How do you create UTMs on Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)?

Your Google Business Profile listing (formerly Google My Business) generates calls, direction requests and clicks through to your site. The first two are counted in the listing's statistics; the clicks to your site, however, arrive in GA4 under the source "google / organic", mixed in with traffic from classic search results. Without tagging, there is no way to know whether your listing brings you 5% or 50% of your enquiries. UTM parameters solve the problem in ten minutes.

Why clicks from the listing are invisible in GA4

When someone clicks the "Website" button on your listing, their browser sends google.com as the referrer (or google.fr). GA4 therefore classifies the session as google / organic, just like a click on an organic result. The listing's Performance report does give you a click count, but that figure can't be cross-referenced with your site's conversions. Only a parameter added to the URL lets you separate the two streams.

Which links to tag

Which convention to choose: organic or a dedicated channel?

Two schools of thought. The first keeps the listing inside the Organic Search channel so as not to break your SEO comparisons: utm_source=google, utm_medium=organic, utm_campaign=gbp-fiche. The traffic stays in "Organic Search" and the "Session campaign" dimension lets you isolate it. This is the one we recommend for most small businesses.

The second creates a separate channel: utm_medium=gbp as the referrer (or local). The traffic then leaves the organic channel and falls into "Unassigned", unless you create a custom channel group. It suits multi-location networks that run local as a channel in its own right. Whichever you choose, follow the general convention described in tagging your digital campaigns.

Building and placing the link, step by step

1. Build the URL with Google's Campaign URL Builder or by hand: https://www.votresite.fr/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp-fiche. Point it at the most useful page (home page, branch page, booking page), not necessarily the home page.
2. Test the link in a browser: the page must open with no redirect that would strip the parameters (watch out for http to https redirects, or with/without www).
3. Paste the URL into the matching field on the listing, from the Google Business Profile interface (search for your business name while signed in to the managing account, or use the Google Maps app).
4. Wait for approval, usually immediate, occasionally a few days if Google re-reviews the listing.
5. Check in GA4, in the Realtime report, by clicking through from the listing on mobile: the gbp-fiche campaign should appear.

Reading the results in GA4

After a week or two, open Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition, change the primary dimension to "Session campaign" and look for gbp-fiche. You get:

• the number of sessions from the listing, to compare with the clicks Google reports (a gap of 10 to 30% is normal, because of consent and clicks that never load);
• the engagement rate, often high (visitors with strong local intent);
• the key events : calls from the site, forms, bookings, directions.

To go further, create a custom report filtered on campaigns starting with gbp-, or an audience of "visitors from the listing" to compare their behaviour. These metrics complement the listing's own, covered in tracking your Google listing's performance.

Mistakes to avoid

• Tagging with utm_medium=cpc or paid : the listing is free, and that medium would classify it as paid and distort your ROI.
• A link to a page that redirects : the parameters are lost.
• Capitals or accents : GBP-Fiche and gbp-fiche become two separate campaigns.
• Forgetting your posts : each post has its own button, often left without a UTM.