In the digital age, local businesses no longer rely solely on foot traffic or traditional advertising to outperform their competitors. Thanks to tools like Google My Business (GMB) Insights and Google Alerts, entrepreneurs can now track competitor activity, analyze market trends, and make data-driven decisions that help them stay ahead in their local market. The clever use of these tools can unlock a goldmine of actionable information—without the need for expensive software solutions.
TL;DR
- Use Google My Business Insights to monitor how your listing is performing compared to competitors locally.
- Set up Google Alerts with strategic keywords and competitor names to get real-time updates on their activities.
- Analyze trends like peak engagement times, customer reviews, and search queries to improve your own strategies.
- This approach gives you a strategic edge without requiring additional marketing tools or subscriptions.
Why You Should Monitor Competitors Locally
Before diving into the “how,” it’s important to understand the “why.” Local competition can be fierce, particularly for service-based businesses like salons, restaurants, dental clinics, or fitness studios. A bakery up the street offering online ordering could suddenly pull in half your usual crowd, and if you are unaware of these shifts, you miss key opportunities to pivot and adapt.
Monitoring local competitors allows you to:
- Understand their strengths and weaknesses
- Identify gaps in your own offerings
- Capitalize on trending customer behaviors
- Respond more quickly to market changes
Getting Started with Google My Business Insights
Google My Business is not just a listing tool—it’s also a powerful analytics platform. Once your business profile is verified, GMB provides reports showing how customers interact with your listing. But here’s where it gets really useful: you can use it to indirectly track your competition.
Track the “Direct vs. Discovery” Ratio
This metric shows how people find your business on Google. A higher “discovery” number can imply they’re searching for categories, not specific brand names. If your discovery views drop sharply, it could be a sign that a competitor has ramped up their own presence.
Monitor Popular Times
This can help you recognize patterns in customer activity and cross-reference with your observations of local competitors. Are nearby restaurants seeing more foot traffic between 5-7 pm? That’s your cue to run a happy hour deal.
Study Search Queries
GMB now offers insight into what users typed to find your business. If you start noticing branded search queries for rival businesses, this reveals who is gathering attention. You can then adjust your keywords accordingly.
Using Google Alerts to Keep Tabs on Competitors
Google Alerts is a free yet underutilized tool that sends you updates whenever specified keywords appear online. By setting alerts for your competitors’ business names, product lines, and service offerings, you’ll stay notified of every public update or mention—including reviews, blog posts, news articles, and more.
How to Set Up Effective Alerts
- Go to Google Alerts.
- Enter competitor names, keywords, or phrases like “Pizza Bella new menu” or “FitZone Gym promotion”.
- Use quotation marks for exact matches and minus signs to exclude irrelevant terms.
- Select the frequency: “At most once a day” is a great balance to avoid spam.
- Choose your sources (news, blogs, web) and delivery method (email or RSS).
Pro tip: Don’t just limit yourself to current competitors. Track potential disruptors in neighboring neighborhoods as well—today’s outsider could be tomorrow’s biggest threat.
Reading Between the Lines—What Competitor Trends Reveal
Once you’re set up with GMB Insights and Alerts, it’s time to interpret those signals.
1. Product Launches or Promotions
If your alert detects a new service or product a competitor is offering, observe any correlated shifts in your own insights. For instance, if you see fewer business searches just after a competitor launches a new offering, consider matching or countering it with your own special.
2. Review Activity Trends
Sudden spikes in competitor reviews could mean they are running campaigns or experiencing high customer volumes. Visit their profiles and analyze what customers love or hate. That’s your social proof goldmine.
3. Staffing and Hiring Ads
Seeing multiple alerts about “We’re hiring a chef” or “Now hiring receptionists” probably means that business is either expanding or dealing with turnover—both offer opportunities for competitive coaching or recruitment.
4. Press Mentions or Partnerships
Mentioned in a local publication? Hosting a charity event? These kind of alerts not only inform you of added visibility for your competition but also inspire you to tap into similar community engagement activities to build local goodwill.
Bridge the Gap: Turn Insights into Action
All the data in the world means little if you don’t act on it. Here’s how local businesses can start making use of the information gathered:
- Update your GMB profile: Ensure that your description is keyword-rich, your photos are recent, and your services reflect your true capabilities.
- Adjust store hours & services: Use GMB’s “popular times” feature and available staff capacity to align your services with peak demand times.
- Enhance your content strategy: If Alerts show a competitor succeeding with blogs or video guides, create your own—but better and more specific.
- Respond to reviews dynamically: Watch how competitors handle either praise or complaints, and develop a tone and response strategy that aligns with your branding.
Scaling Up with Third-Party Tools (Optional)
Although GMB Insights and Google Alerts offer a solid foundation, some businesses choose to scale with tools like BrightLocal, SEMrush’s Local SEO Toolkit, or Mention. These tools often combine GMB tracking, citation watchers, and review management in one place. That said, while helpful, they often come at a cost—so starting with free tools makes sense until ROI justifies the upgrade.
Final Thoughts: Stay Smart, Not Just Busy
Keeping an eye on competitors shouldn’t take up all your time. The real magic lies in automating the monitoring and focusing your energy on decision-making and innovation. Google My Business Insights and Alerts give you the raw intel—your job is to synthesize it into action. Whether your goal is to gain more reviews, attract better talent, or run smarter promotions, this method offers a powerful edge in local business strategy.
The most successful businesses aren’t just those with the biggest ad budgets—they’re the ones making the smartest moves at the right moment. And with tools like GMB Insights and Google Alerts, you’ll always have the right information at your fingertips.