Blog

How to Create a Comparison Financials in Looker Studio: A Step-by-Step Guide


In today’s fast-paced financial landscape, data-driven decision-making isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. From tracking revenue and expenses to analyzing profit margins, businesses need clear, actionable insights to stay competitive. That’s where Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) comes in. This powerful tool enables you to create insightful financial comparison reports, helping you spot trends, measure performance, and refine your financial strategy with confidence.

At Pagesence, we specialize in turning raw financial data into clear, interactive dashboards that drive smarter business decisions. Whether you need to compare budgets vs. actuals, track performance over time, or benchmark against competitors, our Looker Studio solutions ensure you’re always making data-backed financial moves.

Why Financial Comparison Reports Matter

Financial comparison reports give businesses a clear view of their financial health by analyzing:

  • Revenue vs Expenses – How much is coming in vs. going out
  • Budget vs Actuals – Is your company meeting financial targets?
  • Year-over-Year (YoY) Trends – How does this year's performance compare to last year?
  • Month-over-Month (MoM) or Quarter-over-Quarter (QoQ) Comparisons – Spot short-term trends
  • Competitive Benchmarking – Compare your financials with industry averages

By leveraging Looker Studio’s visualization capabilities, you can transform raw financial data into actionable insights.

Step 1: Connect Your Financial Data Sources

Before you start building the report, you need to connect your financial data sources. Looker Studio allows seamless integration with:

  • Google Sheets (manual data entry or API automation)
  • BigQuery (ideal for large-scale financial data)
  • Google Analytics (for revenue insights)
  • Google Ads, Facebook Ads (for marketing spend tracking)
  • Stripe, PayPal, or Accounting Software (e.g., QuickBooks, Xero)

To connect:

  1. Open Looker Studio and click “Create a Report
  2. Select “Add Data” and choose your preferred data source
  3. Authorize the connection and import your financial data

Step 2: Define Key Financial Metrics for Comparison

Now, you need to define what metrics you want to compare. Some essential ones include:

  • Total Revenue
  • Total Expenses
  • Profit Margin (%)
  • Operating Costs
  • Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Pro Tip: Use calculated fields to create custom metrics like Profit = Revenue - Expenses or Growth Rate (%) = (Current - Previous) / Previous × 100

Step 3: Create a Time-Based Comparison (YoY, MoM, QoQ)

To compare financials over time, follow these steps:

  1. Add a Date Range Filter – This allows users to select custom time periods
  2. Create a Time-Series Chart – Use a line chart to show financial trends over time
  3. Apply a Comparison Metric – Use the “Previous Period Comparison” feature to see YoY or MoM changes

This helps visualize whether revenue is increasing or declining over specific periods.

Step 4: Create Budget vs. Actual Comparison Tables

A Budget vs. Actual Table helps track how well financial goals are being met.

To set this up:

  • Use a Pivot Table
  • Add columns for Planned Budget, Actual Spend, and Variance
  • Use conditional formatting to highlight over-budget vs. under-budget figures

Example Format:

Category Budget ($) Actual ($) Variance (%)
Marketing 10,000 12,000 +20% 🚨
R&D 15,000 14,500 -3.3% ✅
Sales Revenue 50,000 55,000 +10% 📈

Step 5: Add KPI Scorecards for Quick Insights

Looker Studio allows you to use Scorecards to showcase high-level financial metrics.

Steps to follow:

  1. Add a Scorecard Widget
  2. Select Revenue, Profit Margin, ROI, or any other KPI
  3. Enable Comparison Mode to show trends (green for positive, red for negative)

This provides a quick overview of your company’s financial standing at a glance.

Step 6: Customize the Report for Better Readability

To make your financial report engaging and easy to understand, customize it with:

  • Colors & Branding – Use company colors for a professional touch
  • Data Visualizations – Replace raw numbers with charts, graphs, and progress bars
  • Drill-Down Features – Allow users to click on a category to see detailed insights


Step 7: Automate Reporting & Share Insights

Once your financial comparison report is complete, automate it by:

  • Scheduling Email Reports – Send weekly/monthly reports to stakeholders
  • Generating Shareable Links – Allow team members to access live reports
  • Embedding in Dashboards – Integrate Looker Studio reports with internal dashboards


Enhance Your Financial Analytics with Pagesence

While Looker Studio is a great tool for financial comparison, advanced businesses require deeper insights and real-time financial tracking. This is where Pagesence’s Analytics and Performance Tracking services come in.

  • Real-time financial analytics for better decision-making
  • Custom Looker Studio dashboards tailored for your business
  • Automated performance tracking with AI-driven insights
  • Seamless integration with accounting and business intelligence tools

💡 Want to take your financial analytics to the next level? Let Pagesence help you create customized, insightful, and data-driven dashboards for smarter business decisions.

📩 Contact us today to learn more!

Final Thoughts

Creating a Comparison Financials Report in Looker Studio helps businesses visualize performance, compare budgets, and track trends effectively. By leveraging time-series analysis, budget vs. actual tables, and KPI scorecards, you can transform raw financial data into actionable insights.

But if you need more advanced analytics, real-time tracking, or expert dashboard customization, Pagesence’s Analytics and Performance Tracking Service is your go-to solution.

🚀 Ready to optimize your financial analytics? Start building your Looker Studio report today, or reach out to Pagesence for expert support!

Similar Articles

Why Is It Important to Optimize YouTube Videos Before Publishing? (Boost Your Video Performance Today)
What Is a Scope in Influencer Marketing? (Maximize Your Campaign Success)
Does Marketing Automation Really Work? (Find Out How to Scale Your Business)

Made With Pagesence Cloud