In today’s analytics-driven world, bringing together data from your website and your customer-relationship management (CRM) system is more than a nice-to-have. It is essential. Integrating Google Analytics 4 and HubSpot into your business-intelligence stack unlocks unified insights, enables smarter dashboards, and ensures decision-makers see the full story. This article explains how to connect GA4 and HubSpot to Power BI and Looker Studio, what you must watch out for, and how to build the right pipeline for lasting value.
Why integrate GA4 and HubSpot with business intelligence tools?
When you keep website behaviour in GA4 and CRM activity in HubSpot separate from your dashboards, you create silos of insight. Marketing sees traffic, sales sees deals, analytics sees logs but nobody sees how it all fits. By integrating both into tools such as Power BI consulting environments or Looker Studio dashboards, you:
- Combine web-traffic, lead-flow, customer lifetime value and churn into one view (business intelligence services).
- Build “one version of truth” — consistent definitions, aligned metrics across teams (business intelligence tools).
- Enable interactive dashboards (custom BI dashboards) that reflect both acquisition (GA4) and conversion/retention (HubSpot).
- Make decision-making faster and more data-driven (data-driven decision making).
Overview of the integration options
For both GA4 and HubSpot there are several approaches to connect with Power BI or Looker Studio. Each has its trade-offs. Below is a summary.
GA4 → Power BI / Looker Studio
- Native connector (Power BI): Power BI includes a built-in Google Analytics connector supporting GA4 (Implementation “2.0 (beta)”).
- Pros: No third-party tool required.
- Cons: Still beta; some features are limited (date filtering, refresh cadence).
- Third-party connectors: Tools such as Coupler.io, Windsor.ai or Supermetrics offer stronger support, scheduling, and larger data volumes.
- BigQuery export → Power BI: Export GA4 into Google BigQuery, then connect BigQuery to Power BI. Good for enterprise scale.
HubSpot → Power BI / Looker Studio
- Certified connector apps: HubSpot’s Marketplace offers connector apps (e.g., Datawarehouse.io) that push HubSpot data into SQL databases, then into Power BI/Looker Studio.
- Manual export: Export CSV from HubSpot and import into Power BI/Looker Studio. Simple but not scalable.
Step-by-step: How to set it up (Power BI scenario)
Here’s a standard flow for integrating both GA4 and HubSpot into Power BI.
- Prepare the data environments:
- Ensure GA4 property is set up, sharing permissions granted.
- Ensure HubSpot portal access configured and required CRM objects (contacts, deals, engagements) identified.
- Define your data catalogue (metric definitions, dimensions, ownership) so dashboards mean the same across teams.
- Connect GA4 to Power BI:
- In Power BI Desktop: Home → Get Data → Online Services → Google Analytics.
- Choose Implementation 2.0 (GA4). Sign in, pick property, select metrics & dimensions. Microsoft Learn
- Optionally transform data in Power Query (rename fields, apply filters).
- Load data and publish to Power BI Service if you require scheduled refresh.
- If using third-party connector: set up connector, extract GA4, provide export API/URL, then Get Data → Web in Power BI.
- Connect HubSpot to Power BI:
- Install connector app from HubSpot Marketplace or third-party solution.
- Export HubSpot data to a database or viewable table (e.g., Azure SQL, PostgreSQL).
- In Power BI: Get Data → SQL Server (or Destination DB) → connect, select tables (contacts, deals, etc.).
- Transform and model as needed (link to GA4 data on key identifiers, e.g., lead → session).
- Blend and build dashboards:
- Join GA4 and HubSpot datasets in Power BI using shared keys (e.g., user_id, contact_id, session_id).
- Create metrics such as “traffic to qualified-lead conversion”, “average deal size per source”.
- Design dashboards that reflect your business intelligence consulting model: KPIs, cohorts, retention curves, acquisition channels.
- Schedule refresh and monitor performance:
- In Power BI Service: Configure dataset refresh schedule (Power BI Pro: up to 8/day, Premium: more).
- Monitor source data quotas (GA4 API limits) — large queries may require date-window segmentation.
- Governance and documentation:
- Update your data catalogue whenever you add new fields, metrics.
- Document transform steps. Ensure stakeholders know what each metric means (business intelligence company discipline).
Best practices for success
- Define clear metric definitions: Don’t let “leads” or “sessions” differ by team. Align definitions before visualising.
- Start with small, high-impact dashboards: Rather than trying to build the “perfect 100-page report,” start with one page that combines GA4 + HubSpot: e.g., source → traffic → lead → deal.
- Blend perspectives: Use GA4 for user behaviour and acquisition; use HubSpot for sales funnel and retention. Then combine them in one custom BI dashboard.
- Automate refresh thoughtfully: Real-time isn’t always needed. Daily or hourly may suffice for many teams. Overscheduling may hit API limits.
- Plan for scale: If you expect large data volumes, route GA4 data through BigQuery, then into Power BI for better performance.
- Govern your data: Identify owners for each dataset. Ensure data quality and version control.
- Focus on actions: Dashboards should drive decisions. If you build visualisations that don’t change behaviour, you’re missing the point of business intelligence.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Using the native GA4 connector without understanding limitations: The GA4 connector in Power BI is still labelled beta and may have date-filtering or quota issues. supermetrics.com
- Ignoring refresh and data latency: Marketing teams expect near-real-time data; without scheduled refresh, dashboards may mislead.
- Not blending GA4 and HubSpot: Keeping these sources separate means missing the full customer journey — from website engagement to signed deal.
- Neglecting governance: Metrics change, naming changes, definitions shift. Without documentation, the “one version of truth” crumbles.
- Over-engineering before you start: Resist the urge to build massive infrastructure immediately. Get one good dashboard, show value, then scale.
Why this integration is key for SaaS, e-commerce & B2B companies
Companies operating subscription models or complex sales funnels see the biggest impact:
- You can trace how website behaviour (GA4) translates into pipeline and revenue (HubSpot) — critical for CAC (customer acquisition cost), LTV (lifetime value), churn analysis.
- Combining acquisition and sales data supports retention dashboards, cohort analysis, and early warning signals — all hallmarks of effective data analytics consulting.
- Vendors who rely on monthly recurring revenue (MRR) or subscription metrics benefit from integrated dashboards that monitor acquisition, conversion, onboarding, and renewal in one place.
Conclusion
Integrating GA4 and HubSpot into Power BI or Looker Studio is not optional for data-driven companies — it is foundational. When done right, it transforms fragmented insights into unified, actionable intelligence. With strong data foundations, thoughtful modelling, and clear visualisation, your business intelligence dashboards become decision-making engines — not just nice-to-look reports.
If you want support in building these integrations, designing the pipelines, or developing custom business intelligence dashboards and analytics services, our team at Data Never Lies specialises in these connections for fast-growing SaaS and data-driven companies. Let’s talk about making your data flow seamlessly — from traffic and leads to revenue and growth.