How to: Using Google Places Dashboard to View Your Listing’s Stats

Creating a listing on Google Maps and Places can have a positive affect on traffic to your local business. Foot traffic is noticeable but you might want to see what is happening with the listing. This can be done through the Google Places Dashboard. The Dashboard provides data about views, keywords, and when searchers request directions to the location. Read on as we provide a quick tutorial on how to access the analytics for your Google Places listing.

Step 1: Google Places
First, visit www.google.com/local/add and log in.

Step 2: Google Places Dashboard
After logging in you will be taken to the Dashboard. Here you can see the listing along with statistics on impressions and actions. Ignore these for now and click on your company’s name.

Step 3: Analytics
From there you will be taken to a page where you will notice graphs and analytics. The graphs and other tools on this screen work together to give you a clearer idea of who your viewership is and what they are looking for.

Step 4: Choose a time span…
At the very top is a tool to change the time span. You can choose the last 7 days, last 30 days, or customize it. Want to see what happened yesterday? Select a single date and click apply. For now, select last 30 days and click Apply.

Notes on the Activity Graph…
The activity graph will then display the amount of traffic depending on the interval length you have chosen. These intervals are very important because you can see if there are trends in the amount of visitors over a period of time. Is the graph spiking on weekends? Is it showing a gradual decrease in visitorship overall as time goes on? This is a great way to get a sense of whether your listing is working at attracting viewers effectively or if it needs a little more polishing.

Notes on Impressions…
‘Impressions’ refer to the number of times a visitor to Google Maps and 7-Pack saw the listing as a result of a local search. Obviously, the more the better, since this equals getting your business name out there as frequently as possible!

Notes on Actions…
‘Actions’ are how many times a visitor ‘clicked’ onto a link inside the listing, such as opening More Info on the map, selecting Driving Directions Requests, and clicking the embedded website link. ‘Actions ‘ can be thought of as a visitor showing interest in your listing and wanting to find out more about what it offers. You certainly want as much ‘action’ as you can get for your listing!

Notes on Top Search Queries…
Pay special attention to the ‘Top search queries’. These are the top keywords that searchers are using when your listing came up in their searches. Over a period of time, you can get an idea of which keywords are the most popular and hopefully edit your listing to tie into those interests. Say for example, you run a pizza place but decide to offer pasta dishes and other Italian cuisine. You could show up in the Google searches as an ‘Italian’ restaurant if you use it as a listing category or mention in your description. If you want to rank high with ‘Italian’ or ‘Italian cuisine’, edit your listing descriptions to include more detail on what Italian dishes are served, maybe even mention the words ‘Italian’ and ‘Italian Cuisine’ a little more often. This can be wonderful in tailoring your listing to let potential customers know you have what they are looking for!

A view of the top search queries where your listing appeared.A view of the top search queries where your listing appeared.

Notes on driving directions requests…
Driving directions requests can be very useful because it can assist in determining where there is interest if you are deciding to advertise in a wider area or want to edit your listing to appeal to a greater region. A pizza restaurant in Fitchburg, Wisconsin could discover site visitors in Madison, Middleton, or Sun Prairie are willing to make the drive to eat an awesome slice of New-York-style and therefore add those community names as keywords to their listings to increase their search visibility. (e.g. ‘People from Madison, Middleton, Sun Prairie, and the surrounding areas just love our pizza!!!)

A quick word about Google Analytics…
Want more in-depth info about who’s been looking at your website? Check out Google Analytics! Find out how it can give you even more power to learn about your visitors, their search habits, and getting your website ranked higher and staying there!

Conclusion:
Learning about how a listing is put together and using these tools to their full advantage can serve to make it stronger and more visible, maybe even result in the highest ranking ‘7-pack’! Google Places’ report tools will give you the feedback you need to respond to the shifting demographics and desires of your listing’s viewers. With Google Maps and Places, you have the power to make your listing the best it can be. Do it today!!!