Google has completely replaced the legacy Insights feature with Performance Metrics in Google Business Profiles, fundamentally changing how businesses track local search visibility and customer interactions. The new system provides three core sections—Interactions, Views, and Searches—with monthly reporting cycles replacing the previous weekly data updates. This transformation affects millions of local businesses who relied on photo view counts, customer search patterns, and detailed demographic breakdowns that are no longer available in the streamlined interface.
The Performance Metrics update eliminates several popular features including photo insights, customer search behavior analysis, and direction request location data. Business owners now receive interaction summaries showing total customer actions like calls, website clicks, and direction requests without the granular detail previously available. The new monthly data refresh cycle creates delays in performance tracking, forcing businesses to adapt their local SEO strategies and reporting workflows around less frequent data availability.
Key changes affecting local businesses include:
- Monthly data updates replacing weekly insights for views and searches
- Elimination of individual photo performance tracking and engagement metrics
- Simplified customer interaction tracking without demographic breakdowns
- Year-over-year comparison features for completed months only
- Integration of Google Ads data within organic performance metrics
The overhaul reflects Google’s broader strategy to streamline business tools while potentially pushing advanced analytics toward paid Google Ads products for detailed performance insights.