Looker Studio Connectors: Your Go-To for SEO Integrations

Looker Studio has earned its place among the best reporting tools for SEO. It’s the most widely-compatible data visualization and SEO reporting tool. It works with almost any marketing tool and is great for SEO pros, agency managers, and digital marketers. It’s a more easy and effective tool for presenting complex data points to your clients because you don’t have to switch between tons of tools and tabs. 

With its over 1000 Looker Studio connectors, including Google products and third-party marketing tools, you can get data on rankings, traffic, backlinks, sales, and other marketing metrics.

Let’s introduce our list of top Looker Studio integrations, zero in on the best ones for core SEO tasks, and then explain how to use them.

What are connectors in Looker Studio

Connectors in Looker Studio are for interlinking different data sources from within one Looker Studio environment. When you use a connector, it adds a data source in Looker Studio. For example, you can pull the search performance data of your client’s website from Google Search Console, then use SE Ranking to pull data on its technical health. After that, you can blend them to create comprehensive, centralized reports that showcase the most important metrics. See our dashboard example later in this article.

Looker Studio connectors list

Connectors are specific to the different types of data you want to visualize. There are currently 21 Looker Studio connectors offered directly by Google, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, etc. 

See all of them in the table below.

Google-owned Looker Studio Connectors

There are also 1017 third-party or partner connectors, including SEO automation tools like SE Ranking, Semrush, Ahrefs, etc. Also note that the list of partner connectors is constantly growing.

We will highlight 12 of them in the table below.

Partner connectors

Note the Data provided column gives you a general overview of the type of data typically available through each connector. The exact data points may vary based on specific configurations, permissions, etc. 

Looker Studio also lets you create your own Community Connectors using Google Apps Script. These custom connectors can work with any internet-accessible data source, from social media platforms to private company databases. You can build, test, and deploy your connector, then share it directly with colleagues or even submit it to the Looker Studio Connector Gallery for everyone to use. 

Also note that Google-owned connectors are easy to use but may have limited data coverage, granularity, and quotas. This can be tricky for larger businesses or ones that need more specific insights.

To close these gaps, third-party tool connectors like SE Ranking offer specialized data that can be blended with primary source data for more detailed insights. For instance, SE Ranking’s keyword position data is more accurate compared to GSC’s. Additionally, SE Ranking provides metrics not offered by GSC, such as search visibility, which enhances SEO analysis depth.

4 Looker Studio connectors for core SEO tasks

We define the following Looker Studio connectors as the primary sources of material for you to paint a clear picture of your SEO efforts with, specifically as they relate to your core SEO tasks. Each of these connectors brings crucial insights to the table. Let’s explain how and why in more detail.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a must-use free tool from Google that helps you track your website’s presence in Google. This integration helps you visualize and analyze your site’s appearance and performance in Google search, making it easier for you to track SEO progress and identify areas for improvement.

Data provided: 

In the example below, you can see SE Ranking’s Core SEO performance monitoring dashboard. This visualization uses data from Google Search Console to provide a real-time view of your website’s SEO performance in search results, while incorporating SE Ranking data to offer a comprehensive position overview.

Also read: How to connect to Search Console

Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) helps businesses get data from websites and apps to better understand their audience, track conversions, and optimize their online presence. The Google Analytics connector offers a deeper understanding of a website’s performance and key website metrics. This data helps you connect the dots between your SEO efforts and real user behavior. 

Data provided:

In the example below, you can see how GA4 e-commerce data from Google Analytics typically appears in Looker studio dashboards. This template combines Google Analytics 4 e-commerce data with SE Ranking’s data. It provides a comprehensive view of the online store’s performance, including key metrics like revenue, active users, search visibility and rankings, and more.

Also read: How to connect to Google Analytics 4

SE Ranking

SE Ranking is a powerful SEO toolkit that is frequently cited as one of the top SEO tools for agencies and in-house teams, based on a wide variety of criteria. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of SEO tools, including SEO Rank Tracker and AIO Tracker, in-depth Website Audit, Keyword and Competitor Research tools, a Backlink Checker, a dedicated Agency Pack, and more.  

The SE Ranking Looker Studio connector brings in detailed data about your keyword rankings, competitor performance, backlink profile, and website SEO health to promote more in-depth SEO analysis and strategy planning.

Data provided:

SE Ranking Looker Studio connector is available for Pro and higher pricing plans. The Pro plan starts at $119 per month.

The example below shows how the Competitors Looker Studio template looks. The tool’s dashboard uses data from SE Ranking’s My Competitors feature. This helps SEO professionals quickly compare their site’s performance with their competitors’, identify market leaders, and spot opportunities for improvement.  

Also read: How to connect to SE Ranking 

Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a free, web-based spreadsheet application and part of the Google Docs Editors suite. The Looker Studio Google Sheets connector allows you to visualize and analyze data stored in Google Sheets spreadsheets. This tool is useful for SEO professionals and digital marketers with custom datasets who want to blend each set with data from Google or third-party tools. For example, you can use Google Sheets to store custom data about your site’s URLs, including priority levels and recent page updates. You can then combine this information with click data from GSC.

Data provided:

See in the example below how your custom marketing data (in our case blog performance data) from Google Sheets can appear from within Looker Studio.

Also read: How to connect to Google Sheets

How to use Looker Studio connectors

In SEO reporting, once you’ve decided on the key data points to report on for your clients, it’s time to set up your Looker Studio reports and dashboards. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

1. Log into your Google account and go to Looker Studio.

2. Click Create. You can either connect a new data source or create a new report to visualize your existing data.

3. The tool will redirect you to the connectors gallery. You can either add the data you have already connected under My data sources or add it from scratch under Connect to data. Select the connector for the data you want to use (e.g., Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Sheets, SE Ranking, etc.).

4. Follow the prompts to give Looker Studio access to your data. You may need to log in to your account for the specific data source.

5. The next steps in configuration may vary based on the chosen connector. See the resources we’ve added for four of them in the previous section. 

Either way, once you’ve configured your data sources and selected relevant metrics and dimensions, you can start building your reports from scratch or choose any Looker Studio SEO template of your choice. 

6. Make sure to configure your Looker Studio connectors by:

• Changing connectors name: Click on the Data sources, then three dots and select Rename to modify the name field.

• Setting appropriate date ranges: To add a flexible date range control, go to the Insert tab on the top panel, select Date range control, and place it on your report.

• Applying essential data filters: Go to the Insert tab, select Advanced filter, and set the comparison operator and value. This will allow anyone from your team who is using this dashboard to filter data when needed.

• Scheduling regular data refreshes: The auto refresh feature is available to Looker Studio Pro users. In the Resource menu, click Manage auto refresh settings, enable Automatically refresh report data, select your desired refresh interval (ranging from every 5 minutes to once a day), and click Save.
• Managing access permissions: Use the Share button to control who can view or edit your reports and data sources. Read more info about roles and permissions.

• Creating custom formulas: Click Add a field, select Add calculated field, enter a unique name, input your formula using available fields and functions, then click Save or Update.

Now, let’s say you’ve created your first dashboard or report using data from some of the Looker Studio connectors. The next task is to report on your data points to clients or colleagues. For this, there’s a data storytelling technique you should know about and learn, as it helps you communicate complex SEO insights and metrics more clearly and drives action.

Conclusion 

Looker Studio integrations offer a wealth of data to create custom dashboards, visualize advanced SEO and marketing data, and produce tailored client reports. It’s easy to use, and you can quickly customize reports on the fly, which is always a win when you’re juggling multiple clients or campaigns.

With data from the SE Ranking connector, you get the breadth and depth required to drive successful SEO campaigns and track their progress over time. Let’s wrap up here and recommend starting your free 14-day trial to discover the benefits it can bring to your SEO efforts.

Written by

Anna Postol

Anna Postol is a content marketer at SE Ranking, where she finds joy in creating content for SEO, digital marketing, and social media. Her focus is on writing accurate, easy-to-digest, informative pieces that turn complex topics into engaging narratives that resonate with readers. Outside of work, she enjoys stretching exercises, workouts, planning her next travel adventure, and spending time with her beloved cat-daughter.