Google Analytics 4 allows you to link a property with one or more Google Business Profiles. This integration can be useful for checking some metrics related to a company’s local presence on Google Search and Google Maps directly from GA4, such as website clicks, calls, or direction requests.
Even so, it is important to understand what this link does and does not provide. It does not replace the Google Business Profile performance panel, nor does it allow you to analyze all data with the same level of detail as other GA4 reports. However, it can help centralize part of the information and provide a slightly more complete view of the user journey.
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What is the integration between Google Analytics 4 and Google Business Profile?
The integration between Google Analytics 4 and Google Business Profile allows you to link a GA4 property with one or more business profiles. Once the link has been created, Analytics can show some metrics related to how users find and interact with the business on Google Search and Google Maps.
Put simply, this integration brings part of the Google Business Profile information into GA4. For example, it can help you check actions such as website clicks, calls, or direction requests from Analytics.
This does not mean that all Google Business Profile data becomes available in GA4. The integration adds an additional layer of local information inside the property, but it still has important limitations that are worth understanding before using it as your main source of analysis.
What data can be viewed in GA4?
Once the link has been created, Google Analytics 4 can show a new report collection called Google Business Profile. This collection only appears when the GA4 property has at least one active link with a Business Profile.
Within these reports, you can see some aggregated profile metrics, such as interactions, website clicks, calls, direction requests, messages, or bookings. In other words, actions that help you understand how users interact with the business from Google Search and Google Maps.
It is important to keep in mind that this data appears in aggregated form. If you link several Business Profiles to the same GA4 property, the metrics will show the sum of all of them, not the individual detail of each profile.
There is also an important difference compared with the Google Business Profile performance panel. In GA4, all available Business Profile metrics may be shown, even if some of them are not relevant to your type of business. By contrast, the native Business Profile panel may hide metrics that do not apply to that specific company.
Why link Google Business Profile with Google Analytics 4?
This link can make sense when the Business Profile plays an important role in generating traffic or leads. For example, for local businesses, companies with physical stores, clinics, restaurants, offices, or any project where visibility on Google has an impact beyond website visits.
The main advantage is not so much discovering completely new metrics, but having part of that information in the same environment where digital performance is already analyzed. This can make some reports easier to build and help prevent local activity from being completely separated from the rest of the marketing data.
It can also be useful when working with several profiles and you want to get a general view of their combined performance. It is not useful for analyzing each location in great detail, but it can help you understand whether the profiles are generating interaction in aggregate.
Even so, this is not an essential integration for every business. If the Business Profile does not have a relevant role in acquisition, or if you need a more granular analysis by location, you will probably still need to rely on other data sources and proper measurement with UTM parameters.
Requirements to create the link
Before creating the link, it is worth checking that you have the required permissions in both tools. In Google Analytics 4, you need to have the editor or administrator role in the property you want to link.
You also need to have owner or manager permissions for the Google Business Profiles that you want to connect with GA4. If you do not have that level of access, you may not be able to complete the link, or some profiles may not appear during the process.
This point is important because the integration does not only depend on having access to GA4. The Google account you are using also needs to have sufficient permissions over the business profiles. If you work with clients, local teams, or several locations, it is worth reviewing this before you start to avoid confusion during the setup.
How to link GA4 with Google Business Profile
The link is created from the administration section of Google Analytics 4. To start, you need to open the GA4 property you want to connect and go to the section for product links.
Within that section, you will find the option to link with Google Business Profile. From there, GA4 allows you to start the process, select the profiles you manage, and confirm the connection between both tools.
During the process, Google Analytics shows information about the data that will be shared. It is worth reviewing this before confirming the link, especially if you work with several locations or with profiles managed by different teams.
Once the setup is complete, the Google Analytics property is linked with the selected Business Profiles.
Remember that the same GA4 property can be linked with several profiles, so you do not need to create a different property for each location if what you need is an aggregated view.
Why do some Business Profiles not appear when trying to link them?
During the linking process, GA4 shows the Business Profiles that you can select with the Google account you are using. In theory, if you have the required permissions, you should be able to select the profile you want to connect.
However, some profiles may not appear in that list even if you have access to them. One example is Business Profiles that are part of a business group.
In these cases, the current integration does not allow you to directly select profiles managed inside a group. This means the problem is not always related to GA4 permissions or an account error, but to a limitation of the link itself.
If this happens, the option currently available is to link the profiles individually after removing them from the business group. In this case, I would consider whether the integration is really necessary. It is quite likely that the advantages offered by the centralization provided by business groups are more interesting than the possibility of viewing aggregated metrics inside GA4.
Also, if you need to analyze the traffic that arrives on the website from each profile, it is still recommended to keep using URLs tagged with UTM parameters.
This point is especially important for companies with several locations or for agencies that manage profiles for different clients. Although the integration can be useful, it still does not cover some common profile management scenarios at a larger scale very well.
Where to find the data in GA4
When the link is active, GA4 adds a new report collection called Google Business Profile. This collection appears inside the reports section of the property and is only available when there is at least one link with a Business Profile.
Within that collection, GA4 shows cards with metrics coming from the linked profiles. The idea is that you can review the performance of these profiles from GA4, without having to rely only on the native Business Profile panel.
Even so, it is important to interpret these reports carefully. If you have linked several profiles, the data appears aggregated, so you will not see the separate performance of each location inside these reports.
It is also worth keeping in mind the available data period. GA4 can only show Business Profile metrics from the last six months, even if you select a wider date range in the report.
Limitations of the integration
Although the integration can be useful, its limitations should be clear. It does not work like other native GA4 data and does not offer the same level of analysis that you can have with events, dimensions, or custom reports.
One of the main limitations is that the data appears aggregated. If you link several Business Profiles with the same GA4 property, you will not be able to segment or filter the metrics by individual profile. This may be enough for a general view, but it falls short if you need to analyze the performance of each location separately.
There are also limitations in terms of customization. Business Profile metrics cannot be used in custom explorations, comparisons, or filters. So, although the data appears inside GA4, you will not be able to work with it with the same flexibility as other property data.
Another important point is that there are no granular controls over the data being shared. When you create the link, the available Business Profile metrics are shared, without being able to choose some and exclude others. The integration is also not available for subproperties.
Finally, there are some more operational limitations. The reports only show data from the last six months, and address changes in the profiles may take some time to be reflected in GA4. In addition, links can only be deleted from the Google Analytics administration section.
Is it still recommended to use UTM parameters?
Yes. Even if you have created the link between GA4 and Google Business Profile, it still makes sense to tag the profile links with UTM parameters.
The integration adds specific reports inside GA4, but UTMs serve a different purpose. They help you better identify the traffic that reaches the website from the Business Profile link and analyze it within the usual acquisition reports.
For example, you can use a specific source and medium to differentiate this traffic from other organic clicks coming from Google. You can also add additional information in the campaign name if you want to distinguish between profiles, locations, or link types. This will allow you to analyze separately the behavior of users who arrive through your business listing.
Therefore, this does not replace the native integration, and the native integration does not necessarily replace UTMs. They are two different measurement layers that can coexist: one provides specific Business Profile reports, while the other helps you classify website sessions more accurately.
How to delete the link between GA4 and Google Business Profile
If at some point you want to stop sending this data to Google Analytics, you can delete the link from the GA4 administration interface.
To do this, you need to go back to the product links section and open Google Business Profile links. From the links table, you can open the options menu for the corresponding link and delete it.
This action has to be performed by a user with editor or administrator permissions in the Google Analytics property. So, if you do not see the option to delete the link, the first thing I would check is your access level in that property.
In conclusion, the link between Google Analytics 4 and Google Business Profile is a simple integration, but it can be useful when local presence plays an important role in the business. It allows you to check part of that information from GA4 and prevents the analysis of the Business Profile from being completely separated from the rest of the digital reports.
