Why is Google My Business Profile Traffic Decreasing?

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, staying on top of the latest changes is paramount. If you've noticed a significant drop in your Google Business Profile (GBP) views recently, fear not – you're not alone. Many business owners have been left scratching their heads as their GBP views seemingly plummet. But before you hit the panic button, let's delve into what's really going on.

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Why are my Google views down?

First things first, this downturn in GBP views is not a result of Google's algorithm suddenly deciding to diminish your online visibility overnight. Instead, it's tied to Google's latest Business Performance API update. And believe it or not, it might just be a good thing.

What is happening with Google My Business views?

Google has introduced a fundamental change in how they track profile views on GBP, and there are two key reasons why your view numbers might appear lower than they were in previous months and years.

1. Unique Impressions Over 24 Hours: Instead of counting every user view individually, Google now aggregates multiple user views over a 24-hour period into a single unique impression. This means that if a user views your business multiple times within a day, it's counted as just one impression.
2. Focused on Business Profile Views: On maps, Google used to count the number of times a user viewed any part of your business. Now, it only counts when a user views your business profile. So, only a percentage of views are being reported compared to the old method.

To put this in perspective, imagine you're planning a road trip and come across the same gas station 10 times while researching on Google. Previously, those views would be counted 10 times, even though you had no intention of engaging with that business more than once. Now, thanks to the new metrics, it's counted just once.

How to check Google My Business ranking?

To fully understand how these changes affect your Google visibility, it’s essential to know how views are counted on Google My Business.

How were views on GBP previously counted?

In the past, a Google Business Profile view simply meant that your business profile appeared somewhere on the user's screen while they were browsing Google Search results or Google Map results. This could be as minor as a map pin among numerous others or as prominent as a local pack search result.

How are views on GBP counted with the new API?

With the introduction of the new API, a Google Business Profile view now equates to a “unique user view.” In other words, it's the number of times your profile was seen by a unique user over a single day. It doesn't matter if that user saw your profile once or several times – it's still counted as one view. So, the total number of unique views represents the number of people who saw your profile that day. Additionally, only views to your Business Profile, not just your business in general, count as a map view under the revised metric.

To learn more about your Google My Business profile, read our article Google My Business Guide: How to Optimize Your Profile.

What are the changes in Google Driving Direction clicks?

In addition to altering how views are measured, Google has also made changes in how they count Driving Direction clicks. They now consider factors like multi-tapping, direction request cancellation, and spam when tallying unique direction requests. This shift is aimed at providing a more accurate representation of how many times individual customers request directions to your business.

This change can significantly affect your visibility on Google Maps. To learn how your GMB profile is linked to Google Maps, read our article here.

How do I optimize Google in 2023 for my business?

At first glance, the difference between views and unique views may seem insignificant. However, it's a substantial change that offers businesses a deeper understanding of user intent. This shift aligns with Google's broader performance tracking insights introduced in their latest Business Performance API update.

In essence, these changes bring greater precision to the way your GBP performance is measured. They help you better gauge user engagement and intent, allowing you to refine your digital marketing strategies accordingly. While the drop in GBP views might seem disconcerting, it's crucial to view these changes as an opportunity. By adapting to Google's evolving metrics, you can gain a more accurate understanding of your online presence and user interaction, ultimately empowering your business to thrive in the dynamic world of digital marketing.

Remember, in the world of SEO, adapting to change is the key to staying ahead of the competition.

How do I increase my Google profile views?

Despite the changes in Google’s algorithm, it’s still possible to boost the view count of your GMB listings. Here are some strategies you can employ to increase your Google profile views and supercharge your online presence.

Optimize your profile

Before delving into strategies to boost profile views, it's crucial to ensure that your Google profile is both complete and optimized. This includes engaging photos, a detailed summary, and accurate business information. Use relevant keywords in your profile to enhance discoverability and categorization.

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Leverage Google Posts

Google Posts is a feature designed to help individuals and businesses share content directly on Google. Take advantage of this tool to post updates, events, special offers, and announcements. These posts appear directly in your Google profile and can grab the attention of those viewing it.

Encourage reviews and recommendations

Positive reviews and recommendations can boost your profile's credibility. Don't hesitate to ask for reviews and endorsements from your clients. These can significantly affect your visibility on relevant Google searches.

Engage on Google My Business

Google My Business is a powerful platform for interacting with your audience. Respond to reviews and engage with followers. Building a community around your profile can help attract more views.

Share your profile

Promote your Google profile across your other online platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and your website. The more exposure your profile gets, the higher the chances of increased views. Read our complete guide on generating and sharing Google Review links.

Track your progress

Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor the performance of your Google profile. Pay attention to which content gets the most views and the demographics of your viewers. Adjust your strategy accordingly.

How do I use Google Trends in 2023?

Aside from Google Maps, Google Analytics, and Google Reviews, Google Trends can also help you in boosting your GMB profile views.

To effectively use Google Trends in 2023, start by entering a keyword or topic you're interested in to explore its popularity and related search queries. Pay attention to the data filters, including location, time range, and category, to narrow down your search. Utilize the "Explore" feature to compare multiple keywords or topics and identify emerging trends. Keep an eye on rising search queries and consider creating content or strategies around them.

Google Trends in 2023 remains a valuable tool for staying updated on what's currently capturing the interest of online users and tailoring your online presence and marketing efforts accordingly. Review responses are the best way to SEO optimize your GMB listings. To learn more about this, read our article here.

How can online reviews help you increase profile views?

Online reviews are a critically important aspect of the user journey and can play a major role in increasing your Google Business Profile views. Here are the top three ways they can help:

Improve Local SEO Rankings

Google values fresh and original content, and online customer reviews provide exactly that. A steady stream of positive reviews signals to Google that your business is active and relevant, helping you climb higher in local SEO rankings and, consequently, driving more views to your business profile.

Foster trust and credibility

Online reviews provide an unbiased account of your customer experiences. Even negative reviews, if responded to appropriately, can build trust and credibility. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely new users are to click on your business profile instead of a competitor's.

To learn how to leverage Google Reviews to foster credibility among your customers, read our article Boost Credibility and Trust: Adding Google Reviews to Your Website.

Invoke a 'Fear Of Missing Out' (FOMO)

Seeing others praising your business products or services through reviews can generate a FOMO effect among potential customers. This curiosity drives more people to click on your business profile and explore what you have to offer.

Boost your Google search visibility with MARA

Responding to online reviews can be daunting, especially when considering search engine algorithms for boosted visibility. Fortunately, MARA AI Review Assistant can assist you with this. This intuitive tool is designed to ease your Online Reputation Management process, making it more efficient, personalized, and time-saving. It offers the best and most personalized AI for responding to and analyzing your guest reviews.

AI-Powered Review Inbox

A centralized and intuitive Review Inbox will help you optimize your review responses for improved search engine visibility. MARA’s Review Inbox makes responding to reviews as simple as hitting "Generate reply" and clicking "Send". The Review Inbox connects to multiple review sources, including Google, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor, giving you a panoramic view of all your reviews. And you can even configure review response automation: Why not allow MARA to automatically respond to simple reviews, like 5-star Google reviews with no text, ensuring you never miss a review? Daily notifications about new reviews keep you updated and in control.

SEO-ready Review Analytics

Relevance is a crucial factor that Google considers when ranking listings in searches. Ensuring that your content, including your review responses, is highly relevant to your target market can significantly boost your visibility in search results. Thankfully, MARA Review Analytics can assist you in pinpointing relevant keywords and topics directly related to your listing, helping you optimize your content effectively for improved search engine rankings.

MARA Review Analytics provides actionable, easy-to-understand insights that are tailored exclusively to your business. With MARA, you can quickly get the gist of all your reviews without needing to read each one. The analysis is so detailed that you can find out about specific issues like "water in the pool is too cold" or "lack of vegan breakfast option”. These insights help optimize guest experience without requiring you to be a data expert.

The most personal response AI

MARA's AI goes beyond efficiency; it emphasizes personalization, a crucial aspect for search engine visibility. This feature is particularly vital because Google cross-references your listings' content with your audience's preferences. Thus, personalized responses tailored to your target audience not only enhance user experience but also improve your search engine rankings by aligning with Google's criteria for relevance and user satisfaction.

The Brand Voice feature allows the AI to adapt to your tone, making sure your responses sound authentically you. Plus, with Smart Snippets, you can "teach" the AI how to respond to recurring praises or complaints. Your AI then incorporates this information into its responses, but always with different words, providing more personalized, relevant replies.

This review response assistant has quickly become a game-changer for over 2000 customers. Its promising capacity to elevate your overall rating, amplify response rates, glean insights from customer feedback and economize both time and money, is the reason behind its growing popularity.

Final Thought

Actively managing and responding to your online reviews is a simple yet effective way to increase your Google Business Profile views and bolster your business reputation. With the appropriate software, not only can you streamline the process, but you can also personalize your responses, and derive valuable insights from the reviews. So, why hesitate to give our AI Review Assistant, MARA, a try? It's completely free for testing, doesn't require a credit card, and can be fully operational in less than five minutes.

This article is part of our hero content on "Mastering Google Reviews - A Complete Guide."