If you cannot create a year-on-year comparison in Looker Studio, this is often due to the missing comparison period feature. Furthermore, not all chart types support the year-over-year view. Additionally, the data source may have limitations with historical data. In this article, we explain why you cannot create a year-on-year comparison in Looker Studio and what solutions exist.

First of all, you need to manually activate the comparison period in the date filter settings. If you cannot create a year-on-year comparison in Looker Studio, this configuration may be missing. Moreover, the comparison function only supports certain chart types such as time series and scorecards. Therefore, you should first choose the right chart type. For more details, see our guide on GA4 discrepancies.

How to Set Up Year-on-Year Comparison in Looker Studio

First, select the desired date range in the date filter. Additionally, activate the ‘Comparison period’ option and choose ‘Previous year’ as the comparison basis. Furthermore, you can define custom comparison periods to perform flexible analyses. According to Google’s documentation, the comparison period can be set individually for each filter.

Our Recommendation

If you cannot create a year-on-year comparison in Looker Studio, first check the chart type and the date filter settings. Moreover, we recommend using time series charts or scorecards for year-over-year comparisons. Additionally, ensure that sufficient historical data exists in your data source. This way, you can reliably create year-on-year comparisons in Looker Studio.

Conclusion

In summary, year-on-year comparisons in Looker Studio usually fail due to missing configuration or the wrong chart type. Need assistance? Our Looker Studio service team is happy to help.