at driving conversions and make strategic optimizations to improve your conversion rates and drive more traffic to your website.

2. Landing Pages Table

Add a "Landing Pages" table to identify which pages visitors land on when they first come to your website. Use this information to make strategic optimizations to draw in more visitors.

3. Search Queries Control

Add a "Search Queries" control to filter the data in your other charts by specific search queries. Use this information to understand how different search queries are affecting your website's performance and identify which ones are worth targeting in your content optimization efforts.

4. Average Position Chart

Add an "Average Position" chart to track the average position of your website in search results over time. Use this information to identify trends and patterns in your website's search performance and make strategic optimizations to improve your ranking and visibility in search results.

5. Bounce Rate Chart

Add a "Bounce Rate" chart to track the bounce rate of your website over time. Use this information to identify which pages on your website are causing visitors to leave quickly and make strategic optimizations to improve engagement and keep visitors on your site longer.

By incorporating these additional charts and controls into your dashboard, you'll be able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of your website's search performance and make more informed decisions about which articles/posts to prioritize in your optimization efforts. You can also use these insights to make data-driven predictions and projections about how changes to your content and website structure will impact your search performance in the future.

Formatting the Dashboard

Now that you have added all the necessary charts and controls to your dashboard, it's time to format and customize it to make it easy to read and understand. Here are a few formatting tips to keep in mind:

• Use colors and fonts that are consistent with your brand
• Arrange your charts in a logical order that tells a story
• Use appropriate chart types for each data set
• Label your charts and controls clearly
• Use white space to make your dashboard easy on the eyes
• Add a title to your dashboard that reflects its purpose

Conclusion

Creating a Data Studio dashboard for website performance analysis is a great way to gain insight into your website's search performance and make data-driven decisions about how to optimize your content and website structure. By following these steps and best practices, you'll be well on your way to building a dashboard that is both informative and visually appealing.