Table of Contents
What UTM + GA4 can and cannot do
- ✅ Website clicks from GBP — fully trackable in GA4 using UTM on your Website (and Menu/Booking/Appointment) links.
- ✅ Calls / Directions from your website — trackable in GA4 when the user first came via utm_source=gbp and then clicked a tel: or directions link on your site.
- ⚠️ Calls / Directions clicked directly on the GBP listing (without visiting your site) — not sent to GA4. Use GBP Performance for those counts, then blend with GA4 in your reporting.
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Recommended UTM scheme for GBP (EU/Nordics)
Keep UTM consistent and readable. Use lowercase, no spaces, no PII.
Base pattern
utm_source=gbp&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign={{brand_or_city}}&utm_content={{button_or_store}}
Examples
Pro tips
Base pattern
utm_source=gbp&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign={{brand_or_city}}&utm_content={{button_or_store}}
Examples
- Website button (single location):
- Menu / Booking link:
- Multi‑location with store code:
Pro tips
- Always use https targets and avoid redirect chains.
- Point to the best landing page (location page, menu, booking), not always the homepage.
- Keep casing consistent across all stores and platforms.
Where to add UTM in Google Business Profile
Add UTM to these fields in your GBP profile:
- Website
- Menu / Booking / Appointment / Order (if present)
- Products / Services deep links (optional)
You cannot add UTM to the native Call or Directions buttons in GBP. Track those in GBP Performance and use GA4 only for on‑site clicks.
GA4 setup: events for website, calls, directions
You want clean events that tell you what happened on your site during sessions with
utm_source=gbp.
A) No‑code in GA4 (Create events)
1) Admin → Events → Create event
2) Create call_click
3) Create directions_click
4) (Optional) Create cta_click
5) Mark as Conversions (Admin → Conversions) for the events that matter (e.g., call_click, booking_click).
B) With Google Tag Manager (recommended for control)
C) Reporting views
utm_source=gbp.
A) No‑code in GA4 (Create events)
1) Admin → Events → Create event
2) Create call_click
- Matching conditions: event_name equals click (or link_click if present)
- AND link_url begins with tel:
3) Create directions_click
- Matching conditions: event_name equals click
- AND link_url contains maps.google. OR /maps
4) (Optional) Create cta_click
- Match your key CTA selectors (e.g., link text contains “Book”, “Reserve”, “Order”), or use GTM to fire a dedicated event.
5) Mark as Conversions (Admin → Conversions) for the events that matter (e.g., call_click, booking_click).
B) With Google Tag Manager (recommended for control)
- Fire call_click on links where Click URL starts with tel:
- Fire directions_click on links where Click URL contains maps.google.
- Fire cta_click on buttons with a specific CSS class or data-cta="primary".
C) Reporting views
- Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition: filter Session source/medium to gbp / profile.
- Reports → Engagement → Events: review call_click, directions_click, cta_click with a secondary dimension Session source.
- Explorations: build a simple funnel: session_start → page_view → cta/call/directions (segment: utm_source=gbp).
Multi‑location tracking (store codes)
For chains, add a store code to UTM:
utm_source=gbp&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=stores&utm_content={{store_code}}_website
In GA4:
utm_source=gbp&utm_medium=profile&utm_campaign=stores&utm_content={{store_code}}_website
In GA4:
- Create a custom dimension for session_campaign (or use standard) and session_source.
- Break down conversions by store code to compare locations (calls, directions, bookings).
- Ensure each GBP Website button points to its store‑level page.
Apple Maps & Bing Places tagging
Use a similar pattern to separate traffic sources:
- Apple Maps (ABC):
- Bing Places:
This lets you compare GBP vs Apple vs Bing in GA4 and understand regional behavior in the Nordics.
48‑Hour Setup Plan
Day 1 (60–90 min)
Day 2 (60–90 min)
- Decide your UTM standard (pattern + casing).
- Add UTM to Website / Menu / Booking / Appointment links in GBP.
- Update location pages to be the best landing (fast, mobile‑friendly).
Day 2 (60–90 min)
- Create call_click, directions_click, cta_click in GA4 (or GTM).
- Mark key events as Conversions.
- Save baseline from GBP Performance (calls/directions/website clicks).
- (Chains) Roll out store codes in UTM and verify per‑store pages.
After 2 weeks, compare GA4 (sessions & events from utm_source=gbp) with GBP Performance. Expect GA4 to show on‑site actions only; GBP will be higher for Calls/Directions.
Mini‑checklist
FAQ
Related posts
- NAP Consistency Audit — Fix Name, Address, Phone
- GBP Categories & Attributes Audit — Choose the Right Primary
- Duplicates & Suspension Risk — Safe Merge/Remove
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