Google Analytics 4 just got one of its most useful reporting upgrades in years. You can now build custom dashboards directly inside GA4, without exporting data to Looker Studio or jumping between half a dozen standard reports.
Here’s what the new Dashboards feature does, how to check if you have it, and why it matters for anyone who reports on marketing performance.
What are GA4 Dashboards?
GA4 Dashboards let you bring the metrics and dimensions that matter most to your business together in one customisable view. Google added the feature to its release notes in September 2026, and it sits inside the Reports section of GA4.
Until now, building a single view of your key numbers usually meant one of two things: customising the standard report library, or setting up a separate dashboard in Looker Studio. Dashboards give you a third option that lives right inside the property.
Build it your way
Dashboards use a flexible grid layout. You can add, move and resize visualisations to build a view around the data you actually care about. There are six chart types to choose from:
- Scorecards
- Tables
- Line charts
- Bar charts
- Donut charts
- Funnels
Each chart counts as a “card”. Standard GA4 properties can have up to 15 cards per dashboard, and GA4 360 properties can have up to 30. That’s plenty for a focused KPI view, and it encourages you to keep the dashboard tight rather than cramming in everything.
Track what matters
The best dashboards answer the questions your business asks every week. For most of our clients, that means a mix of metrics and dimensions such as:
- Active users
- Sessions
- Key events (leads, enquiries, purchases)
- Total revenue
- Campaigns
- Landing pages
- Locations
For example, a lead generation business might pair a key events scorecard with a table of landing pages and a bar chart of campaigns. In one glance you can see how many enquiries came in, which pages converted them and which campaigns drove the traffic.
Share it with your team
Once your dashboard is ready, you can publish it into GA4’s Reports navigation. Anyone with access to the property can then open the same dashboard.
That means no more rebuilding the same report for every person who needs it, and no more “which version are you looking at?” conversations. A couple of things to know:
- Only Editors and Administrators can create and publish dashboards.
- Published dashboards are shared with everyone who has access to the property, so think about what you include.
Do you have access yet?
The feature may not be showing in every property yet. To check:
- Open GA4 and go to Reports.
- Look for + Create at the top of the Reports navigation.
- Select Dashboard.
No Create button? Your property probably hasn’t received the update yet. Check back in a few weeks.
What Dashboards can’t do (yet)
It’s a strong first release, but there are some gaps worth knowing about before you retire your other reporting tools:
- No segments or card-level comparisons.
- Line charts go no finer than daily.
- No maps, scatter plots or pivot tables.
- No API support, so dashboards can’t be built or copied automatically.
If you report across multiple platforms, such as Google Ads, Meta Ads and your CRM, a tool like Looker Studio is still the better fit for a full picture. GA4 Dashboards are best for a quick, shared view of on-site performance.
Why this matters
GA4 has always been customisable, but it hasn’t always been easy. Dashboards make it much simpler to bring your most important data together in one place.
For marketers and business owners, that could mean one dashboard, your key KPIs and a lot less digging through GA4. And when everyone is looking at the same numbers, it’s easier to make decisions quickly.
Need help setting up reporting that actually gets used?
At K.I.S.S, we build reporting around the numbers that drive decisions, not vanity metrics. If you’d like a hand setting up GA4 Dashboards or connecting your ad and CRM data, book a 30-minute growth call with our team.
