Get Tracking for Your Location
If you're a franchise owner or part of a branded network, you need to track how your specific location performs online. Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) help you understand how customers find your business and what they do on your website. This guide explains how to set up tracking for just your location, even when you're part of a larger brand.
What Are Google Search Console and GA4?
Google Search Console (GSC) shows you how your business appears in Google search results. It tells you:
What search terms people use to find your location
How often your business shows up in search results
Which pages on your website get the most clicks
Technical issues that might prevent customers from finding you
How your site performs on mobile phones
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tracks what happens after someone visits your website. It shows you:
How many people visit your location's pages
What pages they look at and for how long
Whether they call you, fill out forms, or request quotes
Where your visitors come from (Google search, Facebook, direct visits, etc.)
Which marketing efforts bring in the most customers
Why This Matters for Franchise Owners
When you're part of a franchise or brand, the corporate website often covers multiple locations. Without separate tracking for your location, you can't see:
How YOUR specific location performs in local searches
Whether YOUR marketing dollars are working
What YOUR customers are doing on your pages
How to improve YOUR local search rankings
Setting up location-specific tracking gives you the data you need to make smart decisions about your local marketing investments.
Understanding Properties and Subproperties
Think of your franchise website like an apartment building. The entire building is the main property (the full corporate website). Your specific apartment is a subproperty (your location's section of the website).
A "property" in Google's tools is simply the website or website section you're tracking.
A "subproperty" is a filtered view that shows data for just one part of a larger website, in your case, just your franchise location.
For example:
Main property:
https://www.acmeplumbing.com/Your location's subproperty:
https://www.acmeplumbing.com/dallas/
Two Methods to Track Your Franchise Location
Method 1: URL Prefix Property in Google Search Console
This method works when your location has its own section of the corporate website (like /dallas/ or /locations/dallas/).
Access Level Required: Administrator access to Google Search Console for the main domain property, or the ability to verify ownership of the URL prefix through HTML file upload, HTML tag, Google Analytics, or Google Tag Manager. Note: If someone else already has verified ownership of the main domain, they may need to add you as a user with appropriate permissions.
Step-by-Step Process:
Access Google Search Console: Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with your Google account.
Add Your Location as a New Property:
Click the property selector dropdown menu at the top left
Click "+ Add property"
Choose "URL Prefix":
You'll see two options: "Domain" and "URL prefix"
Select "URL prefix" (this lets you track a specific section)
Enter Your Location's URL:
Type the complete URL for your location's pages
Example:
https://www.acmeplumbing.com/dallas/Make sure to include the trailing slash (/) at the end. The URL must match exactly how it appears in your browser, including https:// (not http://)
Verify Ownership:
Google needs to confirm you have permission to access this data
Your corporate marketing team may need to help with verification
Common verification methods include:
Adding a small piece of code (HTML tag) to your location's pages
Uploading a special HTML file
Using existing Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager accounts
Access Your Location's Data:
Once verified, you'll see a separate property showing only your location's search performance
Data typically appears within 24-48 hours, though it can sometimes take up to 2-3 days for full data population
What You'll See:
Search terms specific to your location (e.g., "plumber near downtown Dallas")
How your location's pages rank in search results
Technical issues affecting your location's pages
Mobile usability for your location
Additional Resources:
Method 2: GA4 Subproperty (For Enterprise Accounts)
This method is more advanced and typically requires GA4 360 (the enterprise version). Your corporate marketing team would set this up, but here's how it works:
Access Level Required: Editor or Administrator access to the GA4 360 property at the account level. Only GA4 360 (enterprise) accounts have the subproperty feature available.
What Your Corporate Team Does:
Access GA4 Admin Settings:
Navigate to the Admin section of the GA4 360 account
Select "Subproperty management" under the Property column
Create Your Location's Subproperty:
Click "Create subproperty"
Name it clearly (e.g., "Acme Plumbing - Dallas Location")
Set up filters to include only data from your location's pages
Filters might include:
Page path contains
/dallas/Hostname equals your location's subdomain
City equals Dallas
Note: Subproperties inherit the data stream from the source property, so no additional tracking code installation is needed
Link to Search Console:
In the subproperty's Admin settings, go to "Product Links"
Select "Search Console links"
Connect to the corresponding Search Console property for your location
This combines search data with website behavior data
What You Get:
All GA4 tracking features focused only on your location
Visitor behavior specific to your location's pages
Conversion tracking (calls, form submissions, quote requests)
Integration with Search Console data for complete insights
Additional Resources:
Working With Your Corporate Marketing Team
Most franchise agreements require coordination with corporate for website changes and analytics access. Here's how to approach this conversation:
Questions to Ask Your Corporate Team:
"Does our franchise website structure support location-specific tracking?" (Do you have unique URLs like
/your-city/?)"Can you create a Google Search Console URL prefix property for my location?"
"Do we have GA4 360, and can you set up a subproperty for my location?"
"Who will have access to my location's data, and how do I view it?"
"What level of access will I have—can I view data only, or can I make changes?"
"Is there a dashboard or report already set up for franchise owners?"
Information to Provide:
Your exact location identifier (city, neighborhood, or franchise number)
Your complete location URL(s)
Your Google account email address for access
Specific metrics you want to track (calls, form submissions, etc.)
What to Do If Corporate Doesn't Provide This
Some franchise systems don't offer location-specific tracking. If that's your situation:
Request a Regular Report: Ask for monthly reports showing your location's performance metrics
Use Google Business Profile Insights: Your Google Business Profile provides local search data independent of the website
Track Phone Calls: Use call tracking numbers specific to your location to measure marketing effectiveness
Consider Location Pages: Propose that corporate add dedicated location pages if they don't exist
Use UTM Parameters: Ask corporate to add tracking codes to links pointing to your location so you can see traffic sources
Benefits Once Set Up
After your location-specific tracking is configured, you'll be able to:
Prove ROI: Show exactly which marketing efforts bring customers to your location
Identify Opportunities: Find high-performing search terms to target in local advertising
Fix Problems Quickly: Spot technical issues affecting your location before they cost you customers
Compete Locally: See how your location compares to others in your franchise system
Make Data-Driven Decisions: Invest marketing dollars where they'll have the biggest impact
Track Seasonal Trends: Understand when your location gets the most search traffic
Optimize Content: Know which services pages perform best for your local market
Common Questions
Will this affect my corporate website's overall tracking?
No. Creating a subproperty or URL prefix property adds additional tracking without changing existing corporate-level data.
How much does this cost?
Google Search Console is free. GA4 standard is free. GA4 360 (needed for subproperties) is an enterprise product with significant costs, so this would be a corporate decision.
How long does setup take?
With corporate cooperation, URL prefix properties can be set up in under an hour. GA4 subproperties may take a few days depending on corporate processes.
Do I need technical skills?
Basic setup requires minimal technical knowledge, but you'll likely need corporate IT or marketing team assistance for verification and access permissions.
Can I set this up myself without corporate?
Only if you have administrative access to the website and Google accounts. Most franchise agreements restrict this access to corporate teams.
What if my location doesn't have unique URLs?
You'll need to work with corporate to either create location-specific pages or use advanced GA4 filtering based on other factors like geographic data.
Need Help?
The Digital Shift team is happy to set up a call with your home office team if they need any help or additional information on implementing location-specific tracking. We can walk through the setup process, answer technical questions, and ensure your franchise gets the data visibility you need to succeed locally.