Case Study: The Impact of Google posts on visibility, CTR, & Ranking

Google Posts are a relatively new feature that allow businesses to place content directly on Google which will appear highly ranked in Google search results page for the name of the business.

For the purposes of this case study, we recorded data on Google posts created for three separate spas and one restaurant during the month of December. The numbers collected from these subjects show a high correlation between the time at which the Google posts were made, and the change in the rankings of the URL directly associated with the Google My Business page (GMB), as well as increase in click-through rate (CTR) for the homepage of the website.

Results:

Anzu restaurant

This data was collected through Milestone Local, which uses Google My Business API, because in most cases the GMB dashboard doesn’t provide the same depth of data for the posts as the API.

In addition to getting a lot of impressions, we noticed that after posting Google posts for the restaurant, the total visibility of the business on knowledge panel, Google maps, and Google Search went up by 29.03% YOY (12^th Dec – 27^th Dec vs. previous period). The total number of actions taken by users from Knowledge Panel, Search, and maps also went increased. Visits to the website were up by 33.87%, request directions were up by 42.39%, and calls to the business were up by 241.18% YOY (12^th Dec – 27^th Dec vs. previous period). This indicates that although Google posts may not be driving engagement on the post itself, there is an overall positive impact on the visibility of the business and increased conversions.

We also analyzed the impact of Google posts on the organic position & CTR of the website.  The results in case of all four businesses were similar. After pushing Google posts live, the position and CTR for the website showed a positive impact for two-three days. Refer to the screenshots below

Spa at Pier House Resort

Similarly, we noticed that the CTR for Spa at Pier House Resort improved right after Google posts were posted on the 5^th & 6^th of December. There was also a slight improvement in the average position; one week before the Google post was 13.37, and afterward the average position changed to 12.68.

Of the four properties Spa at Pier House Resort was the only business to get engagement on both of the Google posts. Refer to the screenshots below.

Spa at One Ocean Resort & Spa at La Torretta

In terms of visibility on Google maps and search, Spa at One Ocean Resort & Spa at La Torretta showed very similar trends. Non-branded (discovery searches) for both businesses grew week over week by 117.86% & 150% respectively.  Actions on the website from Knowledge panel went up by 100% for both businesses week over week. The CTR for both spas also improved starting on the 12^th Dec. 2017 right when the Google post was posted on the pages. Also, the average position improved from 11.67 (one week before the Google post) to 10.12 for Spa at One Ocean Resort and for Spa at La Torretta improved from 13.58 to 11.47.

The graph below shows the Impact on position in Google Search Console of One Ocean Resort 2-3 days after the post was done.

Summary:

In summary, Google posts have a direct impact temporarily on the organic ranking & traffic to the website. Leverage this by consistently posting Google posts and creating relevant content to share with users. Add to that a technically robust website with a content and link building strategy, and your business can increase its non-branded market share.