Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
84% of searches for businesses on Google are discovery searches rather than direct searches
The average business is found in 1,009 interactions per month
96% of local consumers view a business’s hours of operation on their listing
Businesses with more than 82 total reviews earn 54% more annual revenue
87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020
73% of consumers only pay attention to reviews written in the last month
Complete Google Business Profiles get 7x more clicks than those missing information
Businesses with photos on their profiles receive 42% more requests for directions
Businesses with photos receive 35% more click-throughs to their websites
Mobile searches for "where to buy" + "near me" have grown by over 200%
46% of all Google searches have a "local intent"
"Near me" or "nearby" searches grew by more than 900% over two years
The average business receives 33 clicks to their website from GMB per month
5% of Google My Business listing views result in a website click, call, or direction request
The average business receives 24 calls per month directly from GMB
Business Impact & Conversion
- 1The average business receives 33 clicks to their website from GMB per month
- 25% of Google My Business listing views result in a website click, call, or direction request
- 3The average business receives 24 calls per month directly from GMB
- 428% of local searches result in a purchase
- 5Businesses in the top 3 spots of the local pack get 100% more clicks than those below
- 6Improving your Google Business Profile can increase phone calls by 60%
- 760% of consumers have used the "Get Directions" feature on a GMB listing
- 8The average conversion rate for a Google My Business listing is 3.7%
- 9Medical and healthcare businesses receive the highest number of phone calls from GMB
- 10Restaurants receive the highest number of direction requests from GMB
- 11Local brands seeing more than 1,000 queries per month have a 2x better click-through rate
- 1298% of searchers choose a business that is on page 1 of the results
- 13Businesses claiming their free listings on at least 3 review sites realize 60% higher revenue
- 14Direction requests from GMB have increased by 20% year over year for retail businesses
- 15A negative reputation in Search costs businesses 10% more per hire
- 1644% of businesses have never claimed their GMB listing, missing out on all conversion opportunities
- 17Call volume from GMB listings jumps 61% during the holiday season for retail
- 1888% of potential customers look for online reviews before choosing local services, directly impacting conversion
- 19Listings that appear in the Local Pack have a 500% higher conversion rate than organic links below
- 20Users are 50% more likely to purchase from a business that responds to reviews
Interpretation
Think of your Google My Business listing as your store window: when it’s claimed, optimized, and sitting in the top three local pack spots it can double clicks, drive about 60% more phone calls, deliver up to 500% higher conversions than buried organic links and big surges in directions and holiday traffic that actually turn local searches into purchases, yet 44% of businesses still haven’t claimed theirs and are missing out on higher revenue and the review-driven trust that makes customers roughly 50% more likely to buy.
Consumer Behavior & Search Intent
- 184% of searches for businesses on Google are discovery searches rather than direct searches
- 2The average business is found in 1,009 interactions per month
- 396% of local consumers view a business’s hours of operation on their listing
- 416% of businesses receive more direct searches than discovery searches
- 549% of businesses receive more than 1,000 views on Search per month
- 664% of consumers have used Google My Business listings to find a local business’s address or phone number
- 7Hospitality businesses receive the highest ratio of views on Maps versus Search
- 892% of consumers choose a business on the first page of local search results
- 934% of local businesses are seen on weekdays more often than weekends
- 1070% of consumers will visit a store because of information found online
- 11Car dealerships receive the highest number of direct searches on average
- 12Construction businesses have the lowest search volume among major verticals
- 1386% of people look up the location of a business on Google Maps
- 14In the medical industry, 36% of searches are discovery searches
- 1597% of consumers learn more about a local company online than anywhere else
- 1690% of consumers perform a local search before interacting with a business
- 1772% of consumers say that their first step in finding a new business is a Google search
- 18People are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable if they see a complete Business Profile on Google Search and Maps
- 1945% of shoppers buy online and pick up in-store after finding the business on Google
- 20Only 35% of consumers click through to a business website from a Google Business Profile, with many preferring zero-click interactions
Interpretation
Treat your Google Business Profile like a shop window, because these stats prove most customers discover businesses on Google, check listings for hours and contact details, often never click through, and are far more likely to trust and visit companies with complete profiles, so neglect yours at your peril and watch thousands of monthly interactions walk next door.
Listing Optimization & Features
- 1Complete Google Business Profiles get 7x more clicks than those missing information
- 2Businesses with photos on their profiles receive 42% more requests for directions
- 3Businesses with photos receive 35% more click-throughs to their websites
- 4Businesses with more than 100 images on GMB get 520% more calls
- 5The average Google My Business listing has 11 photos
- 658% of Google My Business listings contain an error in the address or map marker
- 7Only 17.5% of businesses use Google Posts on their listings
- 8Hotels have the highest median number of photos per listing at 150
- 9Google Posts have a click-through rate of nearly 0%, suggesting they are for branding rather than direct traffic
- 10Using the Q&A feature on GMB can improve local ranking signals
- 11Attributes (e.g., woman-led, wheelchair accessible) are displayed on 31% of listings
- 1290% of single-location businesses have claimed their Google Business Profile
- 13Businesses with a profile logo get 20% more engagement on mobile devices
- 14Uploading at least one new photo per week correlates with a ranking increase for 55% of profiles
- 1562% of listings are missing a phone number or have an incorrect one at some point in their lifecycle
- 1640% of businesses have not added business hours to their listing
- 17Listings with specific services listed (Menu/Services feature) see a 10% lower bounce rate on entry
- 18The "Book" button feature on GMB is used by less than 5% of eligible businesses
- 1932% of businesses have no description in their GMB profile
- 20Primary Category selection is the #1 ranking factor for the Local Pack
Interpretation
Think of your Google Business Profile as a storefront window: fill it with accurate details, lots of photos, a clear logo, and weekly updates, because complete, photo-rich listings earn far more clicks, calls, and directions while too many businesses cripple their visibility with missing, incorrect, or unused features, effectively hiding their storefront from customers.
Mobile & Local Search Trends
- 1Mobile searches for "where to buy" + "near me" have grown by over 200%
- 246% of all Google searches have a "local intent"
- 3"Near me" or "nearby" searches grew by more than 900% over two years
- 460% of smartphone users have contacted a business directly using the "click to call" option in search results
- 557% of local search queries are submitted from a mobile device or tablet
- 676% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day
- 7Zero-click searches (where the user's need is met on the SERP/GMB) account for 65% of all Google searches
- 8Mobile searches for "open now" have tripled in the last two years
- 950% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day
- 1018% of local smart phone searches lead to a purchase within a day
- 11Location-based coupons on mobile generate a 12x increase in map views for retail businesses
- 1228% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase
- 13"Near me" mobile searches that contain a variant of "can I buy" or "to buy" have grown 500% over the last two years
- 1454% of smartphone users search for business hours
- 1553% of smartphone users search for directions to a local store
- 1656% of local retailers have not claimed their Google listing despite high mobile traffic
- 17Searches for "shopping near me" have grown over 200% on mobile
- 1830% of all mobile searches are related to location
- 1942% of regular internet users on mobile conduct local searches daily
- 2078% of local mobile searches result in an offline purchase
Interpretation
With "near me" and "open now" searches exploding by hundreds of percent, local intent driving nearly half of all Google queries, most smartphone searchers calling, visiting, or buying within a day, zero‑click results and location coupons reshaping discovery, and click‑to‑call and directions dominating behavior, the fact that over half of local retailers haven't claimed their Google listing means too many businesses are effectively locked out when customers are literally knocking on their digital door.
Reviews & Reputation Management
- 1Businesses with more than 82 total reviews earn 54% more annual revenue
- 287% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020
- 373% of consumers only pay attention to reviews written in the last month
- 4A 0.1 increase in star rating can increase the conversion rate of a location by 25%
- 548% of consumers will not use a business with less than 4 stars
- 6Businesses who respond to just 1 review earn 4% more revenue on average
- 759% of consumers use Google to read reviews, making it the most popular review site
- 8Consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business
- 920% of consumers expect to receive a response to their review within one day
- 10Listings with a star rating between 3.5 and 3.9 convert roughly the same as those with no stars
- 11Google holds 73% of all online reviews
- 12Moving from a 3-star to a 5-star rating results in 25% more clicks from the Google Local Pack
- 13The average local business has 39 Google reviews
- 1467% of consumers will consider leaving a review for a positive experience if asked
- 1581% of consumers say posts with reviews and ratings are the most important factor in their purchasing decision
- 16Businesses with 9 recent reviews earn 52% more revenue than average
- 17Fake reviews affect 74% of consumers' trust in local businesses
- 18Only 9% of consumers would consider using a business with a 1 or 2 star rating
- 19The keywords "best" and "greatest" in reviews have increased by over 25% in correlation with conversions
- 20Responding to reviews leads to a significant increase in the overall star rating over time
Interpretation
These stats bluntly show that reviews are the new storefront: with Google dominating discovery, people reading about ten mostly recent reviews before trusting a business, tiny star bumps or a handful of fresh reviews producing big boosts in clicks and revenue while sub‑4-star or fake feedback scares customers off, and a quick, consistent response habit reliably lifts ratings and sales.
