Through changes made to the Google Business Profile API, mainly the deprecation schedule, we have learned of large alterations to what metrics Google listings will be able to report in the near future. As of February 20th, 2023, Google will no longer give data on the following:
One of the biggest losses from this will be the inability to measure effectiveness of Google Posts. As they are a key advertising measure done directly within Google listings, business will have to rely on their own UTM links or other ways to measure traffic gained through their calls to action included within those posts. Posts without any call to action would be further discouraged as there is no way to track their viability, leading to some businesses having to change their marketing strategies if they want any way to measure their success through Posts.
The lack of search counts also seems a major metric to lose but those are luckily being replaced with key performance indicators. These are to include:
While the inability to define search volume in relation to brand, discovery, or direct is a loss of value, knowing desktop versus mobile searches is vital information. Compensating for the loss of the previous metrics will need to take place however. Business will need to rely heavily on keyword measurements, dividing those into brand, direct, or discovery searches themselves.
Google is also including two new metrics:
While many businesses should have a way to measure these factors already, the convenience of the data contained in the same tools as other Google KPIs will provide some value. Knowing exactly which bookings and food orders are coming exclusively from Google compared to a business’s overall orders/bookings can also be useful data to these businesses.
If you’re not yet making the most of your local listings, there’s a good chance you’re falling behind. Schedule a friendly chat with our experts and we’ll show you exactly how much more you can do.