Measure the things that lead to customers: calls, messages, website visits, and bookings. Likes can feel great. But if nobody contacts you, they didn't do much for your business.

Leads matter more than likes

I care much more about leads and inquiries than likes. A hundred likes might feel great, but if nobody contacts me or books a session, what did they accomplish?

I'd rather have five people visit my website and one become a paying customer.

A post with few likes that booked a session

I once wrote a post aimed at moms of high school senior boys who absolutely didn't want senior portraits taken. I promised a quick, easy session and beautiful images.

The post got few likes. But I booked a session from it about 30 minutes after it went live. Her son didn't want his picture taken, so the post spoke directly to her.

That's the point. One post that speaks to the right person can do more than a post lots of people like.

What to check on your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile tracks actions that are close to a sale. Google defines them in its performance help page:

  • Calls: how many times someone clicked the call button on your profile.
  • Website clicks: how many times people clicked your website link.
  • Directions: how many people asked for directions to your business.
  • Messages: the number of different conversations through messages.
  • Bookings: the number of bookings people completed.

Google says this performance data is only available for verified Business Profiles.

What to check on Facebook

Meta's Facebook Page insights include:

  • Total clicks: the total number of clicks on your post.
  • Engagement: reactions, comments, shares, and clicks on your posts.
  • Net followers: new followers minus unfollows.
  • Views: how many times your content was played or displayed.

What to check on Instagram

Meta's Instagram insights include:

  • Viewers: the number of unique accounts that saw your content at least once.
  • Interactions: likes, comments, saves, and shares.

Instagram also shows profile activity, which counts the actions people take when they visit your profile after engaging with your post. That's a good sign someone wants to learn more about you.

You may see "Reach" on some Meta screens and "Viewers" on others. Meta's own help pages use both words right now.

A simple monthly check

  1. Once a month, write down your Google Business Profile calls, website clicks, messages, and bookings.
  2. Note any posts that led to a message, a call, or a booking.
  3. Look at what those posts had in common, like a specific service or a specific kind of customer.
  4. Write more posts like those.

Don't panic over one slow month. Reach goes up and down, which I explain in why did my social media reach drop.

And speak to one kind of customer at a time, like my senior portrait post did. It's easier when you adjust each post for where it's going, which I cover in should you post the same thing on every platform. If you're still building the habit, start with how often should a small business post on social media.

Sources

All sources were checked on October 23, 2026.