Library·SOP·SEO
Compare two complete reporting periods, check what the numbers mean for your business, and choose the next useful action.
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Clarity, structure and references reviewed in this version. This is not a test in a live account.
Compare two complete reporting periods, check what the numbers mean for your business, and choose the next useful action.
This SOP covers:
This does not cover:
Make a working copy, name the business result that matters, and use two complete periods with clear dates.
Open the Google Business Profile business facts and performance worksheet and make your own copy. Save the copy with this business’s working files. Use the Performance tab for this report. The Example and Actions tabs use fictional Willow Lane Garden Care; keep those sample values out of the real report.
Choose one real result the business wants to understand, such as received calls, quote requests, completed bookings, or store visits. Ask the owner which result matters and where it is recorded. In the Performance tab, replace the example label in A40 with that result and put the record’s name and the person who can confirm it in E40. If the business does not track it yet, write Not available in E40 and add an action to choose a reliable way to track it. Do not make up counts.
Use the newest complete calendar month with data and the complete month before it. Do not compare a full month with the unfinished current month. In the Performance tab, enter the more recent period in row 6 and the earlier period in row 7; enter each exact start and end date. For a business with strong seasons, use the same complete calendar months from the previous year when the report lets you choose them, and label those dates clearly.
Read each period from the verified profile and copy the displayed values into the matching worksheet columns.
Sign in to the Google Account associated with the verified profile. Open the business in Google Search, choose Performance, then select and apply the more recent complete period. Keep that report open while you record it in the next step. Google shows performance only for verified profiles and an associated account. Follow Google’s current instructions if the menu labels have changed.
Record every available metric for the recent period before changing the report dates.
With the recent report still open, copy each displayed number into Current value.
For each metric, choose the status that matches Google’s report:
Leave Current value blank unless the status is Reported; enter 0 only when Google shows zero.
After you record the recent period, capture the earlier period in the comparison columns.
Select and apply the earlier complete period from row 7 of the worksheet.
Copy each displayed number into Earlier value.
Choose Earlier status using the same definitions as Current status. Leave the value blank unless its status is Reported.
Read the worksheet’s What it means column before explaining any change:
See Google’s metric definitions for other rows.
Use the recent period’s report to record the search terms Google displays.
Copy each term and its displayed value into Search terms shown by Google. If Google shows <15, keep those characters as text; do not guess a count.
Google updates search-term data monthly, and new data can take up to five days to appear. If it has not appeared, set Searches to Too recent rather than zero.
Use a search term as a clue to check what people may be seeking. Do not add the term to the profile automatically.
Check what customers actually did and explain the limits of each comparison before choosing a response.
Use the source named in E40, such as the call log, booking system, or quote-request record. Count the same kind of result over each exact worksheet date range and enter the counts in B40 and C40. The worksheet calculates their difference in D40. If no reliable record exists, leave the counts blank and create a follow-up action to decide how the business will track that outcome; do not substitute calls-button clicks or website clicks.
Use the worksheet’s calculations and date context to explain what changed and what remains unknown.
Read Change, % change, Days, and Period check together. Count and percentage changes are valid arithmetic when both values are reported.
When day counts differ, say that a longer period can collect more actions. Also consider seasons, holidays, staffing, and other changes before crediting the profile or marketing.
When the earlier value is zero, report the count change; the percentage stays blank. If a value is missing, do not compare it as zero.
Fix problems that can block customers first, then use the strongest business evidence to decide what to check next.
Use the Actions tab to rank each finding by customer impact and the strength of its evidence.
Give High priority to a confirmed problem that sends customers to the wrong place or blocks contact, such as an incorrect phone number.
Next, act on reliable evidence tied to the result the owner chose, such as a dated quote-request or booking record.
Treat changes in views, interactions, call-button clicks, or one low-volume query as reasons to check, not proof of more leads.
If a public profile fact needs correction, follow the linked details guide.
Assign each selected action and apply the method to the fictional worksheet example.
In the Actions tab, enter an owner, due date, status, and result or next check for every action.
Willow Lane’s example shows 240 vs. 200 views (+20%), 16 vs. 14 call-button clicks, and 20 vs. 18 website clicks. These do not prove more quote requests. Check the call log and quote-request record. If the fictional log confirms five requests in May and six in June, record that separate result and its source. If not, keep the outcome unknown and assign the record check.
