The 12 Best Looker Studio Connectors for Data-Driven Success

In today’s digital era, businesses increasingly need to leverage data analysis to outpace competition. One solution that really shines in this area is Looker Studio, formerly Google Data Studio. This is a visualization tool that enables businesses to turn raw data into insight that can drive decision-making.

However, to unlock the full potential of Looker Studio, it is essential to have the appropriate connectors. These connectors allow you to pull data from diverse sources and integrate it seamlessly within Looker Studio. In this post, we will explore the 12 most impactful Looker Studio connectors you need to know about.

What are Looker Studio connectors?

Looker Studio connectors are digital interfaces to connect LS with various data sources. These range from marketing apps like Google Ads to cloud-based platforms that store and manage data like BigQuery.

The primary function of a Looker Studio connector is to facilitate the extraction, transformation, and loading of data. By doing so, they enable users to access, integrate, and analyze all their data in one place, regardless of where the data originally resides.

Once the data is imported into Looker Studio, you can transform it into a more usable format. Then, it’s ready to be analyzed to derive valuable business insight. For example, a business might use different Looker Studio connectors to pull:

• Sales data from an e-commerce platform.
• Marketing data from a social media platform.
• Customer data from a CRM system.

This consolidated view of data empowers businesses to make more informed decisions since they have a more comprehensive understanding of their operations.

Moreover, by using connectors, businesses can automate data imports. This reduces manual effort and minimizes the risk of errors. Connectors also ensure that the imported data is up-to-date. So, businesses are provided with real-time insight into their operations.

Types of Looker Studio Connectors

Google Looker Studio offers three distinct types of connectors: free, partner/paid, and open-source.

There are 20+ free connectors that sync with Google apps such as Google Analytics, BigQuery, and so on. They are built and managed by the Looker Studio team. This option is good for Looker Studio beginners, but it’s limited to scalability and feature package.

There are also 800+ partner connectors built by Looker Studio partners that are paid and provide access to an even broader range of data sources. Examples include Coupler.io, Semrush Analytics, Supermetrics, and many others.

Looker Studio also offers open-source data connectors built by the Looker Studio community. Users can create custom connectors to any data source using the LS API. This open-source project was designed to facilitate data integration from various sources.

Best Looker Studio connectors

We have selected the best 12 Looker Studio connectors you can use for data visualization. The list includes partner connectors developed by trusted providers like Coupler.io and Semrush.

Connector #1: Google Analytics 4 by Coupler.io

GA4 connector by Coupler.io facilitates data integration to Looker Studio. It allows you to load a wide array of Google Analytics data pertaining to website traffic and user engagement. These include active users, average session duration, bounce rate, conversion rate, and many more. The connector supports automated data refresh. This means that you can schedule exports of data from GA4 to Looker Studio at a desired frequency.

With the GA4 data loaded to Looker Studio, users can create various web analytics reports and dashboards.

You can try this GA4 connector for free with a 14-day trial.

Connector #2: Jira Cloud by Coupler.io

This Looker Studio connector for Jira provides a real-time link from Jira to Looker Studio. You can export all Jira data to analyze teamwork and make informed business decisions. With this information loaded into Looker Studio, users can build project management dashboards. These are meant to track issues, evaluate time expenses, and analyze the progress of various projects.

You can try this GA4 connector for free with a 14-day trial.

Connector #3: Salesforce by Jivrus Technologies

Salesforce connector by Jivrus Technologies paves the way for seamless integration with Looker Studio. Users can pull a wide range of metrics from Salesforce that relate to leads, opportunities, contacts, and accounts. Once this data is in Looker Studio, you can build dashboards that offer valuable insight into sales performance. These can relate to revenue generation, top-selling products, conversion rates, and many others.

The connector is offered for $9 per month or $90 per year, with a 14-day free trial period.

Connector #4: Airtable by Coupler.io

Airtable is a cloud-based solution that merges the functionality of a spreadsheet with that of a database. Businesses can create and manage various projects, workflows, and databases with ease.

The Airtable Looker Studio connector by Coupler.io eliminates the need to manually export data sets from Airtable. You can integrate Airtable and Looker Studio to automate exports of views.

Unlike many other connectors by Coupler.io, the Airtable one does not require connecting to the Airtable account. You can simply synchronize the desired Airtable view with Looker Studio.

Connector #5: Google Search Console by Windsor.ai

Windsor.ai offers a connector to Looker Studio users to make a direct pipeline to the wealth of information stored within Google Search Console. This Looker Studio connector seamlessly extracts search performance data, user behavior metrics, and keyword insights from Google Search Console. The data is channeled into Looker Studio where you can visualize it in the form of an interactive report or dashboard.

The connector also includes a template that you can use to populate your data from GSC and start analyzing it right away. You can start using this Looker Studio connector by Windsor.ai for free with their 30-day trial. Then you can choose a subscription plan that suits your needs.

Connector #6: Hubspot by Coupler.io

HubSpot is a platform that unites marketing, sales, content management, and customer service. It is designed to help businesses attract visitors, convert leads, and retain customers. By connecting HubSpot to Looker Studio through Coupler.io, you can assess different marketing data. This includes customer data, deals, companies, products, line items, calls, emails, and tasks.

This Looker Studio connector provides you with the ability to customize the schedule for automatic data refresh from every 15 minutes to every month. The every-hour frequency is available for the Personal and Squad subscription plans. Use a 14-day free trial to decide which set of integrations and limits work best for your needs.

Connector #7: Mailchimp Analytics by Power My Analytics

Mailchimp is a marketing automation and email marketing service. It provides users with tools for creating, sending, and analyzing email and ad campaigns.

Power My Analytics connector for Mailchimp lets you get important metrics to Looker Studio. Using this data, you can create reports to measure the performance of your email marketing campaigns. Analyze open rates, click rates, delivery rates, lists, subscription rates, and much more.

Power My Analytics lets you start with a 14-day free trial. No credit card is required. After the trial, you can choose a monthly or annual plan, depending on your needs.

Connector #8: LinkedIn Ads by Coupler.io

LinkedIn Ads is a form of targeted, self-service advertising offered by LinkedIn. Businesses can use LinkedIn Ads to reach more than 900 million users worldwide. You can target specific audiences based on various parameters like job title, industry, company size, and so on.

By connecting LinkedIn ads to Looker Studio through Coupler.io, you can monitor the performance of your ad campaigns. This covers ad analytics, ad accounts, ad account users, campaign groups, campaign, and video ads. You can use

A 14-day free trial with all features available is provided. After that, you can decide which set of integrations and limits works best for your project requirements.

Connector #9: Shopify by Porter Metrics

Shopify is a renowned e-commerce platform for managing online stores. It provides a suite of tools for tracking sales, managing orders, organizing products, and so on. To analyze customers’ purchasing behavior more effectively, it makes sense to load data from Shopify to Looker Studio.

The Porter Metrics connector offers a way to automate Shopify reports, including five templates. It allows businesses to obtain data about customers, orders, cancellations, taxes, sales, and more.

Porter Metrics lets you start with a 14-day free trial requiring no credit card. Then, you can choose one of the three available subscription plans.

Connector #10: Google Ads by Coupler.io

The Google Ads connector by Coupler.io enables users to integrate, analyze, and visualize their Google Ads data. Users can access various metrics from Google Ads, such as ad groups, campaigns, and user lists. They can also access various performance reports for ads, age ranges, campaigns, clicks, and so on.

Using Looker’s data exploration capabilities, users can visualize all this data or even use the Google Ads dashboard template. As a result, you’ll get an interactive report with all key metrics on it. This will significantly improve understanding of advertising performance. Coupler.io provides a 14-day free trial with all features available.

Connector #11: Ahrefs Site Explorer by Ahrefs

Ahrefs Site Explorer is an all-in-one SEO tool that offers three key functionalities. First, it performs organic traffic research, allowing you to find out the keywords your competitors rank. Second, it acts as a backlink checker. This enables you to discover which websites are linking to your competitors and assess their backlink profiles. Lastly, it reveals whether your competitors leverage paid search advertising and where they are directing this paid traffic.

The corresponding connector by Ahrefs gives you an in-depth look at the search traffic and backlink profiles of any website. Once this data is imported into Looker, you can derive meaningful insights about a competitor’s website SEO performance.

To access this connector, you need to sign up to Ahrefs and choose among its flexible monthly or annual plans. Check out here for more information.

Connector #12: Facebook Ads by Coupler.io

Coupler.io’s connector for Facebook Ads facilitates integration, analysis, and visualization of your Facebook Ads data in Looker Studio. Users are provided with various metrics from Facebook Ads: ad sets, campaigns, ads, and ads accounts.

Once this data is imported into Looker, you can create insightful Looker Studio reports to analyze and track your ads performance. Check out the ready-to-use Facebook Ads dashboard template that is available for free. Coupler.io provides a 14-day free trial with all features available.

How to use Looker Studio connectors

There are many Looker Studio connectors, each with its own setup process. They link different platforms to facilitate data analysis and management. However, the general idea of connecting any source to Looker Studio is the same. Below, we will introduce an example of using a Jira to Looker Studio connector. This one is designed by Coupler.io, a data analytics and automation platform that supports many other sources to connect to Looker Studio. Let’s see the steps you need to complete to connect Jira to Looker Studio using the Coupler.io connector.

• Sign up for Coupler.io and click on Add new importer.
• Select Jira as your source app and Looker Studio as your destination app.

• Once you connect to your source account, select your Jira Cloud instance with the data to be extracted. Furthermore, you can enter the JQL query of your filter.
• Select the Export format and specify the columns to export from Jira, if needed.
• Once you click on FINISH AND PROCEED, you can either add more sources or click on TRANSFORM DATA. Click on PROCEED in the top right.

• In the Looker Studio section, follow the instructions on how to connect to Looker Studio and create a data source. Optionally, you can specify the date range dimension and the Report/data source URL on Looker Studio. Then, click on FINISH AND PROCEED.
• To automate data export, toggle the Automatic data refresh button and schedule the day, time, and timezone. Then click on SAVE AND RUN.

• After running the importer and clicking to view results, copy the importer ID from your Coupler.io destination section. Then click on CONNECT in the top right to continue. For more information on the Looker destination setup, click here.

• Here is what the exported issues from Jira will look like in Looker Studio. Then, click on EXPLORE in the top right to create the desired visualizations with your data. Depending on your data refreshness frequency, your data will be updated in Looker Studio accordingly.

Coupler.io can also help you use Looker Studio with multiple data sources, representing data from all of them in one comprehensive dashboard.

All free Looker Studio connectors

Below, we present a list of free Looker Studio connectors you can access with just a few clicks. These have been developed to integrate smoothly with data sources designed by Google:

• Looker: Provides a platform for exploring and analyzing data
• Google Analytics: Tracks and reports website traffic
• Google Ads: Enables advertisers to access and analyze performance report data
• Google Sheets: Extracts valuable insights from online spreadsheets
• BigQuery: Enables users to access data from their BigQuery tables
• AppSheet: Analyzes data from mobile and web applications created in AppSheet without code
• File Upload: Imports data from almost any source by uploading CSV files
• Amazon Redshift: Imports data from Amazon Redshift – a fast, scalable data warehouse service
• Campaign Manager 360: Analyzing digital ad campaigns and metrics like impressions, clicks, conversions, and ad spent
• Cloud Spanner: Imports data from Cloud Spanner – a globally distributed, scalable, relational database service
• Cloud SQL for MySQL: Enables users to access data from the fully managed relational database service for MySQL
• Display & Video for 360: Analyzes advertising campaigns
• Extract Data: Retrieves and exports data
• Google Ad Manager 360: Analyzes data from a comprehensive hosted ad-serving platform
• Google Cloud Storage: Analyzes data stored on Google Cloud
• Microsoft SQL Server: Creates data sources based on Microsoft SQL Server 2017
• MySQL: Accesses data from MySQL databases
• PostgreSQL: Accesses data from PostgreSQL – an open-source relational database management system
• Search Ads 360: Creates compelling and informative reports that can include data from search marketing campaigns
• Search Console: Measures and analyzes a site’s presence and performance on Google Search
• YouTube Analytics: Monitors the performance of videos on YouTube

When you should choose native vs third-party connectors

Choosing between native and third-party Looker Studio connectors depends on your specific needs. Here are some factors to consider:

Data compatibility

Native Looker Studio connectors integrate with Google apps like Google Analytics and Google Ads. If you are primarily using Google data sources, native connectors might be the most straightforward choice.

Cost

Native connectors for Google products are free. Perhaps, certain advanced features or increased usage may require additional fees. Partner connectors can range from free to paid, depending on the provider and level of functionality offered.

Features and functionality

Partner Looker Studio connectors can offer additional features or capabilities not available in native connectors.

Support and maintenance

Native connectors are supported by Google. Partner connectors are supported by their respective developers.

Ultimately, the choice of a Looker Studio connector should align with your business requirements. Native connectors can be good for simple automation. If you want to go beyond, then check the partner options, specifically Coupler.io. The latter is also associated with the support of multiple sources. So, instead of many connectors, you can have one tool that allows you to load data from different apps to Looker Studio. Also, consider criteria such as how well connectors match with your data sources, the expenses involved, their functionalities, and support.

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