How to Add Hyperlink in Looker Studio

Adding a hyperlink transforms your Looker Studio report from a static page of charts into an interactive dashboard, guiding users to deeper insights or specific actions. This article walks you through exactly how to add both simple static links and powerful dynamic links tied to your data.

Why Bother Adding Hyperlinks to Your Reports?

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Hyperlinks are more than just a novelty, they add a crucial layer of functionality that makes your dashboards more intuitive and useful for your audience. With links, you can:

• Create dashboard navigation: Guide users between different pages in your report, creating a website-like experience with a main menu or "drill-down" links.
• Provide external context: Directly link from a chart or table to an outside resource, such as a Google Doc with campaign notes, a specific Google Ads campaign, a product page on Shopify, or a customer record in your CRM.
• Build dynamic, actionable tables: Transform a flat list of products or campaigns into an interactive resource where clicking a row takes you directly to the relevant URL.
• Drive user action: Create clear call-to-action buttons like "Contact Support" or "View in HubSpot" that launch an email or take them to another application.

In short, hyperlinks close the gap between seeing an insight and acting on it, right from the dashboard.

Method 1: The Basics - Adding a Static Hyperlink

The simplest way to add a link is by attaching it to text, an image, or a shape. This method is perfect for static navigation elements like a main menu, a "Help" link, or linking your company logo to your homepage.

Let's walk through an example using a text box.

Step 1: Add Your Element

From the Looker Studio top menu, select Insert and choose either Text, Image, or one of the options under Shape (like Rectangle). For this example, we'll choose Text. Add the text you'd like to use for your link, such as "View Q3 Campaign Brief."

Step 2: Find the Link Properties Panel

Click on the element you just created. This will open the element's properties panel on the right side of the screen. For a text box, this is called the Text Properties panel. Scroll down until you see the section for "Link."

Step 3: Insert Your URL

In the "Insert Link" field, simply paste the full URL you want to link to. If you are linking to another page within the same report, you can select the "Link settings" option and either use Dynamic link filtering or select a specific report page.

That's it! When you switch to "View" mode, your text will be a clickable link. This same process works perfectly for making images (like logos) or shapes (like buttons) clickable.

Method 2: Creating Dynamic Hyperlinks Using Your Data

This is where Looker Studio's linking capabilities shine. A dynamic hyperlink changes based on the data in a specific row of a table. For instance, you could have a table of your top-selling Shopify products, and each product name links directly to its own product page.

This requires some setup in your data source using one of two primary methods.

Option A: Changing the Field Type to "URL"

This is the most straightforward way to make a list of URLs clickable. It works best when your data already has a field containing the complete URL addresses (e.g., a "Product Page URL" column from your Shopify export).

1. Edit your Data Source: Go to the menu and select Resource > Manage added data sources. Find the data source you're working with and click Edit.
2. Find your URL Field: In the list of fields from your data source, find the column that contains the URLs you want to make clickable.
3. Change the Field Type: To the right of the field name, you'll see its "Type." By default, Looker Studio probably interpreted it as "Text." Click a dropdown list next to the field name, go to URL to switch to this type.
4. Add the Field to Your Table: Click "Done" and go back to your report. Add that field to a table. You'll see that each URL is now an active, clickable link.

The downside? It will display the entire, often long, URL. For a cleaner look and more intuitive user experience, you need the HYPERLINK function.

Option B: Building Custom Links with the HYPERLINK Function

The HYPERLINK function is the most powerful and flexible way to create dynamic links. It lets you link one field (like a URL) to another field that acts as its clean, readable label (like a name).

The format of the function is: HYPERLINK(URL_Field, Label_Field)

Let's say your data has two fields: product_url and product_name.

Step 1: Open the Calculated Fields Editor

From your report canvas, select the chart or table you want to work with. In its properties panel on the right, under the Data tab, click the button that says Add a field.

Step 2: Create Your Hyperlink Field

A calculated field editor window will pop up.

• Give your new field a descriptive name, like "Clickable Product Name."
• In the "Formula" box, enter your HYPERLINK function, connecting your URL and label fields.

HYPERLINK(product_url, product_name)

Step 3: Save and Use Your New Field

Click Save and then Done. Your newly created "Clickable Product Name" will appear as a field available in your data source on the right. You can now drag this field into your table. Voila! You now have a clean list of product names, and each one links to its corresponding URL.

Advanced Linking Tips and Tricks

Once you've mastered the basics, you can get even more creative with Looker Studio hyperlinks.

Concatenating URLs with the CONCAT Function

What if your data doesn't have a complete URL, but has a piece of it, like a campaign ID or a username? You can combine a static base URL with a dynamic value from your data using the CONCAT function.

For example, if you want to link to Facebook posts and your data only has the post_id, you can construct the full URL inside your hyperlink formula:

HYPERLINK(
    CONCAT("https://www.facebook.com/", post_id), 
    post_name
)

This formula builds the full link on the fly, making it incredibly versatile for datasets where you only store unique identifiers.

Creating "Mailto" and "Tel" Links

You can also use the HYPERLINK function to create links that trigger other browser actions, like opening an email client or initiating a phone call on a mobile device.

Mailto Link: If you have a list of sales reps with their email addresses, you can create a one-click "Email Now" button.

HYPERLINK(CONCAT("mailto:", sales_rep_email), "Contact")

Telephone Link: Similarly, you can create a clickable "Call Now" link.

HYPERLINK(CONCAT("tel:", customer_phone_number), "Call Customer")

These small additions significantly improve the actionability of your contact lists and internal directories.

Solving Common Problems with Looker Studio Hyperlinks

Occasionally, you might run into issues. Here are a few common hiccups and how to fix them.

• My links are showing as text but aren't clickable. Double-check that the field type in the data source is set to "URL." If it's a calculated field using HYPERLINK, it should work automatically, but ensure there are no syntax errors in your formula.
• My hyperlink formula gives an error. Carefully check the syntax of your formula. Make sure all field names are spelled correctly and that you have matching parentheses. All text that is part of a URL (like https:// or mailto:) must be enclosed in quotes.
• Some of my dynamic links are broken. This usually indicates an issue with the underlying data. Check your data source to ensure the URLs or IDs are correct and don't contain typos or missing characters.

Final Thoughts

Learning to add hyperlinks is one of the easiest ways to level up your Looker Studio skills. Whether it's with simple static links for navigation or complex dynamic URLs built with formulas, this skill transforms your reports from read-only documents into fully interactive, actionable tools for your entire team.

While Looker Studio is powerful, getting these things right still involves finding the right menus, debugging formulas, and wrangling data sources manually. At Graphed, we’ve built a tool to eliminate that complexity. Instead of building calculated fields and learning custom functions, you can just ask in plain English: "Show me a table of my top campaigns this month, with a clickable link to view each one in Google Ads." We connect directly to your marketing and sales accounts, let you build real-time dashboards with conversation, and help you get answers in seconds, not hours.