Google Maps showing how long people typically spend at a store or venue

Google is now showing searchers how long they can expect to be at a specific store or venue based on the crowdsourced data they have from users who travel to specific stores.

Under the popular times section of the Google Maps local listing page, Google may show “people typically spend X minutes here.” The estimate is either a single number, like 15 minutes, or it may be a range of minutes, e.g., between 15 and 45 minutes.

Here is a screen shot of a Starbucks location in New York City showing the typical time people spend in this Starbucks is about 15 minutes:

Here is a different example showing the range between X and Y minutes:

About a year ago, Google began documenting the busy times at a store, and this new feature lets you know how long you may have to wait to get your coffee.

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About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.