This check-up will take about 2 minutes if you’re already using UTM tracking links on the landing page URLs of your Google Business Profile page or pages (which I hope you are, because they’re mighty useful). If you’re not using a tracking URL, you can set one up in a couple of minutes now, and then do the quick check-up (described below) in a week or two.
If you’re not sure why or how to set up tracking links for your Google Business Profile page (or anything else), either check out Claire Carlile’s excellent and easy-to-follow guide, or adapt either of the following URLs and paste it into the “Website” field of your GBP page:
If you’re using the homepage as your landing page URL: https://yourwebsiteurlgoeshere.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb-page-link
If you’re using a “location” page as your landing page URL: https://yourwebsiteurlgoeshere.com/yourlocationpagegoeshere/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb-page-link
Back to my main point. If you’ve done that and you’ve got Google Search Console installed (it’s critical that you do), you can very quickly find the answer to a simple question: how many people who find you on the local map are on mobile vs. on desktop?
As far as I know, the ever-diminishing Google Analytics won’t tell you that. Sure, you can see what % of your traffic is mobile vs. desktop, but (a) you won’t see how often you show up (whether or not you get clicks), and (b) it won’t show you the behavior of only the people who find your Google Business Profile page. In other words, you just want to know how the Google Maps people roll.
Here is what I’ve gleaned from looking at various clients’ data in Search Console: on mobile the search impressions are much lower than on desktop, but the clicks are much higher on mobile than on desktop, generally. In other words, your GBP is somewhat less likely to show up to mobile searchers, but if it does, you’re much more likely to get a click out of the deal. Of course, that’s just based on what I’ve seen, and YMMV.
The table I’m referring to may look something like this:
Look at how inverted it is. You’d think the way-higher impressions (i.e. visibility) on desktop searches would yield more clicks total, and more clicks pound for pound. But that’s not the case. I don’t see these sorts of numbers every time, but probably 85% of the time.
How do you check your GBP page’s mobile vital signs?
- Log into Google Search Console
- Go to “Performance” (or “Search Results” and then “Performance”).
- Select a date range of at least a few months. I like 16 months or 3 months.
- Click “Add filter,” select “Page,” and under “URLs containing” enter “gmb.” That will show you the clicks and search impressions (views) your Google Business Profile got, as opposed to those you got in the organic search results.
- Click on the “Devices” tab (right under the graph).
That’s it. That’s how you see the action your GBP page gets on mobile and on desktop (and tablets).
I like to do a 6th step, which is to subtract all of the brand-name search volume. Why? Because if I’m Acme Electrical, I want to see what kind of eyeballs and clicks I get on the map from people who don’t already know about me, rather than from the people who Googled “Acme Electrical” after a friend or relative recommended me. To see your GBP page’s mobile numbers without brand-name searches in the mix, click “Add filter” -> “Query” -> “Queries not containing” and enter the word or phrase that denotes your business (e.g. “Acme,” “AAA,” “Sanford & Son,” etc.)
Now that you’ve determined the mobile mojo of your Google Business Profile, what do you do with that information? A few things, for starters:
1. Make sure the specific page GBP clickers land on is extra easy to navigate, informative, and not too slow-loading. For our purposes today, it doesn’t matter whether the rest of your site is a pile of guano. If you just make sure the GBP landing page is solid and persuasive, you’ll be in business long enough to deal with the rest of the site.
2. On your GBP landing page, make it annoyingly obvious what your service area is. As in: above the fold or just below it. Mobile clickers are somewhat more likely to be close-by, they’re somewhat more likely to be in a rush (or have a gnat-like attention span), and so they may be extra concerned about travel distance (yours or theirs). Also, I’ve found that splattering your service area all over your site is just plain good for rankings, both Google Maps and organic.
3. Perform Google Maps spam-checks on your phone. A spammy competitor who outranks you for a given search term on mobile has probably siphoned a lot of clicks away from you. Drop the dime if appropriate.
4. Make sure the landing page URL you use for your GBP page (whether it’s your homepage or a location page) is loaded up with your finest reviews from customers. Why? Because It’s frustrating to flip through Google reviews on your phone. You can’t assume that most mobile clickers who found you on the local map and clicked through to your site saw your best Google reviews (or even any of your Google reviews). Make sure everyone who tunes in has heard the greatest hits. You can simply copy and paste your reviews onto the page. (I like to link back to the original review, so people know my clients aren’t just making it up.)
Before you do anything, just go get the facts. I may have made it sound trickier than it is, but you’ll find it’s a pretty easy lift.
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What do your GBP numbers look like on mobile vs. desktop? What conclusions have you drawn? Any difficulty in getting set up or in accessing that data? Leave a comment!
