Google Business Profile posts are most useful when each one announces a real, current fact about your business: a new service, an offer with dates, an event, or a change customers need to know about. Plan one month at a time, match each fact to the right post type, keep contact details in the button, and use photos you took. Then judge the month by calls, website clicks and logged inquiries, not by post count.
A Google Business Profile post is a short update you publish from your profile that customers see on Google Search and Maps. On mobile, posts appear in the profile's Updates or Overview tabs; on a computer, in the "From the owner" section (Google Business Profile help). Many owners still call them Google My Business posts.
Pick the post type and create the post
Google offers three post types, each with its own fields.
| Post type | Fields Google lists | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Update | Description, photo, video, action button with a link | A new or changed service, seasonal news, a finished job you have permission to show |
| Offer | Title, dates and time required; "View Offer" button added automatically; coupon code, link and terms optional | A deal with a real start and end |
| Event | Title, start and end dates, and times; description, photo, video and button optional | A class, open house or clinic at your business |
Hotels are the exception for deals: the posts content policy says they can't create Offer posts or mention deals or discounts in any post.
To create a post, go to your Business Profile, select Posts, then Add post, and choose Update, Offer or Event. Fill in the details, turn on Schedule this post if it should publish later, then select Post. For an Event, enter start and end times; without them, it shows as lasting 24 hours on its dates.
Posts will not cover for a profile with wrong hours or a vague category, so fix profile basics such as name, categories and hours first.
Start every post from a real business fact
A post earns a tap when it tells a customer something they can act on now. Google's tips for posts ask owners to avoid "text that adds no value" and auto-generated content. The Maps content policy bars false or misleading descriptions of a good or service (Google Maps prohibited and restricted content). It also lists posting the same content multiple times as repetitive content it does not allow.
List what changed or is coming up this month:
- Services: something you now do, stopped doing, or do differently.
- Calendar: seasonal hours, a holiday closure, a class date.
- Offers: a deal you have already decided on, with dates and terms.
- Finished work: a job you photographed and are allowed to show.
Compare two posts:
Filler: Happy Monday from the team. We love helping our community ride.
Fact: We now repair e-bike brakes and tires in the shop. Motor and battery work still goes to the maker. Book a slot online.
The second gives the right customer a reason to tap and tells the wrong one not to bother.
When a fact changes basic information, such as hours, edit the profile first and use the post only to announce it.
Keep contact details and claims inside Google's rules
Once published, each post shows a status: Live (public on Search and Maps), Pending (still uploading or processing, or your profile is unverified) or Not approved (hidden; a question mark beside it names the broken policy).
- Phone numbers, emails and handles. A post with a phone number in the description might be rejected if the number cannot be verified as connected to the business. The posts content policy adds that posts with unverified contact details, including emails and social handles, may be removed. It suggests a Call now button, which uses your verified profile number.
- Links. The Maps rules do not allow emails, phone numbers, social links or other website links in posts that are not related to your business. The same policy lets merchants post contact details related to their business, and promotional offers and updates are otherwise permitted.
- Regulated products. In regulated industries such as alcohol, tobacco, weapons, gambling or financial services, the posts page allows posting but says not to include content about the products. The Maps rules add that content shouldn't show deals, prices or purchase links for restricted goods; incidental images, such as a menu, are excluded.
- Claims. Say what the service includes; skip results you cannot back up.
Use photos you took and are allowed to show
Google's media tips for Maps, which the Business Profile photo policy points to, say to use media you captured and to avoid screenshots, stock photos, collages, heavily edited images and imagery created by other parties. Low-quality media may be removed, and quality removals can't be appealed.
The Maps policy lists a person's face in a photo or video posted without their consent as personal information it does not allow. A simple house rule:
- shoot the work, the shop or the product rather than the customer;
- ask before a recognizable person appears, and note the answer and date;
- crop out house numbers, license plates and paperwork (an operating habit, not a Google rule).
When no suitable photo exists, a text-only Update beats a borrowed image.
Set the button, dates and schedule
For an Update, the help page says the button should send customers to a website where they can complete the action, like booking, ordering online or learning more. Point it at the page that does that one job: the tune-up booking page, not your home page. Test the link on a phone before posting and tap the live button once, as you would check contact paths on posts that bring no inquiries.
Tag every button link with UTM parameters so analytics can separate post clicks from other visits. Keep one naming pattern, for example utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp-post-april.
Dates tell customers when an Offer or Event runs. Google archives posts older than six months unless a date range is set, so put each undated Update on your calendar for a recheck before then.
The post editor's Repeats menu can show a post weekly, monthly or on a custom schedule. As a habit, not a Google rule, repeat only what truly recurs, like a weekly class, and never re-post a promotion by hand.
Measure calls, clicks and inquiries from the profile
The Performance report, available only for verified profiles, shows how people find and use your profile (Business Profile performance and insights). The metrics that matter for posts:
- Calls: taps on the call button on your profile.
- Website clicks: clicks on the website link on your profile.
- Directions: requests for directions to your business.
- Offers: views and clicks on offers on your profile.
The metric list has no per-post count, so the report alone cannot tell you which post drove a call. Performance data also includes actions from Google Ads, so note any ad spend in the same dates. Fill the gaps with three habits:
- Read tagged button clicks in your website analytics, week by week.
- Ask new callers and walk-ins how they found you, using neutral "how did you hear about us" options that include "Google profile."
- Record each inquiry with its date and source in a simple inquiry log, then mark which ones booked.
Judge a post type over several months, not one week.
Monthly post plan worksheet
Copy the blank row once per week. The filled month is a hypothetical example for a bike repair shop in Northfield, not a real business or measured result. The result column and review row stay blank because nothing was measured.
| Week | Post type | Real fact it announces | Photo you have rights to | Button and link | Ends | Check after | Result (count, date checked) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ___ | Update, Offer or Event | ___ | ___ (who took it, permission) | ___ (tagged link) | ___ | ___ | ___ |
| 1 | Update | Shop now repairs e-bike brakes and tires; motor work still goes to the maker | Owner's photo of a brake job, no customer shown | Book: repair booking page | No date; recheck before six months | Tagged clicks, e-bike bookings | ___ |
| 2 | Offer | Spring tune-up, $___ off, April 8 to 30 | Staff photo of the repair stand | View Offer plus tune-up page, code SPRING | April 30 | Offer views and clicks, code bookings | ___ |
| 3 | Event | Free flat-fix clinic, Saturday, April 17, 10 to 11 a.m. | Photo from the last clinic; both people shown agreed in writing | Learn more: sign-up page | April 17 | Sign-ups, attendance, direction requests | ___ |
| 4 | Update | Weekday hours now run to 7 p.m.; posted April 26, after editing profile hours that morning | Owner's photo of the new door sign | Call now | Delete mid-May | Calls, "how did you hear" answers | ___ |
| Month review | Calls | Website clicks | Tagged post clicks | Offer views and clicks | Directions | Logged inquiries | Booked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Before you publish a post
- [ ] The post announces one fact that is true on the day it goes live
- [ ] The type fits the fact: Update, Offer with dates, or Event with times
- [ ] No contact detail in the text that Google can't verify; the phone number goes in a Call now button
- [ ] Any link button opens a page on your site that completes the action, with a tagged link
- [ ] You or your staff took the photo, and anyone recognizable agreed to appear
- [ ] In a regulated industry (alcohol, tobacco, financial services and the others Google lists), the post does not describe those products or offer a deal, price or purchase link for them
- [ ] Hours and services match the profile and your website
- [ ] Calls, website clicks, offer views and logged inquiries are noted for the week
Frequently asked questions
Do Google Business Profile posts help SEO?
Google does not say they do: its local ranking page says results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity (Tips to improve your local ranking). Its tips include verifying the business, keeping information complete, responding to reviews, and adding photos and videos, but posts are not named. The same page says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Spend ranking effort on profile accuracy and replying to Google reviews.
How often should you post on Google Business Profile?
Google's help page for posts does not set a required frequency. Post when you have a fact worth announcing. One post a week, as in the worksheet, leaves room for an offer, an event and two updates each month.
How long do Google Business Profile posts stay up?
Posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set. Offers and events carry the dates you enter, so match them to the real deal or event. You can edit or delete a post after publishing, so fix a detail that changes and take down an offer that ends early.
Why was my Google Business Profile post not approved?
Google reviews each post against its content policy, and the question mark next to a Not approved status shows which policy applies. Causes named in Google's rules include unverified contact details typed into the text, links unrelated to the business, and promotions for restricted products. Edit the post to remove the problem, or delete it and publish a corrected one. A post on an unverified profile shows as Pending instead.
Plan next month from this month's numbers
At month's end, set the Performance counts, tagged clicks and logged inquiries beside the four posts you ran. Note which post types line up with calls, bookings or visits. Change a type only after the same pattern holds for two or three months. Build next month's plan from your real calendar before writing a caption.
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