Updated 2026-11-04

GA4 + Google Ads combined dashboard in Looker Studio

Clients ask one question: “What did the ad money do on the website?” Google Ads knows the cost; GA4 knows the sessions, engagement and revenue. A combined dashboard puts both on one page. Here is how to build it with Google’s free connectors.

Option 1: Use GA4’s own Google Ads fields (easiest)

If Google Ads is linked to GA4, the GA4 connector exposes Google Ads cost, Google Ads clicks and campaign dimensions (Session Google Ads campaign). One data source, no blend. Downsides: only linked accounts, and GA4 cost can lag or differ slightly from the Google Ads UI.

Option 2: Blend Google Ads and GA4 data sources

Add both data sources: Google Ads (account) and GA4 (property).
Resource → Manage blends → Add a blend.
Left table: Google Ads with Date and Campaign; metrics Cost, Clicks, Conversions.
Right table: GA4 with Date and Session campaign (or Session Google Ads campaign); metrics Sessions, Key events, Total revenue.
Join type: Left outer, join keys Date = Date and Campaign = Session campaign.
Create calculated fields on the blend, e.g. Cost / Sessions and Total revenue / Cost (site ROAS).

Why campaign names don’t match

GA4 uses UTM utm_campaign unless auto-tagging (gclid) is on — make sure auto-tagging is enabled.
Renamed campaigns show old names in historical data.
Case and whitespace differ: wrap both keys in LOWER(TRIM(...)) calculated fields before blending.

What to put on the page

Block	Source	Fields
Scorecards	Blend	Cost, Sessions, Key events, Revenue, Site ROAS
Trend	Blend	Date × Cost and Sessions (dual axis)
Campaign table	Blend	Campaign, Cost, Clicks, Sessions, Engagement rate, Key events, Revenue
Landing pages	GA4	Landing page, Sessions, Engagement rate, Key events (filter: Google / cpc)

Expect these differences

Clicks ≠ sessions. Bounced loads, consent banners and multiple clicks per session.
Ads conversions ≠ GA4 key events. Different attribution models and windows. Label them clearly so clients don’t add them up.
Time zones. Align the GA4 property and Google Ads account time zones.

Scale to many clients

Blends allow up to 5 sources. For agencies with many accounts, use an MCC data source plus a property-level roll-up — see our white-label agency guide. Our $39 multi-client pack ships these roll-ups ready to copy; the single-account Google Ads and GA4 starters are free.