Upon first sight, Google Data Studio seems to be trampling on Google Analytics’ territory thus, the comparison arises, “Google Data Studio Vs. Google Analytics.” After all, practically all website data gathered by Google Analytics is also accessible via Google Data Studio. However, each product has unique features appealing in distinct use situations. Let’s start at the most general level before digging into scenarios when you would employ one or the other. Google Analytics’ principal job is to serve as data analysis and monitoring tool, allowing users to add tracking cookies to websites, track activities, create objectives, and do quick analyses.
Google Data Studio offers access to many of the same statistical sources as Google Analytics. Still, it can also provide site traffic with additional data elements from marketing networks throughout your digital representation, such as search, social and more. It’s best to display information that you’ll want to revisit again and again. It also allows you to share information with people you manage or who are less technically savvy and don’t have resources to devote to Google Analytics.
When comparing two of the main powerhouses of data analytics – Google data studio and Google Analytics, we need to understand the primary uses of both these software. Without further ado, let us jump into some of the uses of both GDS and GA.
Comparison of Google Data Studio Vs. Google Analytics, concerning its uses
Google Data Studio:
- Conveying a chronological narrative: The potential to indicate data in a graphically appealing manner, bringing it to life with colors, graphs, and pictures that highlight the most relevant facts for your viewers, is Google Data Studio’s most convincing use case. Google Data Studio does more than simply provide a good-looking representation; it also assists you in crafting a narrative. You may route users to meaningful data elements by building many panels or even an upper to the bottom layout. Google Analytics offers its own display features. However, its aesthetic customization and versatility are restricted.
- Direct upload and transfer: While Google Data Studio is beneficial for your personal data analytics, it is most important when preparing a presentation for someone else. This may be a supervisor or executive who requires high-level information or a marketing partner who requires a performance analysis. Google Data Studio includes a lot of sharable features, but Google Data Studio demands a profile to view content. You may share a website and restrict access to specific email addresses or users, just as you can with any other Google service, such as Slides, Docs, or Sheets, and designate their functions such as commentator, viewer, or editor. Other Google Data Studio exporting options comprise generating a PDF analysis automatically or embedding insights in an iframe.
- Compelling data networks: Apart from presenting and interpreting, Google Data Studio becomes much more valuable when metrics when talking about Google Data Studio Vs. Google Analytics. You can link additional Google Suite information, such as Google Ads and Search console, just like you can with Google Analytics. Google Data Studio extends this functionality by allowing you to import CRM information, social networks, ad systems, and other digital campaign technologies and reports. Google Data Studio evolves from a Google Analytics visualization tool to a warehouse for all your analytics. Data may be aggregated, mixed, and altered once associated with highlighting patterns and data points formerly inaccessible in siloed applications.
Google Analytics:
- Gathering rare/specialized data: Google Analytics allows you to investigate site behavior and locate specific data points. For instance, do you need to identify the various acquisition sources for a given homepage, or are you attempting to comprehend the behavior of distinct user divisions? Google Analytics can take you there in a flash. Similarly, if you just need to access the information once and do not need to resort to it regularly, Google Analytics is the preferable option. Furthermore, the Google Analytics search tool allows you to quickly discover data, whereas Google Data Studio needs you to construct the analysis before you can begin exploring or analyzing.
- Precise RTD (Real-time-data): Real-time analytics is a significant feature of Google Analytics that Google Data Studio does not provide. Real-time data shows how many users are now on your website and specifics like geolocation, device usage, specific webpages, and acquisition methods. This data is helpful for tracking instant marketing approaches, such as determining if a social update or promotion had an instant impact. It’s also a functional testing tool, allowing you to confirm target completions or ensure tracking works on certain pages.
- Enhanced attributes and goals: Google Analytics have a slew of capabilities for segmenting information as it hits your analytics dashboard. The most prominent are objectives, which are actions taken on your website that you’ve expressly authorized Google to monitor, such as viewing a specific page. There’s also an entire area of e-commerce objectives, such as investing a particular amount. By defining these objectives, you have access to additional data such as goal funnels or routes, which allow you to identify where users originated from and where they fell off during the route. Multi-channel attribution is yet another new data element that tracks several touchpoints all along with advertisement activity. Google Data Studio, on the other hand, can only examine data after it has been acquired and is currently restricted in the quantity of goal-related information it can provide.
Benefits of using Google Analytics
As far as the comparison of Google Data Studio Vs. Google Analytics goes, it is exceptionally essential to view the significant benefits of each of these platforms. Hence, some of the benefits of using Google Analytics are as follows:
- Detailed Web-traffic analytics: Google Analytics allows you to monitor how many visitors accessed your website but then left, indicating that they did not find what it was they were searching for. This software will highlight which sites have a significant bounce rate and which outperform anticipations. This provides you the chance to tweak a few things — mobile usability, layout, content quality, and applicability – to increase conversions and gain repeat business.
- The geographical location lead: Geographical location is exceptionally significant in marketing, and Google Analytics presents you with this knowledge. Knowing where your users are located allows you to create targeted marketing initiatives and establish targets for that region. Therefore, you’ll be able to see if there’s room for expansion in specific locations.
- Reveal SEO rankings: You will already be familiar with SEO fundamentals and how to utilize keywords to improve your search engine standings. However, you can always move up — from page 2 to page 1, for example. If you’ve found that a specific term is driving a lot of attention to your blog, use additional SEO factors to obtain page one.
- Defying the goals: Many folks with a Google Analytics account do not have objectives set up. This is primarily because they believe it will not benefit their goal and is simply another perk. Although it is sometimes ignored, it is a highly valuable tool that might really enhance your Google Analytics experience and, as a result, your organization.
Benefits of using Google Data Studio
Previously, when talking about the comparison of Google Data Studio Vs. Google Analytics, we had discussed the benefits of using Google Analytics. Now, let us talk about some of the benefits of using Google Data Studio.
- Interactive reports with Real-time management: Google Data Studio gathers real-time information from Google ADS, Youtube, and Google Analytics to build dynamic, reactive dashboards. This implies you can construct your analysis and email it to your desired users. They may change the range of data and even apply filters to acquire the real-time (or historical) information and analytics they want.
- Multiple data collection sources: Google Data Studio can gather information from Google ADS, Youtube, Google Analytics by default. For instance, with our simple and easy-to-use Google Ads Dashboard you can easily monitor your ad performance. You may also utilize “connectors” to retrieve data from third-party networks like as Bing, Facebook, and MailChimp, to mention a few. You can quickly develop an analysis that merges dozens of various sources to assist you in acquiring valuable insights about your cross-channel advertising initiatives with just a little bit of labor.
- Blending the analysis: The new Data Blending Tool is a recent Google Data Studio release! It was one of the most often desired improvements within the Google Data Studio users, and it dramatically boosted Data Studio’s capability. Data Blending is the power in Data Studio to ‘fuse’ or ‘merge’ several sources of data into a unified graph or chart. For example, you may have different Google Analytics perspectives for your business, such as Mobile and Desktop Only options. Instead of having distinct visualizations in the same analysis, Data Blending enables you to view that data integrated into a single chart so you can simply absorb both data sources.
- Impressive customizability: Data Studio allows you to design completely customizable dashboards. You may begin with a fresh template or even a pre-programmed design; either way, you can simply drag and drop panels, graphs, and information to build a completely unique presentation. You may also customize the shades, styles, and layout to match your company’s brand.
Conclusion
Now that we have entirely discussed all the comparable features in this “Google Data Studio Vs. Google Analytics” guide, it goes without saying that both these softwares serve a different purpose altogether. In summary, each platform serves a distinct role and complements the other. Google Analytics is ideal for monitoring and evaluating performance. In contrast, Data Studio is great for visually displaying all your web data in one place and sharing those visualizations with others. Expect future product launches for both services that capitalize on their respective advantages!
