Data & Research March 17, 2026 • Updated: 6 November 2026

Google Business Profile
statistics 2026

50+ verified statistics on Google Business Profile: reach & impressions, reviews, Local Pack performance, photo impact and industry benchmarks. Compiled from research by Google, BrightLocal, Whitespark, SOCi, Sterling Sky and Northwestern's Spiegel Research Center.

1,260

average views per GBP profile per month

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

4.11

average star rating on Google reviews

Source: SOCi, 2022

520%

more calls with 100+ photos on your profile

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

Statistics overview

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the most important free marketing channel for local businesses. But how large is its reach really? How much impact do reviews have on your clicks? And what does an optimized profile actually deliver in concrete results?

On this page you'll find 50+ verified Google Business Profile statistics and benchmarks, compiled from research reports by Google, BrightLocal, Whitespark, SOCi, Sterling Sky and Northwestern's Spiegel Research Center, each linked to its source. Whether you're building a business case for GMB optimization or want to review the latest data: this page gives you the numbers you need.

Section 1

Reach & impressions

1,260

avg. views per GBP profile per month (943 on Search, 317 on Maps)

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

84%

of searches that surface a GBP are discovery searches (16% direct)

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

2B+

monthly Google Maps users worldwide

Source: Google, 2025

35%

of SMBs have a Google Business Profile (US survey)

Source: BrightLocal, 2025

How consumers find your GBP

Discovery searches (category/product/service) 84%
Direct searches (business name or address) 16%

Source: BrightLocal, 2019 (45,264 businesses in the US, UK, Canada and Australia; data Sept 2017 to Dec 2018)

  • The average business appears in 1,009 searches per month: 157 direct and 852 discovery searches (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • 34% of local businesses are seen in more than 1,000 discovery searches per month (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • 75% of profile views come from Google Search, the rest from Google Maps (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Google Maps lists 250 million businesses and places, and 500 million users contribute information such as reviews, photos and ratings (Google, 2025)
  • Just 40% of local businesses have a dedicated website, so for many the profile is the main online storefront (US data, BrightLocal, 2026). Pair that with strong on-page fundamentals through a dedicated SEO agency to compound the local impact.
Section 2

Actions from GBP

What consumers do after reading positive reviews

Visit the business website 54%
54%
Read more reviews 37%
37%
Visit the business location 31%
31%
Visit its social media channels 24%
24%
Contact the business 20%
20%

Source: BrightLocal, 2026 (1,002 US consumers, multiple answers possible)

Conversion to Action
5%

of GBP views lead to an action (website click, call, directions)

Avg. 1,250 views/mo = 59 actions/mo

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

Website Clicks
56%

of all GBP actions are website visits

Website clicks: 33/mo All actions: 59/mo

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

Local Action
76%

of people who search on their smartphone for something nearby visit a business within a day

Within a day: 76% Purchase: 28%

Source: Think with Google, 2016

  • 16% of businesses receive more than 100 calls per month from their profile, and 19% more than 100 direction requests (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • 94% of calls from GBP arrive Monday to Friday, most often between 10am and 12pm (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Actions grew from 53 to 64 per month between Q4 2017 and Q4 2018, lifting view-to-action conversion from 3.87% to 4.83% (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • 54% of consumers visit the business website after reading positive reviews, up from 32% in 2019 (US, BrightLocal, 2026)
  • 85% are more likely to use a business after reading positive reviews, while negative reviews deter 77% (US, BrightLocal, 2026)
Section 3

Reviews & ratings

4.11

average Google star rating (31,326 profiles, 2022; 3.74 in 2015)

Source: SOCi, 2022

97%

of consumers read reviews for local businesses (US)

Source: BrightLocal, 2026

74%

only care about reviews written in the last three months

Source: BrightLocal, 2026

47%

won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews

Source: BrightLocal, 2026

Minimum star rating consumers require

Care about star ratings when choosing a business 92%
Only use businesses with 4+ stars (2026) 68%
Only use businesses with 4+ stars (2025) 55%
Only use businesses with 4.5+ stars (2026) 31%
Only use businesses with 5 stars 10%

Source: BrightLocal, 2026 (1,002 US consumers)

  • Businesses in the top 3 of Google local results have an average of 47 Google reviews, versus 38 for positions 7 to 10 (BrightLocal, 2018)
  • Purchase likelihood peaks at 4.0 to 4.7 stars and then decreases as ratings approach 5.0, based on online product reviews (Spiegel Research Center, 2017)
  • Raising the average rating by one full star improved Google profile conversion by 44%, and every ten new reviews added 2.8% (SOCi, 2022)
  • 81% of consumers expect a response to their review within a week, and 19% expect one the same day, up from 6% a year earlier (US, BrightLocal, 2026)
  • For every 25% of reviews a business responds to, Google profile conversion improved by 4.1% (SOCi, 2022)
  • 80% are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews, but generic or templated replies put off 50% (US, BrightLocal, 2026)
Section 4

Google Maps & local Pack

32.3%

of search result clicks go to the Local Pack (no Local Services Ads shown)

Source: BrightLocal, 2018

30%

of all mobile searches are related to location

Source: Think with Google, 2016

32%

of Local Pack ranking weight comes from GBP signals

Source: Whitespark, 2026

20%

of Local Pack ranking weight comes from review signals

Source: Whitespark, 2026

Local ranking factor groups (weight)

Ranking factor group Local Pack / Maps Local organic
GBP signals (proximity, categories, keywords in name) 32% 7%
Review signals (quantity, velocity, first and third party) 20% 6%
On-page signals (NAP, keywords in title tag, authority) 15% 33%
Behavioural signals (CTR, mobile clicks to call, dwell time) 9% 10%
Link signals (anchor text, linking domains) 8% 24%
Citation signals (NAP consistency, citation volume) 6% 7%
Personalization (search history, location, device) 6% 8%
Social signals 4% 5%

Source: Whitespark, 2026 (survey of 47 local search experts, 187 factors)

  • Local Pack position 1 gets 17.3% of all clicks, position 2 gets 12.0% and position 3 gets 2.9% (5,500+ users tested, BrightLocal, 2018)
  • Primary GBP category is the number 1 Local Pack factor, followed by the distance between searcher and business (Whitespark, 2026)
  • 23.2% of clicks were motivated mainly by review numbers and ratings (BrightLocal, 2018)
  • Mobile searches for "open now" grew 2.1x in one year (US, Think with Google, 2016), and being open at the time of search is a top 5 Local Pack factor (Whitespark, 2026)
  • Google ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and there is no way to pay for a better local ranking (Google Business Profile Help, 2026)
Section 5

GBP posts & updates

Post Engagement
0.6%

CTR of Offer posts, the best-performing post type

Update: 0.3% Event: 0.2%

Source: Sterling Sky, 2023

Post Reach
512

average views per Offer post

Event: 636 Update: 277

Source: Sterling Sky, 2023

Post Titles
1.90

average clicks for posts with a title, almost twice as many

Without title: 0.99 With title: 1.90

Source: Sterling Sky, 2023

6 months

after which posts are archived, unless a date range is set

Source: Google Business Profile Help, 2026

5.6x

more clicks for posts without stock photos

Source: Sterling Sky, 2023

  • Posts about specials and discounts averaged 6.04 clicks, posts with a call-to-action 2.71 and product or service posts 1.04 (Sterling Sky, 2023)
  • Images with text in them got almost 4x the clicks of images without text (2.03 vs. 0.59) (Sterling Sky, 2023)
  • Posts with emojis got twice as many clicks as posts without (3.06 vs. 1.53) (Sterling Sky, 2023)
  • Titles in normal capitalization got almost twice the clicks of all-caps titles (1.92 vs. 1.13) (Sterling Sky, 2023)
  • There are three post types: updates, offers and events; an event without a start or end time shows as lasting 24 hours (Google Business Profile Help, 2026)

Sterling Sky analyzed 1,000+ posts from small businesses (published February 2023).

Section 6

Photos & media impact

520%

more calls with 100+ photos than the average business

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

2,717%

more direction requests with 100+ photos

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

1,065%

more website clicks with 100+ photos

Source: BrightLocal, 2019

+35%

more website clicks for businesses with photos, according to Google

Source: Google via BrightLocal, 2019

Photo impact on GBP performance

100+ photos: more direction requests +2,717%
100+ photos: more website clicks +1,065%
100+ photos: more phone calls +520%
Any photos vs. none: more direction requests (Google) +42%

Source: BrightLocal, 2019 (correlation, not proven causation)

  • Google recommends at least three photos per type: exterior, interior, products, work, food and drink, rooms and team, plus at least one of each common area (Google Business Profile Help, 2026)
  • The median business has 11 photos on its profile; 6% have only one photo, 24% have 2 to 5 and 13% have more than 50 (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Hotels have the most photos, with a median of 150 each (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Photos must be JPG or PNG between 10 KB and 5 MB (720 x 720 px recommended), and videos can be up to 30 seconds (Google Business Profile Help, 2026)
  • 36% of consumers value an appealing photo or video accompanying a review (US, BrightLocal, 2026)
Section 7

GBP by industry

GBP performance by industry (median per business per month)

Industry Search views Maps views Action rate
Restaurants 6,386 5,439 3%
Hotels 13,042 14,434 3%
Local stores 2,018 1,108 3%
Medical 1,415 366 5%
Automotive 2,228 1,890 4%
Business services 225 57 4%
Legal 697 110 3%
Real estate 500 184 4%

Source: BrightLocal, 2019 (36 industries; action rate = website clicks, calls and direction requests per view)

  • Hotels get the most views of any industry, and 53% of their views come from Google Maps (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Car dealerships have the highest action rate (7%) and receive 576 website clicks per month (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Restaurants receive 51% of their GBP calls after 5pm and 32% at the weekend (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Locksmiths get 97% of their searches from discovery, the highest discovery rate of all industries (BrightLocal, 2019)
  • Senior living has the highest share of direct searches (32%) (BrightLocal, 2019)
Section 8

GBP optimization impact

+70%

more likely to visit a business with a complete profile

Source: Google Business Profile Help, 2026

+50%

more likely to consider purchasing with a complete profile

Source: Google Business Profile Help, 2026

2.7x

more likely to consider a business reputable with a complete profile

Source: Google Business Profile Help, 2026

Measured effect of reviews on Google profile conversion

Average rating one full star higher +44%
Every 25% of reviews responded to +4.1%
Every ten new reviews +2.8%

Source: SOCi, 2022 (31,326 Google profiles of multi-location brands)

  • The top 5 Local Pack factors are primary GBP category (score 227), proximity to the searcher (225), keywords in the GBP business title (223), a physical address in the city of search (213) and being open at the time of search (189) (Whitespark, 2026)
  • Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results, and more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking (Google Business Profile Help, 2026)
  • The share of Google reviews with text fell from 76.2% in 2015 to 54.2% (SOCi, 2022)
  • The average business earned 5.8 new Google reviews per month in July 2022, 56% fewer than the peak of 13.1 in August 2019 (SOCi, 2022)
Summary

Key takeaways

1

84% find you via discovery

The vast majority of the searches that surface your GBP are category and product searches, not your name (BrightLocal, 2019). Optimize for discovery.

2

Reviews determine your success

97% read reviews, 74% only care about the last three months and 47% skip businesses with fewer than 20 reviews. Make review management a priority.

3

Photos = conversions

Businesses with 100+ photos got 520% more calls than average. That is a correlation, but every image you add strengthens your profile. Invest in quality visual content.

4

76% visit within a day

Three-quarters of people who search nearby on their smartphone visit a business within a day. Your GBP is often the first (and only) point of contact.

5

Offer posts get the clicks

Offer posts had the highest CTR in an analysis of 1,000+ posts, and posts with real photos instead of stock photos got 5.6x more clicks.

6

Complete profile = 70% more visits

Google says customers are 70% more likely to visit a business with a complete profile, yet only 35% of SMBs have a Google Business Profile at all.

Methodology & sources

The statistics on this page are compiled from publicly available research by reputable organizations. Every figure links to the source it was taken from, and every source was opened and checked on 6 November 2026. Where only an older edition exists, the year of that edition is shown. The sources are:

  • Google: Business Profile Help, The Keyword (Google Maps blog), Think with Google (2016)
  • BrightLocal: Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, Google My Business Insights Study (2019), Google Reviews Study (2018), Local Services Ads Click Study (2018), SMB Marketing in 2025
  • Whitespark: Local Search Ranking Factors 2026
  • SOCi: State of Google Reviews (2022)
  • Sterling Sky: Google Posts analysis of 1,000+ posts (2023)
  • Northwestern University / Spiegel Research Center: How Online Reviews Influence Sales (2017)

Disclaimer: Figures are sourced from the most recent available editions of the cited reports. Several benchmarks (views, actions, photos) come from older studies and carry their year; photo and review effects are correlations, not proven causes. Most data is international (mainly US), not Dutch. This page is compiled for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or strategic advice. For tailored local growth plans, talk to our online marketing agency in Amsterdam or contact us.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many views does an average Google Business Profile get per month?

In BrightLocal's study of 45,000+ business profiles, the average Google Business Profile received 1,260 views per month (943 on Search and 317 on Maps), and 84% of the searches that surfaced a business were discovery searches. Views vary strongly by industry: hotels had the highest medians, with 13,042 Search views and 14,434 Maps views per month. The data covers 2017 and 2018 and was published in 2019.

How many reviews does a business need to be trusted?

In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of US consumers, 47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and only 9% would use one with five or fewer. 97% read reviews for local businesses and 74% only care about reviews written in the last three months. Ratings matter too: 68% will only use a business with four or more stars.

What impact do photos have on a Google Business Profile?

Photos have an enormous impact on GBP performance. Businesses with more than 100 photos received 520% more phone calls, 2,717% more direction requests and 1,065% more website clicks than the average business (BrightLocal, 2019; a correlation, not proven causation). Google recommends at least three exterior and three interior photos, plus at least three photos of products, team and work. According to Google, businesses with photos receive 35% more clicks through to their website.

How important is Google Business Profile for local visibility?

GBP signals carry 32% of the weight for Local Pack rankings in the 2026 Whitespark survey of 47 local search experts, with the primary GBP category as the number one factor. 30% of all mobile searches are related to location, and 76% of people who search on their smartphone for something nearby visit a business within a day (Google, 2016). Without an optimized GBP, you're missing the largest local search channel.

What is the average star rating on Google Reviews?

SOCi's analysis of 31,326 Google profiles found an average rating of 4.11 stars in 2022, up from 3.74 in 2015. BrightLocal's study of 93,845 local businesses found an average of 4.42 stars. Consumers are getting stricter: 31% will only use a business with 4.5 stars or more, up from 17% a year earlier. In SOCi's data, raising the average by one full star improved profile conversion by 44%.

How quickly should you respond to Google Reviews?

Quickly. 19% of consumers expect a same-day response and 81% expect one within a week, and 89% expect owners to respond at all (BrightLocal, 2026). 80% are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews, while generic or templated replies put off 50%. In SOCi's data, every 25% of reviews responded to improved Google profile conversion by 4.1%.

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Ruud ten Have

Compiled by

Ruud ten Have

Ruud is a digital marketer with 10+ years of experience in online advertising and AI implementation. At Searchlab, he combines strategic thinking with hands-on AI tooling to deliver measurable results for businesses.

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