Following a sequence of unusually frequent updates, several aspects of Google Business Profile (GBP) now function differently.

From new reporting mechanisms for familiar metrics to changes in visibility signals, these updates are anything but surface level, altering key staples of the service.

In this article, we explore these updates, explaining exactly what has changed, why, and how it will affect your marketing efforts moving forward.

Update - SERP vs GBP performance reporting

We’ve observed Google behaviour that is affecting the way GBP actions are tracked. Specifically, branded search terms that would typically lead to user interactions via a Google Business Profile are now triggering SERP features that facilitate the intended action before the user sees a business’s profile.

For example, a search for directions to a business now brings up a Maps overlay, and a search for business phone numbers will trigger a contact details SERP panel.

Any clicks from these SERP features are logged as general SERPs performance but are not counted in GBP metrics.

Why this matters to you

Businesses may see a drop in both reported GBP actions and views, even though their actual profile performance hasn’t declined.

We believe this shift could be an early indication of further integration with upcoming AI-driven search changes rolling out over the next few months.

Views reporting

The Google Business profile update responsible for causing the most alarm redefined the "views" metric.

What are views in Google Business Profile?

The views metric in Google Business Profile indicates how often users see your business profile on Google Search and Maps. It provides insight into the overall visibility of your profile in search results and helps to gauge the effectiveness of your local SEO efforts.

High view counts can indicate a strong online presence and potential customer interest, while low view counts suggest the opposite.

How Google Business Profile views worked pre-update

Originally, each time your business profile was promoted on a user’s screen, it counted as a view. This meant multiple views could be attributed to one user over a single browsing session.

For instance, if you own a coffee shop, and someone in your area searched on Google for the best take-away coffee in their locality. Your business might first be suggested when the query is typed into the search bar, again as part of a curated list of local coffee spots, and then once more on Google Maps.

This would have counted as three impressions, whether the user clicked through to your Google Business Profile or not.

How Google Business Profile views work now

Google has changed how the view metric is calculated. Now, a view will only be counted if a user clicks through to your Business Profile. No matter how many times they see your business promoted on screen, one user will only ever equate to one view per 24 hours.

Even if a user visits your Business Profile several times in a day, your reports will register these interactions as a single view. This metric is now known as a “unique user view”.

Why this matters to you

This change has led to a notable reduction in reported views, with many businesses seeing a decrease of 70%-80%.

We have noticed more of a decline in desktop search and map views compared to mobile views — largely due to the formatting in various browsers, AI results, and the proximity changes to Search we discuss later in this article.

While all this may have been alarming, it’s important to note that the sudden dip in impressions didn’t necessarily mean your business was losing visibility.

During our observations, we noticed that levels of “action” metrics, such as phone calls and website click-throughs from Google Business Profiles, were largely the same pre- and post-update. This proved that view numbers were simply changing to reflect the new counting system — and that actual profile performance was stable.

Contact TDMP today if you need assistance acclimating to this new reporting style or broader changes to the Google Search environment.

Reason for the update

It’s thought that Google made this change to ensure their view metric offers a more reliable depiction of profile performance. The rationale is that unique user views indicate “real” user engagement, the kind that leads to actions, such as visiting your website, calling your business, or searching for directions to visit a brick-and-mortar site.

While there’s merit to this, “unique user views” isn’t necessarily a more valuable metric than the old views. It’s not that one is better than the other; they’re different enough to both be useful, which is why it’s a shame Google axed one in favour of the other.

Reviews & visibility factors

Reviews have always played a crucial role in Google Business Profiles. However, with a recent update, Google has made it clear that not all good reviews are equal.

How Google Business Profile reviews worked pre-update

Previously, Google considered a good review a good review — and that was that. Business owners could gather first-party testimonials directly from customers and present a curated array on their business profile, showing their business in the best light possible.

Third-party reviews were still present and visible, but business owners had more of a say in the overall review profile of their listing, helping to boost user engagement, and, to some extent, improve local search visibility.

How Google Business Profile reviews work now

Google has completely removed first-party reviews as a signal in their broader ranking systems. Any positive reviews gathered directly from customers by business owners have no bearing on the visibility of Business Profiles in search.

What’s more, Google has reduced the number of third-party websites from which it sources third-party reviews. Previously, reviews could be pulled into a Google Business Profile from myriad different third-party websites.

Why this matters to you

It’s unclear how much influence reviews of any kind had over Google Business Profile visibility, but with first-party reviews officially out of the game, encouraging customers to leave reviews on Google-approved third-party websites is higher on the priority list.

First-party reviews still have their place, as users often find the information provided useful, but Google now prefers quality, impartial user-generated content.

Reason for the update

Encouraging business owners to seek more third-party reviews has a clear benefit for users. Business owners are now far less likely to use first-party reviews as a manicured facade to obscure a more even spread of customer opinion.

Instead, third-party reviews from trusted source websites will be more visible on profiles, presenting a more objective account of a business and its services or products. However, this is by no means a perfect system.

As discussed in our earlier post about Google potentially monetising their GBP service, there are a number of downsides of this change for listing owners, including:

• The additional work and costs associated with maintaining reputation across multiple platforms.
• Being at the whim of potentially subpar review verification processes used on third-party websites, perhaps leading to an increase in fake reviews on business profiles.
• Contending with the website-specific biases and algorithms that determine which reviews gain prominence.

Local Ads & proximity targeting

Being that Google Business Profiles are designed to support local search, it stands to reason that the ads shown alongside them would be geographically targeted, finely tuned to the proximity of the user. But in March 2024, Google decided that proximity isn’t a sufficient determiner of relevance to searchers.

How Local Ads worked pre-update

Before the March 2024 update, Local Ads on Google Business Profiles were tailored to the geographic location of the searcher. 

How Local Ads work now

Now, instead of focusing solely on the physical proximity of the searcher to the business, ads are shown based on the defined service areas of businesses. This means that users might see ads for businesses that serve their area, even if those businesses are not physically close. 

This shift might seem counterintuitive, as LSAs are traditionally marketed as targeted to specific geographic areas, but Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Liaison, announced that ‘LSA ranking has evolved over time as we have learned what works best for consumers and advertisers. We’ve seen that proximity of a business’ location is often not a key indicator of relevancy.’

Why this matters to you

For business owners, this change impacts the strategy and effectiveness of Local Ads.

Previously, you could count on these ads to reach a highly relevant local audience, driving in-person visits and local engagement based on proximity. With the new focus on service area, Local Ads may no longer fit into your marketing strategy the way you intended.

Reason for the update

With this change, it appears that Google wants to crack down on profiles on their service that are benefitting from proximity search without having any real relevance to a particular regional user.

For Business Profile owners, the change to Local Ads can be seen from different perspectives. On one hand, using service areas to determine ad relevance could broaden the reach of your ads, allowing you to target customers within your service range more effectively. This could be particularly beneficial for businesses that serve wider areas or offer remote services. 

On the other hand, this shift may reduce the precision of targeting users who are specifically looking for nearby options, potentially reducing visibility of and engagement with listings for businesses that rely heavily on foot traffic.

The bottom line

Google Business Profile is still an incredible tool for local SEO — we’ve seen clients make huge gains via our optimisations. But it’s also true that the service is going through a period of adjustment, creating instability in terms of both listing performance and reporting.

GBP performance is not what it was before these updates, and if our theory about the monetisation of Google Business Profile is accurate, there will be more updates to come. With each change, effectively assessing your listing performance and adjusting your marketing strategies accordingly will be increasingly difficult.

TDMP can provide clarity on these updates and their real-world impact on your online presence. We can help you quickly adapt to these changes and maintain your Business Profile's performance. Contact us today to ensure your business remains competitive locally.