Short version: your Google Business Profile has a Performance report that counts call-button taps, website clicks, direction requests, views, and the searches that showed your listing. Pick a date range, write down five numbers once a month, and compare month to month. It's free, it's already collecting, and it tells you whether your listing is doing anything.
Where to find it
Sign in to the Google account that owns or manages the profile. On a computer, search your business name, open your profile, and choose Performance. In the Google Maps app, tap Business, then See more next to Performance. Pick a time period at the top and apply it. Google notes the numbers are only there for verified profiles, and only for people signed in to an account connected to the profile (source). If you can't see it, start with who has access (owners and managers).
The five numbers worth writing down
| Number | What Google counts | What it tells a trade business |
|---|---|---|
| Calls | Taps on the call button on your profile | The closest thing to a lead count the listing gives you |
| Website clicks | Clicks on the website link on your profile | How many people wanted to check you out before calling |
| Directions | Direction requests, with repeat taps, cancels and spam filtered | Matters for a shop people drive to, less for a service truck |
| Views | Unique people who viewed the profile on Search and Maps, counted once a day | How often you're seen at all |
| Searches | The search terms your profile appeared for | Whether people find you for the jobs you want |
The definitions above come from Google's help page (source). Google also says only metrics that apply to your business appear, so a plumber won't see menu or hotel booking numbers.
How to read the call count
Calls only counts people who tapped the button on the listing. Someone who copies your number, or calls from your truck wrap, isn't in it. So treat it as a floor, not a total. Google also says you need a phone number on the profile for this one to track at all. If the number is wrong or missing, the count is zero no matter how busy the phone is.
How to read the search terms
Look down the list for the jobs you actually want. If you're an HVAC company and every term is your business name, people who already know you are finding you, and strangers searching "AC repair" aren't. Google updates this list at the start of each month and it can take up to 5 days to show, so check it in the second week. You can't edit the list directly. The levers are the ones you already control: categories, services, and the description (source).
Things that make the numbers look off
- Views look low next to Google's emails. Google explains the report counts unique viewers and only once a day per person, so it can come in lower than the notification emails.
- Ads are mixed in. If you run Google Ads, Google says the report includes views, searches, and actions from ads as well as unpaid results.
- Directions are near zero. Normal for a service-area business that hides its address (source). Don't chase it.
A once-a-month log
Set a reminder for the 10th. Pick last month as the date range, and copy calls, website clicks, directions, views, and the top five search terms into a notebook or a sheet. After three months you'll know your normal. A drop after you change hours, categories, or your phone number is the kind of thing you'd otherwise never notice. If you manage several locations, Google lets you download the same data to a spreadsheet from the Business Profile Manager.
Want a second set of eyes on it?
Our free Map Check looks at the listing from the outside: we search your trade in your town and send a screen-recorded video, about 3 minutes, showing where you appear and the three fixes we'd make. Pair it with your own Performance numbers and you'll see both sides. No cost, and nothing to sign.