Why Tracking Clicks from Google My Business Matters

Tracking click data from your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) helps you understand exactly how customers are engaging with your listing. These clicks show who is taking action — visiting your website, calling, or requesting directions — and when they do it. That data helps you improve local SEO, increase conversions, and measure the impact of changes to your listing.

Main types of clicks

• Website Clicks — Users who click through to your site from your profile.
• Call Clicks — Taps on your phone number from mobile or clicks on desktop.
• Directions Requests — How many people asked for directions to your location.
• Messages Clicks — Chats or messages initiated from the profile (if enabled).

Method 1 — Using Google Business Profile Insights

Google’s built-in Insights (or Performance) is the first place to check for quick, direct engagement numbers. It’s free and easy to use, and it provides counts for website clicks, calls, direction requests, and messages.

Step-by-step

1. Sign in to Google Business Profile Manager.
   (Image placeholder: GBP login page)
2. Select the business location you want to review.
   (Image placeholder: Location selection screen)
3. Click Performance or Insights in the left-hand menu.
   (Image placeholder: Insights menu option)
4. Review metrics for Website, Calls, Directions, and Messages. Adjust the date range as needed.
   (Image placeholder: Insights dashboard showing click metrics)

Pros & Cons

Pros: Free, immediate access to GMB engagement.

Cons: Limited historical depth (usually up to 6 months), and no detailed source/medium breakdown.

Pro tip: Export or screenshot Insights monthly — Google only keeps limited history. Building your own archive helps with long-term trend analysis.

Method 2 — Tracking with Google Analytics & UTM Parameters

If you want to know where

What are UTM parameters?

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are short tags added to the end of a URL. They let Analytics identify the traffic source and attribute sessions to campaigns.

Step-by-step

1. Open the Google Campaign URL Builder.
   (Image placeholder: Campaign URL Builder form)
2. Enter your website URL and fill the UTM fields:
   
   • utm_source=GMB
   • utm_medium=organic
   • utm_campaign=local_clicks (or whatever naming convention you use)
   (Image placeholder: Example of filled form)
3. Copy the generated URL and paste it into the Website field of your Google Business Profile.
   (Image placeholder: Where to update website link in GBP)
4. In Google Analytics, view campaign data:
   • Universal Analytics: Acquisition → Campaigns
   • GA4: Reports → Acquisition
   (Image placeholder: Analytics campaign report)

Benefits & Drawbacks

Benefits: Precise campaign attribution, device-agnostic tracking, and long-term storage in Analytics.

Drawbacks: Requires creating and maintaining tagged links for each profile or location.

Method 3 — Call Tracking Numbers

When phone calls are a primary lead source, call tracking gives you definitive insight into how many calls come directly from your GMB listing.

How it works

Call tracking providers (for example CallRail, Twilio, or Grasshopper) supply a tracking phone number that you place on your GMB listing. Calls to that number are forwarded to your main line while being recorded and logged by the provider.

Step-by-step

1. Choose a call tracking provider and create an account.
   (Image placeholder: Call tracking provider dashboard)
2. Create a new tracking number dedicated to your GMB listing.
3. In Google Business Profile, set the tracking number as your primary phone and add your main number as an additional phone.
   (Image placeholder: GBP phone settings)
4. Review call logs and recordings in the provider dashboard to measure call volume and quality.

Benefits & Considerations

Benefits: Exact counts of GMB-driven calls, call duration, and optional recordings for quality checks.

Considerations: Maintain NAP consistency by keeping your real number visible in additional phone fields and documenting the reason for the temporary tracking number

Best Practices for Accurate Click Tracking

• Always use UTM parameters on your website link to capture source and campaign data.
• Combine methods — Insights + Analytics + Call tracking gives a fuller picture.
• Export or archive Insight screenshots monthly for long-term trend analysis.
• Benchmark before major listing changes (images, description, categories) and measure the impact after.
• Segment multi-location data so you don’t mix metrics between physical branches.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using plain (untagged) URLs in your GMB website field.
• Relying solely on Google Insights for in-depth analysis.
• Not keeping separate tracking for multiple locations.
• Ignoring device and time-of-day breakdowns.

Conclusion

Tracking clicks from your Google Business Profile is essential for understanding customer behavior and improving local marketing results. Start with Google Insights for a quick view, add UTM-tagged links to get campaign-level detail in Google Analytics, and use call tracking when phone leads matter most.

Once you begin capturing this data, you can make better decisions about your listing content, promotional timing, and local SEO investments.

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