Google Business Profile insights, now the Performance report, tell you what patients did on your listing: how many called, asked for directions, clicked to your website or found you through a given search. The numbers are easy to misread. A view is not a patient, and a call click is not a booked appointment. This guide explains each metric for a practice, how to connect profile activity to new patients without putting patient details into marketing tools, and a 15-minute monthly review. Metric names and definitions were checked against Google Business Profile Help in October 2026; Google has renamed and changed them before.
Few people search for this ("google business profile insights" 110 US searches a month, "google business profile performance" 40, "google business profile calls" 20), but advertisers pay $37.10 a click for the last one (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026), mostly to sell call tracking.
Where to find the performance report (formerly Insights)
Google's performance help page (opens in a new tab) gives three routes:
- Google Search: go to your Business Profile, click Performance, choose a time period and click Apply.
- Google Maps app: tap Business, tap See more next to Performance, choose a time period and tap Apply.
- Download: in Business Profile Manager, select the profiles, open Actions, choose Insights, pick a timeframe and click Download Report.
Three conditions apply. "Performance data is available only for verified Business Profiles." You "must be signed in to the Google Account associated with your profile." And "Only metrics that apply to your business appear," so a practice won't see hotel or menu metrics.
What each metric means for a practice
| Metric | Google's definition | How to read it at a practice |
|---|---|---|
| Interactions | "A summary of all your total interactions" | The headline number; break it down before drawing conclusions |
| Views | "How many people viewed your Business Profile on Search and Maps" | Unique people, counted once a day; awareness, not demand |
| Searches | "The search terms people used to find your business" | Shows whether new patients find you by specialty or only by name |
| Calls | "The number of times a customer clicked on the call button on your Business Profile" | Intent to contact; see the next section for what it misses |
| Directions | "How many people asked for directions to your business" | Often a patient on the way to an appointment, new or existing |
| Website clicks | "The number of times people clicked on the website link on your Business Profile" | Patients researching before they call or book |
| Messages | "The number of different conversations through messages" | Only if you've turned on chat |
| Bookings | "The number of bookings people completed" | Only when bookings run through a provider connected to Google |
Two counting rules matter. Google says "A person can only be counted once a day" in views, and that views "might be lower than the number of views you find on your Business Profile and email notifications." Performance data also "includes both organic search results and Google Ads," so a month with ads running isn't comparable with one without.
Calls from the profile: what's counted and what isn't
The Calls metric counts clicks on the call button, and it appears only if your profile has a phone number. That means:
- Counted: a patient taps Call on your profile in Search or Maps.
- Not counted: a patient reads your number and dials it, calls from your website, or calls from another directory.
- Not proof of a conversation: a click doesn't tell you whether the call connected, went to voicemail or was abandoned in a phone tree.
Your phone system counts something different: every inbound call, including existing patients, pharmacies and vendors. Expect the two never to match, and compare their trends instead.
Some practices consider a tracking number to separate Google calls. Google's guidelines (opens in a new tab) say the profile's number "must be under the direct control of the business" and prohibit numbers that "redirect or 'refer' users to landing pages," so read our guide to call tracking and HIPAA before changing the number on your profile. Medfy doesn't record calls or provide tracking numbers.
Searches that triggered your profile
The Searches metric lists the terms people used to find you. Google says it "is updated at the start of each month. It might take up to 5 days to show up." Sort the terms into two groups:
- Your name (practice or doctor names, including misspellings). These patients already knew you.
- Discovery searches (specialty, condition or "near me" terms). These are new patients finding you.
A profile found almost entirely by name has a relevance problem: Google isn't matching it to the care you provide. Check your category and services, then watch whether discovery terms grow over the next few months. Our explainer on Maps visibility covers what drives those matches.
Use discovery terms as content ideas, too. If "vestibular therapy" appears and your profile and website say nothing about it, add the service and the page.
Connecting profile activity to new patients
Profile numbers measure interest. New patients are measured at the front desk. To connect the two without risking patient privacy:
- Ask every new patient how they found you and record the answer as a category ("Google search or Maps", "referral", "insurance directory") in your practice management system.
- Count, don't copy. At month end, take the number of new patients by source. Only the counts leave the practice system.
- Set them side by side: new patients from Google against profile calls, direction requests and website clicks for the same month.
Keep names, phone numbers and call logs out of marketing tools and agency spreadsheets. Under 45 CFR 160.103 (opens in a new tab), information that relates to "the provision of health care to an individual" and identifies that person is individually identifiable health information; a list of callers who became patients is exactly that. Our guide to marketing KPIs for practices covers cost per new patient and the other numbers worth tracking.
Medfy's dashboard shows Business Profile data with Search Console and Google Analytics 4, next to first-party website analytics for calls, forms, bookings and direction clicks, and sends a weekly brief by email. Marketing reports use aggregate numbers only.
A monthly 15-minute review
- Minutes 0–3: set the dates. Last full month against the month before and the same month last year.
- Minutes 3–6: read the actions. Calls, directions and website clicks. Note anything that moved more than you'd expect.
- Minutes 6–9: read the searches. Are discovery terms growing? Any new condition or service terms?
- Minutes 9–12: compare with the front desk. New patients who said "Google" this month, against last month.
- Minutes 12–15: pick one action. Add a missing service, fix hours, reply to reviews, or publish one of your profile posts. Write it down so next month's review can check it.
If views or calls drop sharply, check the profile's status and hours before anything else. A suspended profile or a wrong holiday closure shows up here first.
To see how your listing scores from the outside, run the free marketing audit; it rates your Google listing 0 to 100 with your top five fixes. The Google Business Profile guide covers the rest of the profile.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't Google Business Profile calls match my phone system?
They measure different things. Google counts the number of times someone clicked the call button on your profile. It doesn't count patients who read the number and dial it, call from your website or another directory, and a click isn't proof the call connected. Your phone system counts every inbound call, including existing patients. Compare the trends month to month rather than expecting the totals to agree.
What happened to Google My Business Insights?
The product is now Google Business Profile, and the main report is called Performance. You open it from your profile in Google Search or from the Business tab in the Google Maps app. The Insights name survives in Google's help page title and in the downloadable report in Business Profile Manager. Google has renamed and changed metrics over time, so check its current definitions.
Can I see which searches found my practice on Google?
Yes. The Searches metric shows the search terms people used to find your business. Google updates it at the start of each month, and it can take up to five days to appear. It's available only for verified profiles. Split the terms into searches for your name and searches for a specialty, condition or 'near me', which show whether new patients are discovering you.