Google is adding new functionality to Local Business Center, its service aimed at local businesses, which currently allows real-world enterprises to create small listings that show up in Google Maps for matching searches. Now the search giant will also add a wealth of data on how people find them through searches and other information related to their businesses.

The service is free and lets owners add and verify information about their business, like phone number or address, by setting up an account and using a simple dashboard. This helps Google have accurate info and businesses have their name shown in Google Maps. But now the Mountain View-based company is adding a lot of data to the dashboard to help the owners find out information like what searches lead customers to their business, how many click through their links or how often people request driving instructions to their address as well as what ZIP code they are coming from.

"[The dashboard] shows statistics on how local listings are found across Google properties," said Carter Maslan, director of product management for local search at Google. Similar to how Google Analytics helps web site owners better understand how people arrive to their site, the new features should help business owners better understand their customers, Google hopes. "It helps businesses see how customers are finding them," Maslan said. But he also added that all data on users would be anonymous. "We've done all the scrubbing to keep it free of any personally identifiable information," he added.

The service may be free but Google might have its reasons for keeping it that way as a means to get businesses interested in advertising through the search giant. "The big eye-opener for some local businesses is going to be that more than 80% of online visitors start at search," he added.