Businesses gain access to Google data through Local Business Center

Starting today, Google is putting valuable information in the hands of local business owners, giving them access to Google query data that led a customer - or potential customer - to the company's online listing.

Google's Local Business Center is the place where local businesses have been able to keep tabs on their Google listings to ensure that the phone number, street address and all the links - to the website, for driving directions and even online reviews - are up to date. My favorite neighborhood pizza joint has a lot invested in its Google listing (see image) but, until now, it was just information that the business owner could put out there for others to see.

Now, Google has expanded the service to provide access to the granular data that business owners would want to know about those listings. Example: What was the search query that led to the listing in the results? Where - aggregated by zip code - were people coming from when they requested driving directions? How many of those directions requests originated from a mobile device? How many times did users click through to read reviews, check out the menu or research store hours?

It's different from Google Analytics, which provides usage metrics for a web site. It provides a deeper dive look into both the online and offline worlds - and not just what potential customers are doing but whether marketing efforts are paying off, as well.

Say, for example, a small business places an ad in the local newspaper or is a sponsor at a community event. Sure, the business owner can measure the results of that investment by looking for an uptick in traffic at the store - maybe there was a coupon or event promotion associated with it. But did that ad or sponsorship lead to an increase of Web traffic, as well?

Google's Local Business Center, as well as access to the data, is free for businesses who claim their listing through Google. For any business looking for a deeper analysis of online customer behavior, Local Business Center is a no-brainer.

If nothing else, the price is right.