Quick answer: A Google Analytics dashboard is a single screen of widgets (scorecards, charts, tables and maps) that shows the metrics you check most often, so you do not have to click through a dozen reports. In Universal Analytics you build one under Customization > Dashboards, add up to 12 widgets, apply segments, and schedule it to arrive by email. Pair dashboards with well set up views (a raw view, a filtered main view and a test view) so the data behind the widgets is clean. For reports that blend several data sources or need more design control, use Google Data Studio.
Why dashboards are worth the setup time
Google Analytics has hundreds of reports. Most people use a handful. A dashboard brings those few numbers together, in the same order, every time you open it. That consistency makes changes easier to spot and conversations shorter.
A good dashboard answers specific questions. Before building one, write down two or three, for example:
- Is the site bringing in enough leads this month?
- Which channels and landing pages are driving them?
- Is anything broken or unusually low?
Every widget should help answer one of those questions. If it does not, leave it out.
Where dashboards live
In Universal Analytics, go to Customization > Dashboards in the left menu, then click Create. You have three starting points:
- Blank Canvas: an empty dashboard you build from scratch
- Starter Dashboard: a basic set of widgets you can edit
- Import from Gallery: templates shared by other users in the Solutions Gallery
Dashboards belong to a view. A dashboard built in one view does not automatically appear in another. You can keep it private (only you see it) or share it with other users of that view.
Widget types
Each dashboard can hold up to 12 widgets. The standard types are:
| Widget | Best for |
|---|---|
| Metric | A single number, such as sessions or goal completions |
| Timeline | A metric over time, optionally compared with a second metric |
| Geomap | Metrics by country, region or city |
| Table | One or two dimensions with up to two metrics, such as landing pages with sessions and conversions |
| Pie | Share of a metric across a small number of values, such as device category |
| Bar | Comparing values across a dimension |
There are also real-time widgets (counter, timeline, geomap and table) that show what is happening right now. They are handy during a launch or campaign, but less useful for regular reporting.
Each widget can have its own filter. For example, a table of landing pages filtered to organic search traffic, or a metric widget that only counts sessions from a specific campaign.
Building a practical marketing dashboard
Here is a starting layout for a lead generation site. Adjust it to your goals.
- Metric: Sessions. The overall traffic level.
- Metric: Goal completions for your main conversion, such as a contact form or demo request.
- Metric: Goal conversion rate.
- Timeline: Sessions vs goal completions for the date range.
- Table: Default channel grouping with sessions and goal completions.
- Table: Landing pages with sessions and goal conversion rate.
- Pie: Device category with sessions.
- Table: Top events for key actions such as phone taps and downloads.
- Metric: Organic sessions, filtered by medium equals organic.
- Table: Source/medium filtered to referral, to spot new referrers and spam.
If you have not set up goals or events yet, do that first. Our guides to Google Analytics goals and event tracking cover the setup.
For ecommerce sites, swap goals for transactions, revenue and ecommerce conversion rate, and add a table of top products.
Making dashboards more useful
Use date comparisons
Compare the current period with the previous period or the same period last year. A number on its own says little. A number next to last month’s tells you whether something changed.
Apply segments
Segments filter the whole dashboard. Apply “Organic Traffic” to see an SEO view, “Mobile Traffic” to see how phones perform, or a custom segment such as “Visited pricing page.” You can apply up to four segments at once to compare them side by side.
Use calculated metrics
If you need a metric that Analytics does not provide, such as leads per 1,000 sessions, create it as a calculated metric and use it in widgets. See our guide to calculated metrics.
Schedule email delivery
Click Email at the top of the dashboard to send a PDF to yourself or colleagues daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. This keeps stakeholders informed without asking them to log in. Review the recipients list from time to time.
Share as a template
Share > Share Template Link gives others a link to copy the dashboard layout into their own view. It shares the configuration only, not your data. This is useful for agencies and teams who manage several sites.
Custom views: the foundation under dashboards
Dashboards only show what the view contains. If the view is full of internal traffic, spam referrals or duplicate URLs, the dashboard will be too. That is why views matter.
A view is a filtered window onto a property’s data. A common, safe setup has three:
- Raw data view. No filters at all. It is a backup in case a filter goes wrong, since filters change data permanently going forward.
- Main reporting view. Filters applied to clean up data. Use this for dashboards and day to day reports.
- Test view. Try new filters here first, check the results for a few days, then copy them to the main view.
Useful filters for a main view include:
- Exclude traffic from your office IP addresses
- Include only your own hostname, which blocks a lot of ghost referral spam
- Convert request URIs to lowercase so
/Contactand/contactare not counted as separate pages - Remove query parameters you do not need under the view settings
Views also have settings for time zone, currency, site search tracking and bot filtering. Tick the option to exclude hits from known bots and spiders.
Remember that view filters are not retroactive. They apply from the moment they are saved. Create your views early.
Views for specific audiences
Some teams create extra views for a subdirectory (for example, only /blog/), a region or a subdomain. Combined with a dashboard, this gives each team a focused space. Keep the number of views manageable, and document what each one filters.
Dashboards vs Data Studio
Built-in dashboards are quick to build and live inside Analytics. They are best for regular checks by people who already use Analytics.
Google Data Studio suits reports for clients or leadership, where you need more design control, multiple pages, data from other sources such as Google Ads and Sheets, or interactive date and filter controls for viewers. Many teams use both: an Analytics dashboard for the daily check and a Data Studio report for monthly reviews.
Common mistakes
- Building one huge dashboard with every possible metric
- Reporting from a view with no filters for internal traffic or spam
- Comparing dashboards built in different views without realizing their filters differ
- Leaving default widget titles, so nobody knows what a number means
- Never reviewing the dashboard after the first month
FAQ
How many widgets can a dashboard have?
Up to 12 in Universal Analytics. If you need more, split the information into two focused dashboards.
Can I share a dashboard without giving access to my data?
Yes. Share the template link. Others get the layout and connect it to their own view.
Why does my dashboard show different numbers from a report?
Check the view, date range, segments and widget filters. Sampling can also cause small differences on large date ranges.
Should I delete the raw data view?
No. Keep it unfiltered as a safety net in case a filter in another view goes wrong.
Check the right numbers every week
A focused Google Analytics dashboard, built on a clean view, saves time and makes it easier to notice what changed and why. Start with a few clear questions, build widgets that answer them and review the layout as your goals evolve. If you want help setting up dashboards and tracking you can trust, see Know what’s working.
