Navigate the Insights section of Google Business Profile.
Module 9 · Lesson 1
Profile Performance
Read and interpret your Google Business Profile performance data to make better decisions.
Learning Outcomes
Interpret the key performance metrics shown in the dashboard.
Identify trends and patterns in your profile data over time.
Use performance data to prioritise your profile improvement efforts.
Key Concepts
Google Business Profile Insights Overview
Google Business Profile provides a free analytics dashboard called Insights (or Performance in newer versions). This dashboard shows you how customers find your business, what they do when they find it, and where they are coming from. Understanding and acting on this data is one of the most powerful and underutilised aspects of Google Business Profile management.
How Customers Find You
The first key metric shows the breakdown of how customers discover your profile: Direct searches (they searched for your specific business name or address — they already know you exist), Discovery searches (they searched for a product, service or category and found you — new customer potential), and Branded searches (they searched using a brand or product your business carries). Discovery search volume is the most important metric for growth — it represents potential new customers who did not know your business before searching.
Where Customers Find You
This metric shows whether customers found you via Google Search or Google Maps. Many businesses see different ratios — some have predominantly Search traffic, others Maps-heavy traffic. This helps you understand which platform is more important for your specific business and where to focus optimisation efforts.
Customer Actions
The Customer Actions section shows what people did after finding your profile: Visited your website, Requested directions, Called or Sent a message. These action metrics show the real-world impact of your profile's visibility. Track these over time to measure improvement and calculate approximate ROI from your profile management efforts.
Photo Performance
The Photos section of Insights shows how many times your photos have been viewed compared to similar businesses. If your photo views are significantly lower than the competitor benchmark, adding more or better-quality photos is a priority action.
Step-by-Step Practice
Log in to Google Business Profile and navigate to the Insights/Performance section.
Record your current key metrics — searches, views, website clicks, calls, direction requests, photo views.
Note the breakdown of Direct vs Discovery searches — what percentage are discovery searches?
Compare your photo views to the similar businesses benchmark.
Create a monthly metrics tracking spreadsheet and enter this month's baseline data.
Ian's practical tip: I can navigate the Insights/Performance section of Google Business Profile. I have recorded my current baseline metrics in a tracking spreadsheet. I understand the difference between Direct and Discovery searches. I have a monthly review schedule set up for my Insights data.
Practical Activity
Complete and record this task
Check your Insights on the same day every month — the first Monday works well. Record all key metrics in a spreadsheet. Over 3–6 months, patterns will emerge showing which optimisation actions are driving real results. Data without tracking is just noise — track consistently to find the signal.