The essentials
- Three families: visibility (local rankings, listing views), engagement (actions from the listing, reviews), results (local traffic, conversions).
- Sources: a grid tracking tool, Google Business Profile statistics, GA4 with UTMs, Search Console.
- The result KPI: the enquiries (calls, forms, directions) generated by your local presence, not the views.
- Pace: a monthly reading, a quarterly review with the supplier.
A local SEO supplier will happily show you rising listing views and "improved" positions. Those figures don't say whether the phone rings more. The ten metrics below cover the whole chain, from visibility to enquiry, with the source of each and an alert threshold. They make up the monthly dashboard to ask for, and the questions to put at the quarterly review.
Family 1: visibility
| # | KPI | Source | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Share of points in the top 3 on 5 to 10 queries, taken across a grid covering the area | A local tracking tool (geogrid) | The only reliable position metric; see tracking your position on Google Maps |
| 2 | Visibility radius : the distance up to which you stay in the local pack | A local tracking tool | To compare with your real catchment area |
| 3 | Listing views on Search and Maps, and the queries that showed it | Google Business Profile statistics | The monthly trend; separate brand from discovery searches |
| 4 | Organic impressions and clicks on the queries containing your town | Search Console | The site's share of local visibility |
Family 2: engagement
| # | KPI | Source | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Actions from the listing : calls, direction requests, clicks to the site, messages, bookings | Google Business Profile statistics | The listing's central KPI; see tracking your listing's performance |
| 6 | Reviews : the number received in the month, the average rating, the response rate, the response time | Google listing | Target: a steady flow, a rating of 4.5 or above, 100% responded to within 48 h |
| 7 | Action rate = actions / listing views | Calculated | Measures the listing's appeal (photos, reviews, information) independently of volume |
Family 3: results
| # | KPI | Source | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Sessions coming from the listing and their engagement rate | GA4, the UTM campaign gbp-fiche (see UTMs on the listing) | What the listing brings the site |
| 9 | Local conversions : forms, calls and directions triggered on the site by local traffic | GA4, key events | The measurable result of your local presence |
| 10 | Cost per local enquiry = the cost of the work / (listing actions + site conversions) | Calculated | The figure that justifies the budget, or doesn't |
The figures not to mistake for KPIs
- The number of citations created : that is an action, not a result.
- "Average position" with no grid: worthless, since it depends on where you search from.
- Photo views : flattering, with no connection to enquiries.
- The number of posts : measures the supplier's activity, not its effectiveness.
Those figures have a place in a reporting appendix, not on the front page. The general principles are those of any KPI and of avoiding vanity KPI.
The monthly dashboard
One page: the ten KPIs with their value for the month, the previous month's and the same month's the previous year (local seasonality is strong), three notable facts and three planned actions. A marketing platform connecting the Google listing, GA4 and Search Console produces that table with no re-entry; otherwise a spreadsheet filled in on the first of each month is enough.
The quarterly review's questions
- Which queries have we gained or lost top-3 points on, and why?
- How many calls and directions did the listing generate, compared with last quarter?
- How many reviews did we receive, and what is our gap with the three pack competitors?
- What is the cost per local enquiry, and how do we bring it down?
- What actions are planned next quarter, and what effect do we expect?
These questions also serve for choosing or changing supplier, as detailed in choosing a Google Business Profile supplier and how much professional listing management costs.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's Google Business Profile module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important KPI in local SEO?
The number of enquiries generated by your local presence: calls, direction requests and messages from the Google listing, plus conversions from the traffic that came from the listing to the site. Positions and views explain that figure; they don't replace it.
How do you measure calls coming from the Google listing?
Google Business Profile statistics count clicks on the Call button from the listing. For calls made from the site after a click on the listing, add UTMs to the site link and track a phone_click event in GA4. A tracking number dedicated to the listing refines the measurement further, at the cost of bending NAP consistency.
How often should you take local SEO KPIs?
Monthly for the dashboard (grid positions, actions from the listing, reviews, traffic, conversions), compared with the same month the previous year because of seasonality. A quarterly review with the supplier lets you decide the next actions.
Why isn't average position a good KPI in local SEO?
Because local ranking changes with where you search from: a position taken from a single point doesn't represent what your customers see. The share of points in the top 3 across a grid covering your area, and the visibility radius, are the reliable measurements.