If you’ve looked at your latest Google Business Profile reports and felt a wave of panic, you’re not alone. Across industries and markets, business owners are seeing what looks like steep drops in search views, website clicks, and ranking coverage. But here’s the truth: in most cases, your business is not actually performing worse. The way Google reports your metrics has changed, and in many ways, the leads you’re getting now are higher quality than before.
We’ve been tracking Google’s updates since 2017. Every few months, they roll out an algorithm change or a new search feature that reshapes the playing field. This summer is no different, and we’ve analyzed the data to explain exactly what’s happening and what it means for your business.
1. Why Your Search Views Are Dropping
The biggest shift is coming from Google’s AI Overviews (sometimes called “AI mode”), which is now the default search experience for most U.S. users.
Before AI Overviews:
When someone searched for your type of business, they would see the traditional local pack (map with listings) and often click into several profiles or websites to compare options. Each click counted as a “view” in your Google Business Profile data, and those clicks also drove website traffic and other measurable actions.
Now with AI Overviews:
Google’s AI often provides all the key details right in the search results, including hours, services, and reviews, without the user needing to click through to multiple profiles. That means fewer counted “views” in your reports, even though people are still seeing your business.
Bottom line:
Your visibility is not necessarily lower, Google is just tracking it differently. In fact, the people who do click are more interested and better informed, which leads to higher-quality inquiries.
2. Why Map Views Are Staying Steady (or Increasing)
The Google Maps app has not been affected by AI Overviews yet. Searches there still show the traditional map listings, and metrics from Maps remain more consistent. If your optimization work is strong, you may even see map views increase.
3. Why Certain Call-to-Action Metrics Are Changing
We’re seeing three clear trends in the data:
- Website clicks are decreasing because users can get much of the information they need without visiting your site.
- Driving direction requests are going up, especially for brick-and-mortar businesses.
- Phone calls may be increasing because ready-to-buy customers are finding exactly what they need in fewer steps.
This shift means fewer casual browsers and more action-oriented leads.
4. Why Your Heat Maps Might Look Worse
Heat maps show your ranking position at different geographic points. After Google’s recent update, many businesses have seen their ranking radius shrink. Instead of showing up far from your location, you may now only appear in top positions closer to your physical address.
This is not necessarily bad, it reflects Google’s push to show users more local, realistic options. For example, someone in the suburbs is less likely to see a pizza shop ranking an hour away, no matter how optimized that business is.
5. This Is a Global Shift
These changes are not limited to your market or even to the U.S. We’re seeing similar patterns in Canada, the UK, France, Australia, Brazil, and beyond. Whether your keywords are broad (“interior painter”) or hyper-specific (“best commercial oak tree trimming in Arkansas”), this new ranking logic applies.
6. What You Should Do Now
- Stay the course. If you’ve been optimizing for less than 90 days, keep going. Google’s reward cycle is typically 4 to 6 months.
- Avoid shortcuts. Black-hat tactics might give a temporary boost, but they risk penalties that can wipe out your rankings entirely.
- Follow ongoing recommendations. In your optimization dashboard, complete all action items. We update these monthly based on what our data scientist sees working in real-world results.
The Takeaway
Your reports may look alarming at first glance, but for most businesses, this is a reporting change, not a performance crash. You’re likely getting fewer, but far better, clicks, calls, and visits from people ready to take action.
We’ll keep monitoring the trends and updating your strategy so you stay competitive no matter how Google evolves.
Have questions? Reach out to our marketing experts today.
