Google Business Profile Meets Analytics: What the New Link Can (and Can't) Do

• Since mid-2026, Google has been linking your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) directly to Google Analytics 4 (Google’s analytics tool).
• Through this link, seven profile metrics are sent to Analytics: interactions, website clicks, calls, directions, messages, bookings, and menus.
• You don’t need any additional tracking code for this. The link is managed through the Analytics admin panel.
• The limitations are clear: The data only goes back 6 months. If you have multiple locations, you’ll only see the total, not the breakdown by location.
• This is a measurement tool, not a ranking tool. It gives you more insight into your local impact. It does not change your position on Google.

Two worlds of numbers that have never crossed paths.

In one is your Google Business Profile. It tracks how often people call, view directions, or click through to your website. In the other are your website statistics. They track visits, time spent on the site, and inquiries submitted via the contact form.

Until now, these two worlds were separate. If you wanted to see the calls from your profile alongside your website visits, you had to click through two tools and do the math in your head. Google is now closing this gap. You can connect your Business Profile directly to Analytics.

This post explains the feature. You’ll learn what the link does, how to set it up, and its limitations. And you’ll discover why it improves measurement, not your ranking.

Exactly what the new link does

The link pulls metrics from your business profile into your Analytics property (your analytics account for a website or app).

Google describes it this way for business owners: The link brings key profile metrics directly into Analytics. You can see the local impact of your profile alongside behavior on your website, all in one place. According to the Google Analytics help page on linking, a separate report collection named “Google Business Profile” will appear in your reports for this purpose. It only appears if a link is established.

An important point to note upfront: Only profile metrics are fed into Analytics. No website data flows back into the profile. It’s a one-way process.

Which seven metrics appear in Analytics

Google specifies exactly seven aggregated metrics in its documentation. “Aggregated” means: summarized across all linked profiles.

Here’s an interesting detail that surprises many people: Analytics displays all seven metrics, regardless of your industry. This is different from the performance dashboard in your business profile, where Google hides metrics that don’t apply to your business.

Specifically, this means that as a mechanical engineer, you’ll also see “Menus” and “Bookings” in Analytics. For you, these will usually show as zero. This isn’t an error. It’s simply how the feature works. It provides the full set of metrics and doesn’t filter by industry.

Here’s how to connect the two

To set this up, you’ll need two accounts and a few minutes. The steps are performed in Analytics, not in the profile.

Step 1: Check your roles. In Analytics, you need the “Editor” or “Administrator” role. For your Business Profile, you need “Owner” or “Manager” permissions. Without these roles, Google won’t create the link.

Step 2: Open the Admin section in Analytics. Go to the Admin section. Under “Product Links,” click “Google Business Profile Links.”

Step 3: Link. Click “Link.” Select the profile or profiles you manage. Review the data sharing information and confirm.

After that, the new report suite will appear in your reports. You can link a single property to multiple profiles. You can only delete the link later in the Analytics Admin section, not within the profile itself.

The Honest Part: Where the Link Ends

The feature is handy. However, it has clear limitations, and you should be aware of them beforehand. Google lists them itself.

• 6-month lookback. The reports only show the last 6 months. Even if you select a longer time period in Analytics, the display stops there.
• Only the total for multiple locations. If you link multiple profiles, you’ll see the total. You can’t filter or break down the data by individual location.
• No custom analysis. The profile metrics cannot be used in your own analyses (explorations), comparisons, or filters.
• All or nothing. You cannot share individual metrics. The link always shares all seven.
• Not for subproperties. This feature is not intended for subproperties (subordinate Analytics accounts).

That’s no reason to avoid using it. It’s a reason to set your expectations clearly. The link provides a quick overview, not a deep analysis tool. If you want to analyze by location, continue using the performance dashboard in the profile.

And one more point to keep in mind: The numbers in the profile dashboard and in Analytics may differ. Both systems calculate metrics slightly differently. Use the Analytics view as a shared perspective on local impact and the website, not as an exact replacement for the dashboard.

Who Will Benefit

A word of caution. Not every company will benefit equally from this integration.

The link pays off for companies with a genuine local presence: location, directions, phone calls, brick-and-mortar store, and regional customers. In other words, for tradespeople, local retailers, and regional suppliers in the B2B SME sector. If you have a well-maintained profile, you can now see in one place whether people are actually landing on your website after clicking the contact link on your profile. In that case, it’s worth checking out “Local Visibility and Measurement” if your profile itself isn’t running smoothly yet.

Those who operate purely on a national level and don’t maintain an active profile won’t gain much here. For them, it’s still just about website metrics.

In projects, we see the same reaction as with other Google features. Many hope for a toggle that boosts visibility across the board. There isn’t one here. The real benefit is more subtle: you measure your local impact more accurately and make decisions based on data rather than gut feeling.

Without the link, the two sets of metrics remain separate. You’ll see activity in your profile without knowing how much of it translates to your website. It’s no big deal, but it’s a bit of control you can regain with just a few clicks. If you want to set up your website analytics properly, this link already gets you off to a good start.

• Google Analytics Help, Connect Google Business Profile to Google Analytics. support.google.com
• Google Business Profile Help, Connect your Business Profile to Google Analytics. support.google.com
• Google Business Profile Help, Understand Your Business Profile Performance & Insights. support.google.com