Why Compare Locations
Comparing location performance isn't about creating competition—it's about learning:
Identify Best Practices
Your top performers are doing something right. Understanding what they do differently reveals best practices to replicate.
Early Warning System
Declining performance shows up in comparisons before it becomes a crisis. Spot problems early while they're still fixable.
Resource Allocation
Data-driven decisions about where to invest resources. Support struggling locations or double down on successful ones.
Goal Setting
Real data from similar locations creates realistic, achievable goals. "Location X achieved this, so can you."
Accountability
Transparent metrics create accountability. When everyone knows how they compare, performance tends to improve.
Comparison Metrics
Visibility Metrics
- Search views: How often the location appears in search
- Maps views: Appearances in Google Maps
- Search queries: What terms trigger your listing
- Photo views: Engagement with visual content
Engagement Metrics
- Website clicks: Traffic driven to your site
- Direction requests: Intent to visit
- Phone calls: Direct customer contact
- Message requests: Customer inquiries
Review Metrics
- Average rating: Overall customer satisfaction
- Review count: Volume of feedback
- Review velocity: New reviews per time period
- Response rate: How well you engage with reviews
Profile Quality Metrics
- Completeness score: How filled-out the profile is
- Photo count: Visual content quantity
- Post frequency: Content activity
- Attribute completion: Information depth
Benchmarking Methods
Internal Benchmarking
Compare locations against each other:
- Rank by key metrics
- Compare to company averages
- Track relative performance over time
- Identify outliers (high and low)
Cohort Benchmarking
Group similar locations for fair comparison:
- By market size (urban, suburban, rural)
- By age (new, established, mature)
- By type (flagship, standard, outlet)
- By region or climate
Historical Benchmarking
Compare current performance to past performance:
- Month-over-month change
- Year-over-year comparison
- Trend direction
- Seasonal adjustment
Competitive Benchmarking
Compare to external competitors:
- Competitor ratings and reviews
- Relative visibility in local search
- Market share indicators
- Content and activity comparison
Analysis Techniques
Ranking Analysis
Simple but effective:
- Rank all locations by each metric
- Identify consistent top and bottom performers
- Look for locations that rank high in some areas but low in others
- Track rank changes over time
Correlation Analysis
Find what drives success:
- Do locations with more photos get more views?
- Does review response rate correlate with rating?
- What profile elements correlate with engagement?
Gap Analysis
Identify the gap between current and potential performance:
- Compare bottom performers to top performers
- Quantify the improvement opportunity
- Prioritize gaps by impact
Trend Analysis
Look at direction, not just position:
- Which locations are improving fastest?
- Which are declining?
- What changed before improvement or decline?
Acting on Comparison Insights
Supporting Underperformers
When a location consistently underperforms:
- Investigate root causes (not just symptoms)
- Look at what's different from successful locations
- Provide targeted resources and training
- Set improvement goals with milestones
- Monitor progress closely
Replicating Success
When a location excels:
- Document what they do differently
- Interview local managers for insights
- Create playbooks from their practices
- Share success stories across the organization
- Test practices at other locations
Setting Goals
- Use top performer metrics as targets
- Create tiered goals for different location types
- Set both absolute and improvement goals
- Make goals specific and measurable
Incentive Alignment
- Tie performance metrics to incentives
- Recognize and reward improvement, not just absolute performance
- Create healthy competition
- Celebrate wins publicly
Reporting & Communication
Leadership Reports
Executives need high-level views:
- Portfolio-level metrics and trends
- Top and bottom performers
- Key wins and concerns
- Comparison to goals
Regional Reports
Regional managers need their area's detail:
- All locations in their region
- Comparison within region
- Comparison to other regions
- Actionable insights for their scope
Location Reports
Store managers need their specific data:
- Their location's performance
- Comparison to similar locations
- Areas for improvement
- Progress toward goals
Report Cadence
- Daily: Critical alerts only
- Weekly: Key metric snapshots
- Monthly: Detailed performance analysis
- Quarterly: Strategic review and planning