Google Business Profile insights provides business owners with comprehensive information about how their profile is performing across Google Search and Maps. This includes data on where customers are discovering your business, which keywords they’re using, and what actions they’re taking after finding you.
How to Access Your Insights
To view your business insights:
- Sign in to your Google Business Profile on desktop
- Select the location you wish to manage (if you have multiple locations)
- Click the “Performance” button
- Select the specific insights you wish to view
You can also download reports for deeper analysis. Navigate to “Actions” under your selected business profile, click “Insights,” and choose a time frame, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, or a custom range up to 18 months.
Key Metrics to Monitor
Search Visibility
The insights dashboard shows you how customers are finding your business. On average, businesses are found in 1,009 searches per month, with 84% coming from discovery searches (when customers search for a category, product, or service rather than your business name specifically).
This distinction between direct searches (when someone searches for your business by name) and discovery searches is crucial for understanding your brand awareness versus your category visibility. Between Q4 2017 and Q4 2018, direct searches grew by 38%, indicating increasing brand recognition for many businesses.
Profile Views
The insights show how many people viewed your business profile on Google Search and Maps. According to research, 49% of businesses receive more than 1,000 views on Search per month. The platform breakdown (mobile vs desktop) can significantly influence your marketing strategy, helping you determine where to focus your efforts.
Customer Actions
Perhaps the most valuable insights are those showing what actions customers take after finding your profile:
- Website clicks: Track how many visitors click through to your website
- Direction requests: See how many people asked for directions to your location
- Phone calls: Monitor calls made directly from your listing
- Message requests: View how many customers messaged your business
- Booking requests: For eligible businesses, see how many bookings were made
On average, 5% of Google Business Profile listing views result in a website click, call, or direction request. This conversion rate is a key performance indicator of your listing’s effectiveness.
Leveraging Insights for Marketing Decisions
Refine Your SEO Strategy
The search terms section reveals exactly which keywords customers are using to find your business. This information is gold for your SEO strategy. For example, if terms like “custom wedding cakes in Texas” frequently appear, you can:
- Incorporate these high-performing keywords into your website content
- Create targeted blog posts around these topics
- Update your business description to include these terms
- Develop services or products that align with these search interests
Businesses that use relevant keywords in their Google Business Profile listing see up to 50% more profile views.
Optimise Your Online Presence
The insights data can help you identify gaps in your online presence:
- If website clicks are low but profile views are high, your call-to-action might need strengthening
- If you’re getting many views but few customer actions, consider updating your business description, photos, or service offerings
- If certain days or times show peak search activity, schedule your posts and promotions accordingly
Photos play a crucial role in engagement-local businesses have a median of 11 photos on their profiles. Regularly uploading high-quality images of your products, services, and premises can significantly boost customer interest.
Inform Your Advertising Strategy
Understanding where and how customers find you can dramatically improve your advertising efficiency:
- If most of your traffic comes from mobile devices, prioritise mobile-friendly ads and content
- If certain geographic areas generate more direction requests, focus your local advertising in those regions
- If specific search terms drive the most traffic, use these in your Google Ads campaigns
This targeted approach ensures your advertising budget is directed where it will have the greatest impact.
Enhance Customer Engagement
The insights dashboard reveals patterns in how customers interact with your business:
- Call insights: Identify popular call times and potentially adjust staffing to handle peak periods
- Message insights: Understand when customers are most likely to message you and improve response times
- Direction requests: Track seasonal trends and geographic patterns to inform operational decisions
By responding to these patterns, you can improve customer service and increase conversion rates.
Turning Insights into Action
Monitor Performance Trends
Don’t just check your insights once-track them over time to identify trends and measure the impact of your marketing efforts. After making changes to your profile or launching a new campaign, monitor your insights to see if there’s a corresponding increase in views or customer actions.
For example, if you notice a spike in website clicks following a new promotion, you’ve found a successful strategy to replicate. Conversely, if direction requests decline after changing your business hours, you might need to reconsider that decision.
Compare Against Benchmarks
Research involving 45,000 business listings provides useful benchmarks to assess your performance:
- Car dealerships typically receive the highest number of calls and website visits
- Hotels generally have the highest views on Search and Maps
- The average business experiences significant growth in website clicks (29%) and calls (22%) year over year
Use these benchmarks to set realistic goals and identify areas where your business might be underperforming relative to your industry.
Integrate with Other Marketing Data
Google Business Profile insights become even more powerful when combined with other data sources:
- Cross-reference website clicks from your profile with Google Analytics data to track the customer journey
- Compare call volumes from your profile with your overall call tracking to measure attribution
- Align social media engagement metrics with profile views to understand cross-platform impact
This integrated approach provides a more complete picture of your marketing performance.
Real-World Success Stories
Consider Pike’s Place Chowders, a Seattle-based business that significantly increased customer interaction by regularly posting updates about operating hours, products, and services on their Google Business Profile.
Similarly, King Arthur Flour has successfully used the platform to directly interact with customers, answer inquiries, and respond to reviews, resulting in improved online visibility and customer loyalty.
These businesses demonstrate how actively managing your profile based on insights data can drive tangible results.
Building Trust Through Your Profile
One of the most significant benefits of an optimised Google Business Profile is increased trust. Brands that appear on Google are almost three times more likely to be considered reputable by consumers.
This trust factor is further enhanced by reviews, 90% of people read reviews before making a purchasing decision. By monitoring your insights and actively managing your profile, you can build a positive online reputation that converts browsers into buyers.
Conclusion
Google Business Profile insights provide a wealth of data that can transform your marketing strategy when properly leveraged. By understanding how customers find and interact with your business online, you can make informed decisions that improve visibility, drive engagement, and ultimately increase revenue.
Seasonal marketing on your GBP ensures your business stays relevant, visible, and competitive no matter the time of year. Start planning your seasonal updates today and watch your local business flourish with every season.
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