Google Business Profile · Guide

What Is Google Business
Profile Performance Data?

What Google Business Profile performance data is, the specific metrics it reports on how customers find and interact with your listing and what each one actually means for your local SEO.

Updated: June 2026
Written by: Andrew Odgers, Managing Director
Reading time: 6 minutes
The short answer

Google Business Profile performance data is the set of metrics Google reports on how customers find and interact with your listing, the modern version of what used to be called Insights.

It includes how many people viewed or interacted with your profile, the searches that brought them, whether they came from Search or Maps and the actions they took, such as calls, website clicks, direction requests and messages.

Each metric tells you something specific about your visibility or conversion, so understanding what they mean lets you read your profile's performance accurately and act on it, rather than seeing a set of numbers without knowing which ones matter or why.

The detailed answer

The metrics explained

Performance data is the current name for the metrics on your Business Profile and to use them you need to know what each one means. The numbers are only useful once you can read them. Here is what Google Business Profile performance data is, metric by metric.

What performance data is

Performance data is Google's reporting on how your profile is doing, the up to date version of what many still call Insights. It gathers the key metrics on how customers find and interact with your listing into one place, so it is the dashboard for understanding your profile's real performance.

It is the metrics dashboard. Insights is explained in What Is Google Business Profile Insights?

Views and interactions

One core metric is how many people viewed or interacted with your profile, showing your overall visibility. A rising view count means more people are seeing you, so this is the top level number that tells you whether your reach is growing or shrinking over time.

Views show reach. Optimising for more is covered in How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO

Searches that found you

Performance data shows the searches customers used to find you and often splits them by type. This reveals which terms bring you customers, so it is one of the most useful metrics for understanding what you rank for and what to target, feeding straight into your optimisation.

Searches reveal your terms. Acting on them is covered in How to Use Google Business Profile Insights to Improve Local SEO

Search versus Maps

The data often shows whether people found you through Google Search or Google Maps. Knowing the split tells you where your visibility comes from, so if most customers find you on Maps, for instance, you know where your presence is strongest and where there may be room to grow.

Know your channels. Maps SEO is covered in What Is Google Maps SEO and How Does It Work?

Calls

Call data shows how many people called you directly from your profile, a clear sign of strong intent. Calls are among the most valuable actions, since a caller is usually close to becoming a customer, so this metric is one of the best measures of your profile producing real enquiries.

Calls signal strong intent. Tracking them is covered in How to Track Calls From Your Google Business Profile

Website clicks and directions

The data also reports website clicks and direction requests. Clicks show people heading to your site to learn more or buy, while direction requests show intent to visit in person, so together these tell you how customers are choosing to act on finding you.

Clicks and directions show intent. Conversion is covered in Do Google Reviews Help SEO?

Messages and bookings

If you use messaging or bookings, performance data can show those too, capturing customers who contact or book through your profile. These reflect the convenience features working, so if you offer them, their metrics round out the picture of how customers engage with your listing.

Messaging adds another channel. Setting it up is covered in How to Set Up Google Business Profile Messaging

Reading it all together

Each metric tells you something specific about your visibility or conversion and read together they show how your profile performs end to end, from being found to being contacted. Understanding what each means is what lets you act on the data rather than just looking at numbers.

Understand to act. Using it is covered in How to Use Google Business Profile Insights to Improve Local SEO

In short, Google Business Profile performance data is the metrics on how customers find and interact with your listing, covering views, searches, Search versus Maps, calls, clicks, directions and messages. Knowing what each means lets you read your profile's performance and act on it.

This guide is part of our complete Google Business Profile Guide. The hub brings together every question a business asks about Google Business Profile, from setting up and verifying through to optimisation, reviews, insights and ranking in the map, each written in plain UK English.

Part of the guide Google Business Profile Guide View all guides →
Keep reading

More from the Google Business Profile guide

Reading your metrics? Understand Insights with What Is Google Business Profile Insights?, act on the data via How to Use Google Business Profile Insights to Improve Local SEO, then track calls with How to Track Calls From Your Google Business Profile

GBP Guide

What Is Google Business Profile Insights?

Read article → GBP Guide

How to Use Google Business Profile Insights to Improve Local SEO

Read article → GBP Guide

How to Track Calls From Your Google Business Profile

Read article →
Frequently asked

Performance data

What is Google Business Profile performance data?
It is the set of metrics Google reports on how customers find and interact with your listing, the modern version of what used to be called Insights. It includes how many people viewed or interacted with your profile, the searches that brought them, whether they came from Search or Maps and the actions they took, such as calls, website clicks, direction requests and messages. Each metric tells you something specific about your visibility or conversion, so understanding them lets you read and act on your profile's performance.
Is performance data the same as Insights?
Essentially, yes. Performance data is the up to date name for the reporting many people still call Insights, gathering the key metrics on how customers find and interact with your listing into one place. So if you have heard of Insights, performance data is the same idea under Google's current naming, acting as the dashboard for understanding how your profile is really doing.
What do the views metrics tell me?
How many people viewed or interacted with your profile, which shows your overall visibility. A rising view count means more people are seeing you, so it is the top level number that tells you whether your reach is growing or shrinking over time. Views are a useful starting point, though the actions people take after viewing matter just as much for understanding how well your profile converts.
What can I learn from the search metrics?
Which terms customers used to find you, often split by type, revealing what you rank for. This is one of the most useful metrics for understanding what to target, since it shows the real words bringing you customers and can highlight terms worth working on. The search data feeds straight into your optimisation, helping you shape categories, services and content around what people actually search.
Which actions does performance data track?
The key actions customers take from your profile: calls, website clicks, direction requests and, if you use them, messages and bookings. Calls signal strong intent, clicks show people heading to your site and direction requests show intent to visit in person, so together they tell you how customers act on finding you. These actions are the real outcomes that show your profile producing enquiries.
Does it show whether people found me on Search or Maps?
Often, yes. The data usually shows whether people found you through Google Search or Google Maps and knowing the split tells you where your visibility comes from. If most customers find you on Maps, for example, you know where your presence is strongest and where there may be room to grow, which helps you understand and balance your visibility across both channels.
How do I use performance data?
By reading what each metric tells you about your visibility or conversion, then acting on it, since the numbers are only useful once you understand them. Read together, the metrics show how your profile performs from being found to being contacted, so understanding them lets you spot gaps and improve. There is a separate guide on using this data to improve your local SEO directly.