Google Business Profile Changes Its Performance API

by | Last updated Feb 13, 2023 | Digital Marketing

Read Time: 3 min read

Summary: TL;DR: Google Business Profile is phasing out Insights on February 20, 2023, transitioning to Performance metrics for better monitoring. Metrics like queries and views will change or be removed, requiring businesses to update their dashboards. New metrics include business impressions and website clicks, with a guide on transitioning provided. Hurrdat Marketing offers SEO and local SEO solutions to assist with this shift. Stay informed and adapt your Google Business Profile for improved performance tracking. Complete your transition smoothly with Hurrdat Marketing's SEO services and local SEO solutions. Contact us today to learn more!

Google recently announced that Google Business Profile (GBP) will discontinue its Insights component on February 20, 2023 as part of their transition to new Performance metrics. For businesses using GBP to manage local listings in Google, this means the current widgets on dashboards won’t collect data going forward. What can you expect with these changes?

What’s Changing with Google Business Profile Insights?

These changes to Google Business Profile will allow businesses to better monitor their business profile performance. By capturing additional user data and metrics, businesses will be provided with stronger insights on consumer behavior.

As Google shifts to Performance metrics, current Google Business Profile Insights widgets will need to be removed from the Google custom dashboards and replaced with the new Performance metrics widgets that most closely serve the same purpose.

Although the new metrics are comparable, some don’t directly correspond. Some metrics will be deprecated entirely from GBP Performance API, while others will be renamed or split.

Metrics that will no longer be available:

  • ALL
  • QUERIES_DIRECT
  • QUERIES_INDIRECT
  • QUERIES_CHAIN
  • VIEWS_MAPS
  • VIEWS_SEARCH
  • ACTIONS_WEBSITE
  • ACTIONS_PHONE
  • ACTIONS_DRIVING_DIRECTIONS
  • PHOTOS_VIEWS_MERCHANT
  • PHOTOS_VIEWS_CUSTOMERS
  • PHOTOS_COUNT_MERCHANT
  • PHOTOS_COUNT_CUSTOMERS
  • LOCAL_POST_VIEWS_SEARCH
  • LOCAL_POST_ACTIONS_CALL_TO_ACTION

Metrics that have been renamed or split for the upcoming update:

  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_DESKTOP_MAPS
  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_MOBILE_MAPS
  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_DESKTOP_SEARCH
  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_MOBILE_SEARCH
  • WEBSITE_CLICKS
  • ACTIONS_PHONE
  • CALL_CLICKS
  • ACTIONS_DRIVING_DIRECTIONS
  • BUSINESS_DIRECTION_REQUESTS

Here’s how businesses will need to transition their Google Business Profile dashboards to the most updated version. (Note: The deprecated API Insights are displayed in the left column of the table below, while the right column lists the new replacement Performance widgets that most closely correspond.)

Google Insight Google Performance
ALL None
QUERIES_DIRECT None
QUERIES_INDIRECT None
QUERIES_CHAIN None
VIEWS_MAPS
  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_DESKTOP_MAPS
  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_MOBILE_MAPS
VIEWS_SEARCH
  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_DESKTOP_SEARCH
  • BUSINESS_IMPRESSIONS_MOBILE_SEARCH
ACTIONS_WEBSITE WEBSITE_CLICKS
ACTIONS_PHONE CALL_CLICKS
ACTIONS_DRIVING_DIRECTIONS BUSINESS_DIRECTION_REQUESTS
PHOTOS_VIEWS_MERCHANT None
PHOTOS_VIEWS_CUSTOMERS None
PHOTOS_COUNT_MERCHANT None
PHOTOS_COUNT_CUSTOMERS None
LOCAL_POST_VIEWS_SEARCH None
LOCAL_POST_ACTIONS_CALL_TO_ACTION None

How to Update Your Google Business Profile Dashboard

Start by editing your Google Business Profile report or dashboard. Then, click on a widget, remove Title or Tooltip, and check the Title and Tooltip boxes.

Screenshot of Google Business Profile reporting dashboard with red arrow pointing to circled performance tab

The Tooltip for Insight widgets will begin with “Please use the…”, followed by the recommended replacement metric’s name.

Screenshot of Google Business Profile Dashboard with red box around Call Clicks and arrow to Tooltip field

Before you add the new widget, you’ll be able to see a full description of the current metric by hovering over the Tooltip box, along with a suggested replacement Performance metric. The description of metrics unaffected by this update will remain the same.

Screenshot of Google Business Profile dashboard with red box around call clicks and red arrow pointing to Call Clicks expanded info

Need help transitioning your Google Business Profile Insights to Performance metrics? Hurrdat Marketing offers SEO services and local SEO solutions. Contact us today to learn more!

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