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Customer uploads can not be gotten rid of unless they break Google's content policies (off-topic, offensive, deceptive). Flag really troublesome images through the image-level menu; do not flag unflattering-but-accurate ones Google turns down such requests and duplicated flagging can decrease profile trust signals.

Profiles that include media weekly program measurably higher views in the Efficiency tab than profiles that published once at setup and then stopped. Deal with media as a continuous deliverable, not a setup task. The old Insights tab was changed by the Efficiency tab in 2023 and considerably upgraded again in 2026.
A good weekly read takes 5 minutes and informs you whether category-level SEO work is landing. Efficiency divides searches into direct (brand-name), discovery (classification or service terms), and branded-adjacent (competitor or adjacent-brand questions). Increasing discovery ratio is the cleanest single indication that category and content work is moving the profile beyond its existing audience.

Each action maps to a various stage of the regional funnel. Direction requests indicate intent to visit. Calls indicate intent to speak with or book. Website clicks suggest research study. Track the ratio, not just the raw numbers a profile with 500 views and 40 direction demands is carrying out far better than one with 5,000 views and 50 requests.
The 2026 upgrade included a new row that divides impressions by surface: classic local panel, Maps AI summary card, and Google AI Overviews in the natural SERP. Track AI-surface share a rising percentage of views coming from AI summary cards is the specifying local-SEO metric of 2026. If your AI-surface share is listed below 15%, your profile is either missing grounding content (item descriptions, in-depth evaluations) or is completing in a vertical where Google has not yet presented summaries.
The benchmark is a sign rather than conclusive you can not see which peers are consisted of however sustained below-median efficiency on views or action rate is a signal to investigate main category, description completeness, and media freshness. Pull Performance data into Looker Studio through the main GBP connector for cross- location reporting.
Google has actually explained regional ranking as a function of 3 elements for over a years: distance, relevance, and prominence. That framing still holds in 2026, but each element has gathered sub-signals that separate top-performing profiles from stagnant ones. The effect of agentic search AI assistants issuing questions on behalf of a user has further blurred proximity by broadening the radius of what counts as "near me". Still the single largest aspect for the majority of regional inquiries.
A dental expert whose description reads "Family dental practitioner offering cleansings, bleaching, veneers, and pediatric care" will match more discovery inquiries than one that checks out "Your trusted regional dentist". The most complicated factor. Includes backlink profile of the connected site, citations across the local-citation chart (Yelp, TripAdvisor, BBB, market directories), evaluation count, evaluation velocity, evaluation sentiment, and offline brand acknowledgment (news discusses, sponsorships).
A separate sub-signal that Google has significantly weighted. Profiles getting fresh evaluations every week outrank otherwise-equivalent profiles whose newest review is three months old. Cadence matters more than volume at the margin. Tie review requests to an operational milestone (service completion, shipment, follow-up call) so the cadence is automatic rather than campaign-driven.
Suite numbers formatted in a different way, a mix of 555-1234 and (555) 123-4321, a tradition "LLC" suffix on some directory sites and not others each disparity makes Google slightly less confident about the entity. Run a citation audit with Moz Local, BrightLocal, or Semrush Listing Management and fix the top 20 highest-authority inconsistencies quarterly.
Profiles with rich grounding material (comprehensive evaluations, substantive products, connected service pages) are mentioned inside Introductions; thin profiles are omitted. Everything above still uses when you run one profile.
[target2:anchor_exact1]A dental professional whose description checks out "Household dental practitioner offering cleansings, whitening, veneers, and pediatric care" will match more discovery queries than one that checks out "Your relied on regional dentist". The most complicated element. Consists of backlink profile of the linked website, citations across the local-citation graph (Yelp, TripAdvisor, BBB, industry directory sites), review count, evaluation speed, review belief, and offline brand recognition (news points out, sponsorships).
Profiles receiving fresh reviews every week outrank otherwise-equivalent profiles whose most current review is three months old. Tie evaluation demands to an operational milestone (service completion, delivery, follow-up call) so the cadence is automatic rather than campaign-driven.
[target1:anchor_exact1]Suite numbers formatted in a different way, a mix of 555-1234 and (555) 123-4321, a tradition "LLC" suffix on some directory sites and not others each disparity makes Google slightly less confident about the entity. Run a citation audit with Moz Local, BrightLocal, or Semrush Listing Management and repair the leading 20 highest-authority disparities quarterly.
Profiles with rich grounding content (detailed reviews, substantive products, connected service pages) are pointed out inside Summaries; thin profiles are omitted. Whatever above still uses when you run one profile.
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