A few months back, we encountered a wake-up call that really put us in our place.
One of our car dealership clients approached us with some straightforward questions about their Google Business Profile that, frankly, we should've been prepared for:
- How many people see our Google Business Profile?
- How many people visit our website from our Google Business Profile?
- Are we actually getting any leads from our Google Business Profile?
Embarrassingly enough, we were caught off guard. There we were, a team of digital marketing whizzes, left scratching our heads.
It was a humbling reminder that even the best of us can miss the mark sometimes.
Determined to rectify this lapse, we quickly set up a basic Google Business Profile tracking and attribution report through Google Analytics to see how many searchers see the dealership Google Business page profiles across all their locations, go to their website, and convert.
Well, it's easy to set up. And free, and we will show you how
(Kudos to you or your agency if you're already set this up!)
For those of you too busy to read this article, here's a quick look at the stats we collected in just 72 hours, which show how much of a lead-generating powerhouse Google Business Profile can be for car dealerships.
Web Traffic from Google Business Profiles.
Google Business Profile Leads.
*Note: Google My Business (GMB) has been rebranded to Google Business Profile (GBP).
How to Set up Basic Google Business Profile Tracking and Attribution.
Start with Google Business Profile Insights.
Navigate to your GBP admin page at business.google.com and select Insights.
This section provides data on your page's visibility in search results or maps, and the actions potential customers take after finding your listing.
TIP: Since Insights only offers data for the past week, month, and quarter, it's advisable to separately record this information for long-term performance tracking.
Google's API does provide 18 months of data, but accessing it requires technical expertise.
Here's a glimpse of what you'll find in your GBP insights dashboard.
Business Profile Interactions:
How your products performed.
Device / Search Terms.
Establish a Baseline.
Utilise the insights data to set a baseline for comparing future performance metrics.
Over time, you'll be able to correlate specific actions with improvements in visibility and engagement. For example:
Tactical inputs:
- Enhancing the frequency and volume of customer reviews.
- Optimising responses to reviews with keywords.
- Regular GBP posts.
- Refining your GBP profile with keyword-rich Q&A FAQs.
Outputs:
- Better search rankings.
- More views on search and maps.
- Increase in customer actions.
- Higher website traffic and conversions from GBP.
To track website visits and conversions, you'll need Google Analytics.
Ensure your site is connected by adding the Google Analytics tracking code.
Add a UTM Tracking Code to Your Website Link.
Create a unique link for your GBP listing by adding a UTM parameter.
This code enables Google Analytics to identify traffic originating from your GBP. It's a straightforward process:
Visit this link and input the following:
- Website URL: your dealership's website.
- Campaign Source: googlebusinessprofile.
- Campaign Medium: organic.
- Campaign Name: Google Business Profile.
Copy the generated URL and use it as the primary link on your GBP listing.
This modification allows Google Analytics to track visits from your Google Business Profile.
Find Your Google Business Profile traffic in Google Analytics. (GA4).
Once your custom URL is in place, you can monitor the traffic from your GBP in Google Analytics 4 by:
- Accessing GA4 Reports: Go to your GA4 property and navigate to the reports section.
- Reviewing Source/Medium: Look for the “Acquisition” reports, then select “Traffic acquisition.” Here, you should see your traffic sources including “google / gbp” if everything is set up correctly.
- Campaigns: You can also review the performance of specific campaigns by filtering or looking for the
utm_campaign parameter you set (in our example, googlebusinessprofile).
With this data, you can analyse how much traffic is coming from your Google Business Profile, what actions users are taking on your site, and more.
Use this information to optimise your GBP listing, refine your marketing strategies, and improve your overall online presence.
This method of using UTM parameters for tracking is powerful because it’s flexible and can be applied to virtually any source of traffic, not just your Google Business Profile.
Tracking Google Business Profile Leads in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
To effectively track website traffic and leads generated from your Google Business Profile (GBP) using Google Analytics 4 (GA4), follow these refined steps:
1. Install GA4 on Your Website:
Ensure GA4 is properly installed across your website. This involves embedding the GA4 tracking code snippet into all pages of your site. Verify the installation using the Google Tag Assistant or within the GA4 interface to ensure data is being received correctly.
2. Utilise UTM Parameters:
As previously mentioned, append UTM parameters to your GBP website URL. This approach enables GA4 to accurately identify and segment the traffic coming specifically from your Google Business Profile.
Tailor these parameters to align with your tracking needs, focusing on source, medium, and campaign for precise data analysis.
3. Configure Events as Conversions:
GA4 tracks user interactions as events. To monitor leads from GBP, set up events that correspond to your key conversion actions.
This could include actions like form submissions, phone calls initiated from your website (click-to-call), or completing a purchase.
Here’s how to refine the setup:
-
Identify Conversion Events: Determine which user actions are valuable conversions for your dealership (e.g., form submissions, service inquiries, new car test drive requests, car valuations etc).
-
Set Up Event Tracking: If not automatically captured by GA4, use the GA4 configuration or Google Tag Manager to create events for these actions. For instance, an event named form_submission can be created for tracking contact form submissions.
4. Implement a "Thank You" Page:
Direct users to a dedicated "thank you" page after they complete a conversion action (e.g., after submitting a contact form). This page not only provides a good user experience by confirming their action but also serves as a clear indicator for tracking conversions.
5. Mark Events as Conversions:
-
Navigate to GA4 Admin Section: Access the GA4 Admin section and select 'Events' in the property column.
-
Identify and Configure Conversion Events: Locate the event that represents your conversion action, such as viewing a "thank you" page or a specific form submission event. If your desired event isn’t listed, ensure it’s properly set up to be captured by GA4.
-
Enable as Conversion: Once the relevant event is identified, click on the toggle next to it to mark it as a conversion. This action tells GA4 to treat occurrences of this event as conversion actions, allowing for detailed conversion tracking and analysis.
Note: The setup and tracking process outlined above is a basic example tailored for general lead and conversion tracking from a Google Business Profile.
Setting up more complex custom events for tracking may require technical expertise; therefore, we recommend consulting with your agency or IT department for assistance.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, our deep dive into the capabilities of Google Business Profile (GBP) for car dealerships has not only been enlightening but also a clear indicator of the untapped potential it offers as a free lead-generation tool.
The realisation that we were overlooking a significant, cost-free avenue for traffic and leads was a crucial wake-up call, urging us to better utilise GBP through Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
This journey has underscored the importance of leveraging every digital asset at our disposal, especially those as valuable and cost-effective as GBP.
By adopting a more structured approach to tracking and analysing leads from GBP, we've outlined a pathway for car dealerships to fully exploit this platform, turning passive profiles into active lead magnets without incurring additional costs.
The process may require some technical know-how, particularly for setting up custom event tracking in GA4, but the investment of time and resources is minimal compared to the benefits of accessing free, high-quality leads.
Let this serve as a reminder of the power of GBP as a free resource that, when properly harnessed, can significantly enhance your dealership's online visibility and lead generation efforts.
Embrace the insights and strategies shared, and watch as your Google Business Profile transforms into a pivotal component of your digital marketing arsenal.