Make Sense of Your Website Data
Understanding GA4 and Looker Studio — A Friendly Guide for UK Small Businesses
If you feel lost at sea when people mention GA4 (Google Analytics 4) or Looker Studio, you’re not alone. Even big brands are struggling to make sense of Google’s latest tools.
But as a small business or charity, you don’t need every feature. You just need the few bits that help you understand how your website’s performing, and what to improve.
Here’s a guide to using GA4 and Looker Studio simply and sensibly.
What is GA4 (and should you care?)
GA4 is Google’s updated website tracker. It shows you:
✔️ How many people visit your site.
✔️ Where they come from (Google? Instagram? Email?)
✔️ What pages they read.
✔️ How long they stay — and when they leave.
Even checking this monthly helps you see what’s working.
Why Looker Studio Helps You See the Big Picture
Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) turns your data into colourful, easy-to-read dashboards. No scary spreadsheets — just clear charts showing:
✔️ Website traffic trends.
✔️ Your top pages.
✔️ What sources (search, social, referrals) bring visitors.
You can see everything at a glance — perfect for busy small business owners or trustees. Especially loved by those of us who love data, and seeing changes happening in real time.
3 Simple Tips to Get Started
1. Set Up Key Events in GA4
Track what matters: donations, shop purchases, contact form submissions — not just ‘page views’.
2. Build (or ask for) a Simple Looker Studio Report
Just the basics: visitors, top pages, bounce rate. You don’t need every possible metric.
3. Check Your Dashboard Monthly
What’s going up? What’s flat? What pages are ignored? These regular checks help you improve your site steadily.
Remember: You don’t need to understand every metric
Focus on what matters: visitors, where they came from, what they did. Forget the rest — or let someone else (like me!) handle the detail.
👉 Let’s make it easy and clear — book a quick call.
Impact Strategy Hub | digital marketing for non profits 
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