GBP Searches and Views overstated since July?

[georgenenni]

We track GBP searches, views and actions for around 200 new car retailers, through a Jepto API into Data Studio. We are noticing more than half of these profiles received strange spikes in searches and views, but not actions. It is the same data we are seeing directly in the GBP dashboard (attached). We track separate profiles for sales, service, parts and body shop departments for each dealer. The issue is only happening with the nested department listings.

Anyone seeing similar, or have explanation?

I looked through threads for existing, hopefully not already answered!

-George

 

[keyserholiday]

I heard from somebody else that works with dealerships and they too saw the same spikes.

 

[keyserholiday]

Are you seeing any spikes in GSC?

 

[georgenenni]

Are you seeing any spikes in GSC?

While we only monitor SC for a few customers, we have not seen any related issues. Looking at the specific search queries in the GBP admin tool, it appears to be dealer branded, or dealership-full-name or dealership-full-department-name searches.

 

[keyserholiday]

Are you seeing any increases in direct vs discovery?

 

[georgenenni]

Seeing a doubling of discovery, but 15X on direct.

 

[TedL]

We're seeing similar trends for a few of our clients in the car and restaurant verticals since July too. It's been mostly from maps and direct searches. Haven't been able to pin point where it's coming from or if Google is tracking it differently now.

Being the uptick was mostly from direct searches, I would expect actions to improve directionally but that hasn't been the case. If anyone knows what could be causing this increase in impressions you would be my new favorite person.

 

[JS Girard]

Views have long been known to be too volatile to be a truly useful stat. Map views are particularly useless (SterlingSky article).