How to Use GMB Insights to Improve Your Listing

Google My Business (GMB) is an indispensable tool for businesses aiming to enhance their local visibility and connect with potential customers. However, creating a GMB listing is only the first step. To truly leverage its potential, you need to analyze and act on the data provided by GMB Insights. This feature offers valuable metrics about how users interact with your business online, allowing you to make informed decisions to optimize your listing. Here’s how to effectively use GMB Insights to improve your listing and grow your business.

1. Understanding GMB Insights

GMB Insights is a built-in analytics tool that provides data about your listing’s performance. It focuses on key metrics such as how customers find you, what actions they take, and how they engage with your business.

Key Metrics in GMB Insights:

Search Queries: Shows whether customers found you via direct, discovery, or branded searches.
Views: Displays how many times your listing was seen on Google Search and Maps.
Customer Actions: Tracks actions like website visits, phone calls, direction requests, and messages.
Photo Views and Quantity: Measures engagement with your uploaded photos compared to competitors.
Popular Times: Indicates when your business is busiest, based on customer activity.

By interpreting these metrics, you can identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to improve your listing.

2. Optimizing Based on Search Queries

One of the most valuable insights provided is the type of search query that led users to your business. Queries are categorized as:

Direct Searches: Customers search for your business name or address.
Discovery Searches: Customers find your business through a category, product, or service search.
Branded Searches: Customers looking for a brand related to your business.

How to Use This Data:

Expand Keywords: If discovery searches dominate, identify the keywords customers use and integrate them into your website, posts, and listing description.
Strengthen Branding: If direct or branded searches are low, focus on increasing brand awareness through marketing campaigns.
Adjust Services: Analyze which services or products attract the most searches and prioritize them in your marketing.

3. Enhancing Visibility with View Metrics

Views data indicates where customers see your business on Google Search or Maps. A higher number of views on Maps may suggest strong local visibility, while search views may reflect effective keyword usage.

Strategies to Improve Views:

Optimize Location Information: Ensure your address and contact details are accurate and match across all platforms.
Update Business Hours: Keep your hours updated, especially during holidays, to appear reliable.
Add Service Areas: If you serve multiple locations, specify your service areas in the GMB dashboard.

Regular updates to your listing ensure it remains relevant, boosting its visibility in both search and Maps.

4. Driving Customer Actions

Customer actions like website visits, phone calls, and direction requests reflect the effectiveness of your listing in converting views into engagement.

Improving Customer Actions:

Enhance Call-to-Action (CTA): Use action-driven language in your description and posts, such as “Call Now,” “Visit Us Today,” or “Learn More.”
Regular Posts: Share updates, offers, or events through GMB posts to attract user interest.
Utilize Messaging: Enable the messaging feature to engage directly with potential customers and answer queries in real-time.

Tracking customer actions helps you understand what drives engagement and allows you to refine your approach.

5. Leveraging Photo Insights

Photos play a significant role in attracting customers. GMB Insights provides data on how often your photos are viewed and how your photo engagement compares to similar businesses.

Tips for Photo Optimization:

High-Quality Images: Upload clear, professional photos of your storefront, interior, and products.
Showcase Your Offerings: Highlight popular products, seasonal items, or special promotions.
Update Regularly: Frequently add new photos to keep your listing dynamic and engaging.

Photos create a visual connection with potential customers, enhancing their likelihood of choosing your business over competitors.

6. Identifying Popular Times

The “Popular Times” feature provides insights into when your business is most active. This data can help you manage resources and tailor marketing efforts.

How to Use Popular Times:

Staffing Adjustments: Schedule employees strategically during peak hours to handle increased customer flow.
Promotions: Launch targeted promotions during slow periods to attract more customers.
Business Hours: Adjust your hours to align with customer behavior, such as opening earlier or staying open later during peak times.

By understanding when customers engage most with your business, you can optimize operations and enhance their experience.

7. Monitoring and Improving Reviews

Customer reviews are a critical component of your GMB listing. Insights track the volume and sentiment of reviews, helping you understand customer satisfaction.

Steps to Improve Reviews:

Encourage Reviews: Ask satisfied customers to leave positive feedback, and make it easy for them by sharing a direct link.
Respond to Reviews: Acknowledge positive reviews and address negative ones professionally to build trust.
Act on Feedback: Use constructive criticism to improve your products, services, or customer experience.

Positive reviews boost your credibility, while professional handling of negative reviews demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.

8. Competitor Analysis

GMB Insights allows you to compare your photo and post engagement with competitors in your industry. This data helps you identify areas where you can improve.

Outperform Competitors:

Post Regularly: Share posts with compelling images, offers, or updates to keep your listing active.
Diversify Content: Experiment with videos, infographics, and customer testimonials to enhance engagement.
Analyze Trends: Monitor successful competitor strategies and adapt them to your business.

Staying ahead of competitors ensures your listing remains attractive and engaging to customers.

9. Tracking Growth Over Time

Google My Business Optimization Company provides a timeline of your listing’s performance, helping you track growth and evaluate the success of your strategies.

Evaluate Performance:

Compare current metrics with past performance to identify trends.
Adjust your marketing campaigns based on seasonal changes or shifts in customer behavior.
Set measurable goals, such as increasing views, actions, or reviews, and monitor your progress.

Consistent tracking ensures you stay aligned with your business objectives and continue improving your listing.

10. Conclusion

Google My Business Insights is a powerful tool for enhancing your local SEO strategy. By understanding and acting on the data provided, you can optimize your listing to attract more customers, improve engagement, and stay ahead of competitors.

From analyzing search queries and customer actions to leveraging photo insights and reviews, each metric offers valuable insights into how your business is performing. Regularly monitoring these metrics and making data-driven adjustments will ensure your GMB listing remains a vital asset in your marketing strategy.

With GMB Insights, you’re not just managing a listing you’re unlocking a wealth of opportunities to grow your business and strengthen your local presence.