Another Monday, another chance to see which Google product team actually did their homework.
Spoiler: The Looker Studio team are the overachievers this week, shipping four updates that will actually make your life easier and your reports look sharper. Let’s dive in and separate the game-changers from the benchwarmers.
Google Looker Studio
Looker Studio is clearly the favorite child this week, rolling out some seriously useful features.
- The Looker connector’s calculation capabilities are now Generally Available. Heads up: get familiar with the limits to avoid building dashboards that load like it’s 1999.
- You can now apply conditional formatting to query result chips. Finally, a simple way to make key numbers pop with color.
- Waterfall charts now have improved data label controls for cleaner, more professional visuals. No more overlapping text making your data look like a mess. Learn how to tame them.
- Pull custom columns and dimensions directly from the new Search Ads 360. This one is a big deal for paid media folks.
Why This Looker Studio Update Matters:
- For Agency Owners & Directors: The SA360 integration is your new best friend. You can now build client dashboards that perfectly mirror the custom columns in your SA360 reports. This means less time explaining metrics and more time showing direct ROI. Use the new chart controls to tell a data story so compelling, your clients will be asking you where to sign.
- For Marketers & Analysts: Stop wasting time with manual data blending. Pulling SA360 custom columns directly into Looker Studio eliminates clunky spreadsheet workarounds and reduces errors. Use the conditional formatting on query chips to create at-a-glance health monitors for your campaigns, so you can spot trouble before your boss does.
Link to Their Documentation: Looker Studio Release Notes
Tools That Hit the Snooze Button 😴
Some teams were clearly enjoying their summer Fridays a little too much.
- Google Tag Manager: No new updates. Your container is safe… for now. Go optimize some triggers or finally clean up that workspace while you wait.
- Google Analytics: All quiet on the GA front. They’re either cooking up something huge or just figuring out what to deprecate next. Use the peace and quiet to audit your GA4 events.