Google has launched a new dashboard feature for its Local Business Center (LBC) service.

LBC lets business owners manage their local listings in Google search and Maps and the new dashboard offers a range of options for optimising this information to attract more potential customers, Google said.

The dashboard now offers information on impressions, user actions, top search queries, the zip codes from which users look up driving directions and seasonal trends.

While the dashboard is currently only available in the US, it may be rolled out to the 35 other countries in which LBC is presently operating.

Amer Shahnawaz of Google explained in a blog post that business owners could previous track usage metrics on their websites using tools such as Google Analytics.

"[However], data about how customers found you in other ways never got back to you. That all changes today and we think business owners will really get a lot out of this new information," he added.

Mike Boland of Kelsey Group said the launch was a "good move" as it will help businesses to be more effective when it comes to editing their local listings, resulting in an improved search experience for web users.