Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a potential customer sees, before your website, before your social media, before anything. The average verified GBP generates 595 calls per year (WebFX's 2026 benchmarks). But only 24 percent of businesses get more than 50 calls per month, and only 16 percent exceed 100.
Short answer: The businesses getting the most calls have complete profiles, 100 or more photos, 200 or more reviews, and post at least twice per week. Each of these is a specific, measurable action you can take starting today.
Add More Photos (Seriously)
This is the single highest-leverage action for most businesses. BrightLocal's analysis of 45,000 Google Business Profile listings found that profiles with a rich photo library substantially outperform sparse ones on calls, directions, and website clicks, with listings crossing roughly 10 photos showing a clear engagement lift.
Upload photos of your team, your work, your location, your equipment, and your results. Google's Vision AI analyzes your photos to understand what your business offers (RioSEO), which means photo content quality affects which searches you match.
Post new photos weekly. Before-and-after shots, completed projects, team photos, and customer interactions all signal an active, real business.
Build Review Volume
Businesses with 200 or more Google reviews are significantly more likely to appear in the top three local search positions (BrightLocal). Those in positions one through three average roughly 250 reviews, while positions four through ten average under 200.
A 4.8-star rating with detailed reviews outranks a perfect 5.0 with a handful of generic ones (Sterling Sky's analysis). Google favors review depth and recency over perfection. Aim for a steady stream rather than a burst.
Automate review requests: after every completed job or appointment, send a text or email with a direct link to your Google review page. The businesses with the highest review counts do this systematically, not manually.
Post Regularly
Google treats posting activity as a ranking and engagement signal. Post at least twice a week (TrueFuture Media's 2026 optimization checklist). Posts can include updates, offers, events, or tips related to your services.
Each post is an opportunity to include your target keywords naturally and remind Google that your business is active. Posts with a call-to-action (call now, book online, learn more) drive direct engagement from the listing.
Complete Every Profile Section
Google's own data shows that complete profiles are twice as likely to be considered reputable. Make sure you have filled out: business description with your key services and service area, all applicable service categories (primary and secondary), business hours including special hours for holidays, attributes (wheelchair accessible, women-owned, veteran-owned, etc.), and a direct link to your booking or contact page.Phone calls represent 17 to 21 percent of all GBP interactions, with website visits at 48 percent and direction requests at 34 percent (Birdeye's State of GBP 2025 report). A well-optimized profile drives action across all three.
Set Up Call Tracking
Google removed native call tracking from GBP in July 2023 and discontinued call history in July 2024 (Invoca). You now need a third-party call tracking tool to measure which calls come from your GBP listing.
Use a tracking number as your primary phone number in GBP and your real number as the secondary. Services like CallRail, CallTrackingMetrics, or WhatConverts let you attribute calls directly to your listing and measure ROI.
What This Means for Your Business
The 595 calls per year benchmark is an average. Businesses that actively manage their profiles, post regularly, maintain strong photo libraries, and build review volume consistently outperform that number. Pick the area where you are weakest, whether it is photos, reviews, or posting frequency, and focus there first.
Related reads:
- Google Business Profile Suspended? How to Fix It
- Why Is My Google Business Profile Not Showing Up?
- Our Local SEO Services
Want help optimizing your Google Business Profile? We manage GBP optimization, review strategy, and local SEO for businesses that want more calls from Google. Talk to our team →