Story Based Question
You’ve been managing the Google My Business (GMB) profile for a local restaurant for a few months, and you’ve noticed some changes in how customers are finding and interacting with your business. One day, you log into your GMB account and see a section called “Insights” with a lot of interesting data: how many people searched for your restaurant, how they found it, and what actions they took. At first, you’re unsure how to use this information to your advantage. What exactly are GMB Insights, and how can they help you optimize your local SEO strategy?
Exact Answer
GMB Insights provide valuable data on how users interact with your Google My Business profile. This includes information on how customers find your business, the actions they take, and the specific search terms they use. By analyzing these insights, you can make informed decisions to improve your GMB profile, enhance user engagement, and adjust your local SEO strategy to attract more customers.
Explanation
Google My Business (GMB) Insights is a powerful tool that helps business owners understand how their GMB profile is performing. It gives you access to detailed analytics that show how customers are finding and interacting with your business online. Here’s how to use GMB Insights effectively for local SEO:
- Understanding How Customers Find Your Business
GMB Insights shows you where your customers are coming from. This includes:- Direct searches: When users search for your business name or address.
- Discovery searches: When users search for a category, product, or service that you offer but didn’t know your business existed.
- Branded searches: When users search for your business along with its location, like “restaurant near me.”
- Tracking Customer Actions
GMB Insights tracks various customer actions on your profile. These include:- Calls: How many people clicked on your phone number to call.
- Website visits: How many users clicked through to your website from your GMB profile.
- Request directions: How many times users clicked for directions to your business.
- Reviews: How often customers left reviews.
- Analyzing Search Queries
GMB Insights also reveals the specific search terms users are typing to find your business. This can be a goldmine for refining your local SEO strategy. If certain keywords are driving more traffic, you can integrate those terms into your GMB profile, your website content, or your blog posts to attract more local customers. For instance, if “Italian restaurant in [your city]” is a popular search term, make sure to mention your restaurant’s cuisine and location in your business description and posts. - Tracking View Metrics
GMB Insights shows how often your business profile has been viewed in local search results or on Google Maps. It tells you how many times your profile has appeared in searches and how often it has been seen by users browsing Google Maps. This data helps you understand how visible your business is and whether your local SEO efforts are improving your online presence. - Adjusting Your Strategy Based on Insights
The beauty of GMB Insights is that it provides actionable data. If you notice that users are frequently finding your business via discovery searches, it could indicate that your profile isn’t fully optimized with local keywords or services. You could then adjust your GMB profile by adding more relevant categories, improving your business description, or adding local promotions to attract more customers.
Example
Let’s say you run a local fitness gym, and you’re diving into your GMB Insights to track performance. Here’s how you might use the data:
- Customer Search Behavior: You see that most people are finding your gym through “discovery searches” like “best gym near me” rather than direct searches for your gym’s name. This tells you that your business is visible to people searching for general fitness-related terms, but it also means you should optimize your profile to highlight specific services or local terms like “personal training in [your city].”
- Customer Actions: You notice a high number of people clicking on “Request directions,” which shows that your location is well understood and people are eager to visit. However, you see fewer calls or website clicks. This could indicate that people are finding your gym on the map but not getting enough information from your profile to take the next step. You could add more information about classes, pricing, or even a special discount to encourage action.
- Search Queries: Your Insights reveal that users are frequently searching for terms like “fitness gym for weight loss” or “best personal trainer in [your city].” You can now optimize your GMB profile by adding these specific keywords to your business description and posts. This ensures you’re targeting the right local customers.
- View Metrics: Your gym’s profile has been viewed 1,000 times in the past month in Google Maps, which shows that your location is being noticed. But you’re curious why fewer people are clicking on your website link. You decide to update your website’s design to make it more mobile-friendly and add more information about your gym’s unique offerings.
Google My Business Insights are a treasure trove of data that can help you improve your local SEO strategy. By tracking how customers find your business, what actions they take, and which search terms are driving traffic, you can optimize your GMB profile, adjust your local content strategy, and enhance user engagement to boost your local search rankings.