Google Business Profile posts are the little news items that can appear on your profile when someone finds you on Google or Maps: a seasonal offer, an event, a photo of a recent job, a note about new opening hours. They are free, they take a few minutes, and most local businesses either ignore them or post the same thing every week until they give up.
This guide explains what posts actually do, the three types Google offers, and a realistic routine that keeps your profile looking alive without becoming a chore.
What posts do, and what they do not
Posts are content for customers who are already looking at your profile. Someone has searched for you or for your type of business, your profile has come up, and they are deciding whether to get in touch. A recent, relevant post answers questions that reviews and photos do not: are you open, are you taking bookings, is there anything on this month.
Google does not publish posts as a ranking factor, and we would treat anyone who promises that posting will move you up the map results with some caution. The value of posts is in what they do for the person reading the profile. A profile with a post from last week reads as a business that is trading and paying attention. One whose latest post is from two years ago reads the opposite way.
The three types of Google Business Profile post
Google archives posts older than six months unless you set a date range, and offers and events are tied to their dates. That makes posts a poor place for permanent information; put that in your description, services and website instead.
| Type | What it needs | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Update | Description, with an optional photo or video and button | News, recent work, tips, changes to hours or services |
| Offer | Title and start and end dates, with optional description, photo, coupon code and terms | Genuine promotions with a clear end date |
| Event | Title and start and end dates and times, with optional description, photo and button | Open days, workshops, tastings, classes, launches |
How to create a post
- Sign in to the Google account that manages the profile and search your business name on Google, or open Google Maps.
- In your Business Profile panel, choose Add update (sometimes shown as Promote, then Add update, depending on the layout you see).
- Pick Add update, Add offer or Add event.
- Add a photo you took yourself. Real photos of your work, premises or team read far better than stock images.
- Write the text, then add a button such as Book, Order online, Learn more or Call now, pointing to the most useful page.
- Preview and publish. Google may review the post before it appears.
What to post: ideas that work for any local business
The best posts are specific and would be useful to a customer even if they never saw another post from you. Some ideas by business type:
- Salons and barbers: a new service, a stylist joining, availability for the coming week, a before-and-after with the client's permission.
- Restaurants and cafés: a seasonal menu, a Sunday lunch sitting, bank holiday opening hours, a local supplier you have started using.
- Clinics and practitioners: a new treatment, a practitioner's qualifications, what to expect at a first appointment. Keep any health claims within what your regulator allows.
- Trades and home services: a finished job with a short description, a seasonal reminder such as boiler servicing before winter, areas you are covering this month.
- Shops: new stock, late-night shopping, click and collect, a local event you are part of.
- Professional firms: a deadline reminder (for example Self Assessment in January), a new team member, a plain-English explainer on a common question.
How to write a post people read
Treat the first line as the whole post, because on many screens it is all that shows before someone taps. Lead with the useful bit: 'Now taking Christmas party bookings for groups of 8 to 30' beats 'We're so excited to announce...'.
Keep it to a few short sentences. Say what, when, for whom and what to do next. Match the button to the action: Book for appointments, Order online for food, Learn more for a detailed page on your site.
- One clear message per post.
- Your own photo, well lit, with no text baked into the image.
- A button that goes to a specific page, not just your home page.
- No phone numbers, emails or social handles typed into the text.
- No exaggerated or unverifiable claims, which Google's posts content policy discourages.
How often should you post? A simple monthly plan
There is no official number. What matters is that a customer looking at your profile sees something recent and relevant. For most small businesses, one good post every week or two is sustainable and enough. A busy restaurant or salon with regular news might post more; a solicitor might post twice a month.
Consistency beats volume. Six months of fortnightly posts looks better than one burst of daily posts followed by silence. Google lets you schedule posts ahead, so an hour at the start of the month can cover the next four weeks.
If you struggle to think of things to say, use the same four slots every month and fill them from what actually happened. It takes the blank-page problem away and keeps the mix varied.
- Week 1, recent work: one photo of something you did, with a sentence on what the customer needed and where. A kitchen fitted in Topsham, a colour correction, a tasting menu.
- Week 2, useful tip: one piece of advice a customer would thank you for. How to bleed a radiator, how to prepare for a first physio session, how to keep a fringe between cuts.
- Week 3, what is coming up: an event, a seasonal service, a booking window opening, new stock or new opening hours.
- Week 4, people and proof: a new team member, a qualification, an award you actually won, or a thank-you to a local supplier or charity you work with.
Why posts get rejected or do not show
- A phone number, email address or social handle in the text.
- Content Google considers misleading, offensive or unrelated to the business.
- Restricted products or services (for example alcohol or gambling) described in ways the policy does not allow.
- A link to a page that is broken, slow or unsafe.
- A problem with the profile itself, such as pending verification or a suspension. Posts cannot fix those.
Posts are one small, regular habit that keeps your profile useful. They work best alongside a complete profile, steady reviews and a website that the post buttons can send people to. If you want the whole profile handled for you, including posts, our Google Business Profile management bolt-on is £29/month.