Data dashboards are only as valuable as the insights they reveal. Numbers on a screen mean little if trends, outliers, or issues are buried in tables or charts. Conditional formatting in Looker Studio can transform raw metrics into actionable intelligence by highlighting opportunities, flagging issues, and guiding attention to what matters most.
In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to implement conditional formatting in Looker Studio, provide practical examples with metrics, and explain best practices to maximize the impact of your dashboards.
Key Takeaway
Conditional formatting in Looker Studio helps marketing and business teams quickly identify trends, anomalies, and opportunities without manual analysis. By highlighting critical metrics based on defined rules, teams can react faster, prioritize tasks, and make data-driven decisions.
What is Conditional Formatting in Looker Studio?
Conditional formatting is a feature that applies specific visual styles—like color, font, or background—based on data values. For example:
A revenue metric turning red when performance drops below the target
A conversion rate highlighted in green when it exceeds expectations
Traffic sources flagged yellow when trending downward
This method turns static dashboards into dynamic, actionable tools. Conditional formatting can be applied to scorecards, tables, pivot tables, and charts, making patterns easier to spot.
Step 1: Identify Key Metrics to Highlight
Before applying formatting, determine which metrics indicate opportunities or risks. Common examples include:
Website KPIs: Users, sessions, bounce rate, pageviews
E-commerce metrics: Revenue, transactions, ROAS, cart abandonment
Campaign metrics: CTR, CPC, conversions, impressions
For example, you may want your table of Google Ads campaigns to highlight campaigns with ROAS < 2 in red and campaigns with ROAS > 4 in green.
Step 2: Open Conditional Formatting Options
Conditional formatting can be applied in Looker Studio primarily to tables and pivot tables.
Select the chart or table you want to format.
Navigate to the Style panel.
Scroll to Conditional formatting (often at the bottom).
Click Add a rule.
Step 3: Define Your Rules
Rules determine when a metric is formatted. Each rule requires:
Metric/field to evaluate: e.g., Revenue, CTR
Condition: greater than, less than, equal to, between, or percentage change
Style: color, bold, or background
Example Rules:
Highlight revenue > $50,000 in green
Highlight revenue < $10,000 in red
Flag conversion rate between 2% and 5% in yellow
Rules can also be formula-based, allowing for more advanced scenarios, such as highlighting metrics based on a comparison to a previous period.
Step 4: Apply to Multiple Metrics
You can create rules for multiple metrics in the same table. For instance:
Campaign | CTR (%) | Conversions | ROAS |
Search A | 3.2 | 45 | 2.5 |
Display B | 1.1 | 5 | 0.9 |
Conditional Formatting Example:
CTR < 2% → red
Conversions < 10 → orange
ROAS < 1 → red; ROAS > 3 → green
This instantly highlights campaigns that require attention and those performing exceptionally.
Step 5: Advanced Examples
Example 1: Tracking Micro-Conversions
Micro-conversions, like newsletter sign-ups or PDF downloads, can be tracked in Looker Studio. Conditional formatting can highlight pages with underperforming micro-conversions:
Metric: Newsletter sign-ups per page
Rule: < 50 → red background, > 150 → green font
This helps teams quickly identify pages needing optimization or testing.
Example 2: Comparing Current vs. Previous Period
Conditional formatting can highlight deviations from targets or prior periods. For example:
Metric: Monthly revenue
Rule: Revenue < Previous Month → red
Rule: Revenue > Previous Month → green
This allows dashboards to immediately signal growth or decline trends.
Example 3: Custom Calculated Fields
You can create a calculated field, e.g., Revenue per Session = Revenue ÷ Sessions, and then apply conditional formatting:
Revenue per Session > $20 → green
Revenue per Session < $5 → red
This helps marketing teams assess campaign efficiency rather than just total revenue.
Step 6: Use Formatting for Strategic Insights
Conditional formatting is not just aesthetic—it guides decision-making. Best practices include:
Use consistent color coding across dashboards (e.g., red = risk, green = positive).
Avoid over-formatting; too many colors dilute meaning.
Combine with trend arrows or icons for added clarity.
Document rules for team members to interpret the visuals correctly.
Step 7: Testing and Iteration
After applying formatting:
Test with historical data to ensure rules highlight as expected.
Solicit feedback from users—do the colors draw attention to the right insights?
Iterate—adjust thresholds, colors, or metrics to improve clarity.
Common Metrics and Rules Examples
Metric | Rule | Highlight Style | Purpose |
Revenue | < $10,000 / > $50,000 | Red / Green | Flag low/high performance |
Conversion Rate (%) | < 2% / > 5% | Red / Green | Identify low/high conversion pages |
Sessions | Decrease vs. the previous month | Red | Highlight traffic drop |
ROAS | < 1 / > 3 | Red / Green | Identify underperforming campaigns |
Bounce Rate (%) | > 60% | Orange | Identify pages needing UX improvements |
Newsletter Sign-ups | < 50 / > 150 | Red / Green | Highlight micro-conversion opportunities |
FAQs
Q: How do I set conditional formatting rules in Looker Studio?
A: Select the table or chart, go to the Style panel → Conditional formatting → Add a rule. Define the metric, condition, and style.
Q: Can I apply conditional formatting to scorecards?
A: Yes, scorecards support color and background changes based on thresholds.
Q: Can I highlight trends over time?
A: While conditional formatting in tables highlights values, combining it with line charts and trend arrows can visually communicate trends.
Q: Can I use calculated fields in conditional formatting?
A: Absolutely. Create a calculated metric (like Revenue per Session), then apply rules just like any other field.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of rules I can apply?
A: There isn’t a strict limit, but too many rules can reduce readability. Focus on key metrics.
Q: Can formatting be automated for multiple dashboards?
A: Rules are applied per chart or table. To standardize across dashboards, replicate charts, or use templates.
Conclusion
Conditional formatting is one of the most powerful yet underutilized tools in Looker Studio. By strategically applying it to key metrics and tables, you can highlight trends, flag issues, and reveal opportunities at a glance. Proper use reduces manual analysis, accelerates decision-making, and ensures teams focus on what truly matters. Whether you’re tracking revenue, ROAS, conversions, or micro-conversions, conditional formatting turns dashboards into actionable insight engines.
By combining conditional formatting with calculated fields, trend comparisons, and visual cues, your Looker Studio dashboards will not only report data but actively guide strategy and uncover opportunities faster than ever.