Open your Business Profile and select Performance. Record five numbers each month: calls, messages, direction requests, website clicks and the searches that showed your listing. Compare each month with the same month last year, not with last month, because demand is seasonal.
Where to find it
Open your Google Business Profile. Select Performance. Google shows the last six months by default. You can select a different period.
Google changed this report in 2022 and again after that. Older screenshots on other websites show a report that no longer exists. Use what you see in your dashboard.
What each number means
- Calls. The number of taps on the call button on your listing. It does not include a customer who writes the number down and calls later, so your real number is higher.
- Messages. The number of chats started, if you have messaging on.
- Bookings. The number of appointments from a booking link, if you use one.
- Direction requests. The number of customers who asked for directions. This is the best proof of local demand for a business with a shop.
- Website clicks. The number of taps on your website link.
- Searches showing your listing. The words that customers typed before Google showed your business. This is the most useful part of the report.
- Views. The number of times that people saw your listing on Search and on Maps. Treat this as background information only.
The numbers that matter
Three numbers tell you if the work operates.
- Calls. This is the business result. Everything else supports it.
- Direction requests. A strong signal of customers close to you.
- The search words. They show the jobs that Google connects to your listing.
Views are the number that agencies show when the other numbers are flat. A large view count with few calls means that customers see you and select another business. That is a listing problem: photos, reviews or the service list.
How to use the search words
The search list is a free list of the words that your customers use.
- Find the services that are missing. If customers search for a service that is not in your service list, add it.
- Find the words for your website. Use the same words on your service pages.
- Find your brand searches. Searches for your business name show repeat customers and referrals. A high number is good.
- Find the wrong searches. If most searches are for a service that you do not want, your categories are wrong.
How to compare months
- Compare with the same month last year. Demand in most trades is seasonal. July against June tells you about the weather, not about your marketing.
- Use a six-month view to see a trend. One month is noise.
- Write the numbers in a simple sheet each month. Google keeps a limited history.
- Record your position in the same sheet. Calls without position data cannot tell you the cause of a change.
Five mistakes when people read the report
- They use views as the main number. Views do not pay for work.
- They compare with last month. Seasons move these numbers more than any marketing.
- They forget calls that the report does not count. Many customers call from a saved number.
- They read one month and make a large change. Wait for a trend.
- They never look at the search words. That is the part with the most value.