UTM tracking for a park Google profile
Twenty minutes of setup separates the map listing from the rest of the search traffic, permanently.
By Korey Brooks · Published August 29, 2026
Without tagged links, traffic from the Google listing is hard to separate from ordinary search traffic. Adding parameters to the links on the profile gives it its own line in the analytics. A park can then see what the listing is actually producing.
It is one of the few free measurement improvements available to a park, and most listings do not have it.
What a UTM parameter is
Text added to the end of a link that tells the analytics where the click came from. The link works exactly as before, and the extra text is recorded on arrival.
Five parameters exist. Three matter here.
| Parameter | What it records | Value to use |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | Where the click came from | google |
utm_medium | What kind of link it was | organic or gbp |
utm_campaign | Which link on the profile | Named per link, see below |
utm_content | Optional variant detail | Rarely needed here |
utm_term | Paid search keyword | Not applicable |
The links to tag
A profile can carry several links, and each deserves its own campaign value so they report separately.
- The main website link. The one most campers use.
- The booking or reservations link, where the profile supports one.
- Any menu, services or products links the profile offers.
- Links inside Google posts, which are worth tagging separately from the profile itself.
Tagging them identically defeats the point. The value is in knowing whether campers click through to read about the park or go straight to checking availability.
The exact structure
Take the destination URL, add a question mark, then the parameters joined by ampersands.
Main website link:
https://example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp-websiteBooking link:
https://example.com/reservations?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp-bookingA link inside a Google post:
https://example.com/events?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp-post-fall-ratesWhere the destination URL already contains a question mark, join with an ampersand instead of adding a second one.
Four rules that prevent a mess later. Keep everything lowercase, because these values are case-sensitive and Google reports separately from google. Use hyphens rather than spaces. Use the same source and medium on every profile link. And write the convention down somewhere, because the person tagging next year will not remember it.
Which medium value to use
There is a real choice here, and both answers are defensible.
Using organic keeps the traffic grouped with other unpaid search in reports, which is tidy but makes the listing harder to isolate. Using gbp creates a separate channel that stands out, at the cost of sitting outside the default groupings until the reporting is adjusted.
For most parks the second is more useful, because the reason for tagging at all is to see the listing on its own. Whichever is chosen, use it consistently. Mixing both produces two rows for one thing.
Where it shows up
In GA4, tagged traffic appears in the traffic acquisition reporting, under session source and medium. The campaign values distinguish the website link from the booking link.
Allow a day before expecting to see anything, and check with a real click from a phone rather than assuming it worked. Testing the tagged link once is worth more than reading about it.
Three things to watch after a month. How many sessions arrive from the listing. What share of them reach the availability or contact page. And how both move after work on the profile. The measurement side is covered in tracking RV park bookings from Google.
What this does not measure
Worth being clear about, because tagging can create false confidence.
- Calls from the listing. A camper tapping the phone number never reaches the website, so no parameter is involved.
- Direction requests. Same, and at a park those are a meaningful share of the activity.
- Campers who read the listing and booked later by typing the park's name, which attribution reports as direct.
- Anything a camper did on a different device from the one that clicked.
- What the listing contributed to a decision, as opposed to what it was the final click for.
Google's own profile reporting covers some of the gaps, particularly calls and direction requests. The two together give a fuller picture than either alone.
What tagging does not affect
It has no bearing on ranking. Google describes local ranking in terms of relevance, distance and prominence, and adding parameters to a link is a measurement change rather than an optimisation.
Nor does it change what a camper sees. The link behaves identically, and the parameters are visible only in the address bar afterwards.
Find out whether the listing links are tagged at all.
The free Google Profile Audit checks link tagging, the pin, hours, categories, photos and unanswered reviews. One page, by email.
Prefer email? Write to info@fillmypark.com