If you regularly post updates, offers, or events on your Google Business Profile, there is some good news.
Google has brought back post view counts for Business Profile posts.
This means businesses can now see how many times an individual post has been viewed. The feature was available earlier but was removed in February 2023. Google has now reintroduced it after strong demand from businesses.
For businesses that have been posting on their Google Business Profile without knowing whether anyone was actually seeing those posts, this gives them useful data to work with.
Track Post Views Across Google Search and Maps
Google has implemented a new feature for individual posts in Google Business Profile: view counts. So, there's no need to publish an update and move on; businesses can now see how many views that specific post got. The feature can be used on various types of posts such as updates, offers, and events.
View count will include views received through Google Search and Google Maps as well. This feature has been launched by Google on a global scale. Therefore, not all Business Profiles have access to it immediately. The post view count is not yet available in the API.
Why Does This Matter for Businesses?
For a long time, businesses were posting on Google Business Profile without having much insight into how individual posts were performing. You could publish a new offer, announce a service, share an event, or post an update, but there was no simple way to know how many people had actually viewed that specific post. That made it difficult for businesses to understand which posts were actually engaging customers and which ones were simply getting lost. But now, Google lets businesses see how many people have viewed each GBP post.
Where Can You See The Post Views?
The view count is displayed on the individual posts in the Posts section of the Google Business Profile dashboard. Businesses can go to their profile, navigate to their posts, and view the views of eligible posts. Google Business Profile posts are posts that businesses create and publish directly to customers on Google Search and Maps. So, now businesses have a way to know the amount of visibility those individual posts are getting.
A View is Not Necessarily a Unique Customer
One other consideration for businesses to remember is that Google hasn't specified whether the count represents unique views or total views. Instead, businesses can use the numbers to compare their own posts. For example, if one type of post consistently receives more views than another, that could give you an idea of what content is getting more visibility.
What Businesses Should Do With This Metric?
Instead of just looking at the number of views, businesses can now use this metric to fine-tune their content strategy. For example, if promotional posts consistently receive more attention than generic updates, you can create more useful promotional content. If not much visibility is being shown for event posts, consider trying something different with the format, topic, or image.
It's not about chasing high view counts on every post. It is important to know how to capture the attention of those who are new to your Google Business Profile.
Google Business Profile Posts Are Now Easier to Measure
Google has previously said that it is better to have Business Profiles complete and updated, with information regarding the business, reviews, and other details.
For companies that proactively use their Google Business Profile, this might be a minor improvement, but it can be helpful to have post-level visibility information to make content planning more data-driven.