Join us in Dallas for LocalU
October 20, 2026 - Just $299
Google Search Console Advanced Reporting: Unlock Local SEO Insights From Search Console
We often get questions about how Google Search Console tracks activity from the local results and how you can get insights of your local SEO performance in Search Console. I’m hoping this article will provide some clarity on many questions I’ve been asked over the years about it.
Jump To:
hide
Search Console does report on activity from the local results, and it is not automatically segmented
Organic traffic includes traffic from Google’s local pack along with the traditional search results. If you get a traditional 3-pack, the first organic position below it will actually be counted as position 4 in Search Console.
You need to use UTM codes in Google Business Places (GBP) to separate traffic that comes from the local results
We recommend adding UTM codes to any URL field in Google Business Places including the website field, appointment URL field, and menu URL. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Use all lower-case letters since Google Analytics treats capital letters differently (tip from Dana DiTomaso)
- Keep the source as google and the medium as organic to make sure it doesn’t make it look like you experienced a traffic drop when using some tools (such as the Panguin tool).
- Use the campaign field for naming the different fields in GBP. The end result will look something like this: https://www.example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbpwebsite
Branded Queries that return a Knowledge Panel will make no sense unless you add a lot of filters
Let me share an example. Often when you search a business name, you get a Knowledge Panel such as the one displayed below for Sterling Sky which is pulling in our Google Business Profile (GBP) listing.
If I add a filter in Search Console to just look at traffic to a client’s brand name and look at the pages tab, it will break out how many people clicked on the GBP listing vs the traditional organic result.
What makes no sense at first glance is the average position. Why is the position 30+? This is often due to the Google Search Console Insight Knowledge Panel not being presented the same way in multiple countries. In the example below, this business is in the USA. If I look at the traffic to just their GBP website URL (using UTM codes) for searches on their brand name, it shows very different results.
But you might still be wondering why the USA shows an average position 8.4. Glenn Gabe did a great job explaining how Google counts Knowledge Panel positions by clarifying that positions are counted first top to bottom and then left to right. Based on his explanation, I would expect the position for this to be 11, not 8.4. However, this all became clearer when I added the country filter for the USA and looked at the Devices tab. 
This explains the variance. See on mobile, the Knowledge Panel is actually the first result and often shows immediately above the organic results as shown in the example below.
The majority of mobile impressions/actions on the GBP listing are not tracked in Search Console
If you’re looking in Search Console at the URL that has the UTM codes and wondering why the numbers for mobile look so odd, it’s important to remember that many 3-packs on mobile do not have website fields on them. This means that you’ll likely see way less impressions from mobile devices when compared to desktop. If a user clicks on your listing, the website field will be present on the next screen so it often results in a lot of clicks but very few impressions. Also, clicks for driving directions and clicks-to-call are tracked in the Google Business Profile dashboard but are not presented in Search Console. 
You can also check out our article and get advice on Local Service Ads for Lawyers. And connect with Joy and our other product experts in the Google Business Profile community.
Join us in Dallas for LocalU
Why would google allow, disallow and then again allow UTM codes? After having google remove over 100 of the UTM URLs I had added to GMB listings, I don’t think I’ll be putting in that effort again until I am certain it won’t again be removed without warning.
There’s no saying if they’re here to stay or not. I would still suggest using UTM codes though even if they don’t show up in Search Console. They still show up in Analytics either way and that data is very useful.
Why would google allow, disallow and then again allow UTM codes? After having google remove over 100 of the UTM URLs I had added to GMB listings, I don’t think I’ll be putting in that effort again until I am certain it won’t again be removed without warning.
There’s no saying if they’re here to stay or not. I would still suggest using UTM codes though even if they don’t show up in Search Console. They still show up in Analytics either way and that data is very useful.
Hello,
If “The majority of mobile impressions/actions on the GBP listings are not tracked in Search Console” then does that mean the majority of mobile local positions are also not tracked? And if that’s the case, then using GSC to analyze a local search program that has 80% of their traffic on Mobile is probably not advisable, correct?
Thank you!
Yes, if mobile impressions are not being tracked, then the mobile local position reported in search console likely is not accurate and thus should not be used heavily for analysis purposes.
Hello,
If “The majority of mobile impressions/actions on the GBP listings are not tracked in Search Console” then does that mean the majority of mobile local positions are also not tracked? And if that’s the case, then using GSC to analyze a local search program that has 80% of their traffic on Mobile is probably not advisable, correct?
Thank you!
Yes, if mobile impressions are not being tracked, then the mobile local position reported in search console likely is not accurate and thus should not be used heavily for analysis purposes.
What about variations in UTM clicks in Search Console and Website Clicks from GBP? We have quite a few clients that show significant variations between the two figures, especially when we’re making YoY comparisons.
(Ex. Location A: UTM Clicks +52% YoY vs GBP Website Clicks -38% YoY)
Are they running Ads? GBP Insights does not filter out Ads data, so if you are running location ads in maps, the impression data reported in GBP includes Ad impressions.
They are running ads, but would that account for the discrepancy between Website Clicks & UTM Clicks?
What do you mean by Website Clicks & UTM Clicks? Do you mean the discrepancy between what's reported in Search Console vs GBP Insight?
Correct
What about variations in UTM clicks in Search Console and Website Clicks from GBP? We have quite a few clients that show significant variations between the two figures, especially when we’re making YoY comparisons.
(Ex. Location A: UTM Clicks +52% YoY vs GBP Website Clicks -38% YoY)
Are they running Ads? GBP Insights does not filter out Ads data, so if you are running location ads in maps, the impression data reported in GBP includes Ad impressions.
They are running ads, but would that account for the discrepancy between Website Clicks & UTM Clicks?