Understanding how to leverage Google Business Profile Analytics

One of the most effective ways to increase your business's online visibility is by maintaining a Google Business Profile that establishes your brand authority. This profile allows potential customers to learn about your company, its services, and its trustworthiness.

Creating a Google Business Profile is straightforward, but optimising it requires leveraging Google Business Profile Insights. These insights provide data on your local search performance, customer interactions, and more.

In this guide, we'll cover the essential aspects of Google Business Profile Analytics (GBP Analytics), the key metrics to focus on, how to access them, and the importance of UTM for tracking traffic.

Understanding GBP Analytics

Google Business Profile, launched in June 2014 and previously known as Google My Business (until 2021), is a platform that businesses use to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps.  The platform replaced tools like Google Places for Business, Google+ Business Pages, and Google Listings.

Having a Google Business Profile can significantly increase your online visibility:

• 49% of businesses receive over a thousand views per month through Google Search.
• Typical businesses appear in about 1009 searches per month.
• Businesses see an average of 59 consumer actions monthly.

These benefits are more attainable with an optimised Google Business Profile, and understanding your analytics is crucial for optimisation.

Accessing GBP Analytics

Google Business Profile Analytics provides data on your local search performance, such as how customers find your business, their actions, and the frequency of your business being discovered. This data can inform your business decisions.

Any business with a verified profile can access GBP Analytics through the Google Business Profile dashboard or Google Analytics.  However, your business must meet certain criteria:

• Have a physical storefront or a place for direct client interaction.
• Operate both online and offline.
• Have a customer-accessible office if services are provided at other locations.

Viewing your Google Business Profile metrics

You can access your profile metrics on various platforms, including Business Profile Manager and Maps. Here’s how:

1.  Go to your Google Business Profile.
2.  Select Promote > Performance.
3.  Choose the date range for the insights report.
4.  Click Apply.

For bulk reports:

1.  Select the relevant business profiles.
2.  Toggle Download Insights at the top of your locations list.
3.  Click Get report.
4.  Choose your data range.
5.  Click Download.

Metrics are also viewable via Google Maps, provided you are the profile owner or an authorised manager using the correct Google account.

Important Google Business Profile metrics

Several important metrics help you understand customer interactions with your profile:

Direct searches:  Users who find your website by entering your brand name directly in the search bar.

Discovery searches:  Users searching for general products or services, leading them to discover your brand.

Branded searches:  Searches for your brand or related brands, without specifying a location.

Total searches:  The sum of direct, discovery, and branded searches.

Views on search: Data on how many customers found your business through Google Search.

Clicks:  The number of times users clicked on your website link from search results.

Directions:  Requests for directions to your physical store or office.

Calls:  The total number of phone calls received from customers clicking your profile's call button.

Using Google Analytics for GBP Metrics

While the Business Profile dashboard provides basic metrics, Google Analytics offers a deeper analysis of your website traffic, including detailed insights from your GBP listing. This helps you understand visitor behaviour, interaction, and conversion, offering a more comprehensive view of your online performance.