If you frequently monitor your Google Business Performance dashboard, you may have noticed a sharp decrease in your profile’s views. But there’s no need to worry because it’s not your fault.
Google recently changed how it counts views of Google Business Profile (GBP) listings, leading to a decline in reported views. In this article, we want to address all your questions regarding these changes and explain their implications for GBP management.
What Are GBP Views?
Previously, a “view” on a Google Business Profile (GBP) referred to the appearance of a business profile on a user’s screen while browsing Google Search or Google Maps. This could include scenarios where the business profile appeared as a map pin among other businesses or as a result of a local pack search.
Views in Google Business are crucial for measuring the visibility of a GBP listing in search results and serve as an important ranking signal in local SEO.
The Change in GBP View Counting:
This year, Google has implemented a change in the way GBP views are counted.
With the new API, a “view” on a GBP is counted as a “unique user view.” This means that it represents the number of times a unique user saw your profile within a single day. So whether the user visited your profile once or multiple times, it is counted as a single view.
Implications and Benefits of the Change:
Consequently, the reported number of views is lower than previous reports, often up to 50-60% fewer “views” than the previous year.
However, the change in counting provides a more accurate reflection of user search behavior and emphasizes genuine user engagement. In addition, by focusing on unique views within 24 hours, Google highlights quality views that are more likely to result in actions such as clicking to call, visiting a website, or obtaining directions.
Recommended Action:
To adapt to this change by Google Business, you should annotate the update in February 2023 to help alleviate the perceived drop in views.
TL;DR
Google’s recent change in counting GBP views has led to a decrease in reported views. However, this change is beneficial as it provides a more accurate understanding of meaningful views and emphasizes quality interactions from searchers over simple impressions.
Example
Under the previous view metric, every local business displayed in the screenshot would have been counted as a separate view.
Under the revised map view metric, only the views directed to your Business Profile are counted as map views. Therefore, views of other businesses displayed in the screenshot will not be included in their view count.
Conclusion
This change isn’t good for your reporting since your view metrics will be in the red. However, the metrics we see in our Google Business performance report will now be more accurate and emphasize high quality engagement with your business listing. As you continue working on optimizing your business listing, keep this change in mind and be sure to annotate it in your reporting. If you need help with optimizing your Google Business listing or understanding how this change impacts your business, feel free to drop our Local SEO experts a line here!
