What are Google posts?
Google posts are updates, offers and events that a business publishes through its Google Business Profile. They give a customer timely information while the customer is looking at the business on Search or Maps: what has changed, what is happening, or which offer is currently available.
A useful post answers a small, immediate question. It might explain a new service, introduce an event, or point to details that would otherwise take several clicks to find. It does not replace the profile’s address, hours or service information, and it is not a promise that more people will discover the business.
If you know the older name Google My Business posts, this is the Business Profile feature you are looking for. Start with one piece of information that is true, relevant now, and easy for a customer to act on.
what are google posts
Think of a post as a short notice attached to your business’s public presence. The notice should make sense to someone who has never dealt with you before. That person needs enough context to decide whether the announcement matters to them, not a slogan that could describe any business.
Google’s guide to creating and managing posts distinguishes three types:
- Update: general news, with optional media and a linked action button.
- Offer: a promotion with a title and timing, plus an offer button; supporting terms and details can be included.
- Event: an activity with a title and dates. Without specified times, Google describes a 24-hour duration on the event dates.
Choose the type after deciding what you need to say. A service available throughout the year is not automatically a special offer. A discount needs genuine conditions, not just a more exciting label. An event needs an actual activity that people can attend or take part in.
The customer should be able to understand the main point without deciphering an image. Use the text for the essential explanation, then use a relevant photograph or video to help people recognise the place, item or activity. Check that you have permission to use the material and that it does not expose private customer information.
where do google posts show up
Google names mobile Updates or Overview areas and a desktop From the owner section. It also documents featured posts on mobile. These placements are part of the Business Profile experience, rather than a guaranteed standalone result for the subject of your post.
Featured posts may draw automatically from Business Profile posts or social channels. Google currently limits this feature to English for single-location food and drink businesses in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Where featured posts replace the mobile review area, reviews remain accessible through the star rating or Reviews tab.
This distinction matters if you compare two businesses and see different layouts. One profile’s featured presentation is not a feature you can assume will appear on another profile. Nor does the absence of the exact same layout prove that a post failed.
Separate three questions: did you submit the post, is it public, and did a particular customer see it? Those are different outcomes. A screenshot from your management account can help you inspect the content, but it does not establish what every customer sees. Check a customer-facing view as well, preferably on the device your customers commonly use.
how to post on google business profile
Use the Google Account that manages the correct business. If you manage more than one location, check the selected name and address before preparing anything. Google’s profile editing guide explains how to reach the management controls through Search and Maps.
In the posts area, create a new post, select its type, add the relevant information and inspect the available options. Before publishing, review the content as a customer would:
- Is the announcement about this location and something the business actually provides?
- Are any dates, availability limits and conditions correct?
- Does the button take the customer to the promised information or action?
- Does the image support the text without contradicting it?
- Can someone unfamiliar with the business understand what to do next?
Google documents scheduling and a recurring-post control. These can help with planned information, but a recurring schedule is not permission to keep repeating an expired claim. Check the schedule when a price, event, service or availability changes. If an interface offers posting to several profiles, confirm that the information applies to each selected location before using it.
After submission, inspect the status. Live is public; Pending is not visible and may concern processing, upload or an unverified profile; Not approved has a policy indicator. Check that indicator rather than guessing that a particular word caused rejection. Posts can subsequently be edited or deleted from their management menu.
Do not repeatedly submit the same unchanged content merely to force a result. First identify whether the issue is a content problem, a pending state or a profile requirement. If verification is requested, follow the methods Google presents for that profile; drafting a post does not itself complete verification.
what to post on google business profile
Start with a question a prospective customer could reasonably ask today. What is new? Is the activity suitable for me? Where can I see the details? What should I arrange before visiting?
For a hypothetical bicycle workshop introducing a repair assessment service, an update could explain which bicycles the workshop accepts and link to the assessment information. If the same workshop has arranged an open demonstration, an event could explain what will be demonstrated and when. A genuine temporary promotion would need its own accurate offer conditions. None of these announcements requires inventing a discount just to have something to publish.
Choose the information you can substantiate. If you do not know whether an item will be available, check before describing it as in stock. If a service requires advance arrangements, explain that through the relevant information and destination page. Avoid making the post sound easier or broader than the actual experience.
A linked action should complete the thought. An announcement about a particular event should lead to that event’s details, not leave the visitor to search an unrelated homepage. Before publishing, open the destination on a phone and confirm that the text, timing and next step agree with the post.
The posts content policy prohibits phone numbers in post content and points instead to a Call now button using the verified profile number. It also restricts hotel promotions: hotels cannot use offer posts or post deals and discounts through another post type. Google has additional restrictions for content about regulated products and services. Check the applicable policy before planning promotional material in those areas.
A business can have useful news without an offer. Explain a real improvement, show an appropriate new photograph, or clarify a current activity. If there is no meaningful update, use the time to correct permanent profile information rather than manufacture urgency.
how long do google business profile posts last
The current documented archive rule is six months for posts without a date range. That is different from the often-repeated seven-day expiry claim. It is also different from a promise that a post will remain prominently displayed for six months.
For an offer or event, the actual dates still matter to the customer. Do not rely on a display or archive mechanism to make inaccurate information harmless. If circumstances change, review the post and its linked page. Someone may encounter an old announcement or arrive with an expectation created earlier.
Plan around the life of the information. A dated activity needs a clear time window. A permanent service belongs in the appropriate permanent information as well; an introductory post can point to it but should not become the only explanation of what the business does.
The posts guide does not prescribe a universal weekly quota. As a practical approach, publish when there is something useful to communicate, and revisit planned content before it goes out. Choose a pace you can keep accurate. A busy calendar filled with vague claims gives a customer less help than a smaller number of clear announcements.
do google posts help seo
Do not buy or plan posts on the assumption that a certain number will produce a certain position. Google’s local ranking guidance explains relevance, distance and prominence. It does not establish a measured, isolated ranking benefit from publishing posts on a particular schedule.
That does not prove posts have no possible effect on discovery or customer behaviour. It means the source does not support a promised ranking boost. A customer can find useful information in a post and choose to explore the business further without that being evidence of an algorithmic benefit.
Keep your assessment practical. Is the announcement correct? Can the visitor find the relevant details? Does the destination work? If people ask about an event after seeing it, that is useful feedback about communication. A ranking change around the same time is not enough to attribute the change to a post: other profile changes, competitors and the search context may differ.
Do not leave basic information wrong while concentrating on posts. A current announcement cannot correct an inaccurate address or tell a visitor which of two conflicting sets of hours to trust. Make the business understandable first, then use posts to add timely context.
Common mistakes to avoid
Treating every announcement as a sale. A new service can be an update. An activity can be an event. A promotion should describe a real benefit and its actual conditions. Do not create false scarcity or pretend that a permanent arrangement is about to disappear.
Writing for an imagined ranking formula. Repeated location phrases and strings of hashtags can make a simple message harder to read. The posts documentation does not establish a hashtag discovery benefit. Clear information is a sounder basis than an unconfirmed mechanism.
Publishing a generic draft without checking the facts. Words such as best or leading do not tell someone what will happen when they visit. Replace them with information you can support. If a drafting tool supplied a service, credential or availability claim, verify it or remove it.
Sending every button to the same page. The destination should match the action. A customer who expects event details should not have to search for them again. Check for expired dates, conflicting terms and unnecessary steps.
Confusing submitted with seen. Publication status is the first check, not proof of readership. Inspect the public presentation and keep claims about results proportionate to the evidence you actually have.
How to check this yourself
Pick one current post or prepare one draft about a confirmed piece of news. Read it without relying on knowledge of the business: identify what is happening, who it is relevant to and what someone should do next. Check each factual detail against what the business can actually provide.
Then check the type, dates, media and destination. If it is already published, inspect its status and look at the public profile. If it is not approved, read the policy indication and address the relevant issue. Do not promise colleagues that a correction will be approved by a particular time.
You do not need to begin with a large publishing calendar. One accurate announcement with a useful destination gives you something concrete to assess. Remove ambiguity before adding more posts.
If the wider problem is keeping customer communication organised, explore review management and discuss the support you need. The scope should be agreed around the actual work, rather than assuming that a posting schedule or a ranking result is included.
This article is part of the Profile guide.
Frequently asked questions
what is a google business profile post
It is an update, offer or event that a business publishes on its Business Profile for customers on Google Search and Maps. Use it for a specific announcement and a relevant next action. A post does not replace your permanent business information or a full page on your website.
do google posts appear in search results
Posts can appear within a Business Profile on Search and Maps. Their placement depends on the interface and available features. Publishing a post does not guarantee a separate organic search result, a particular position, or that every person who finds the business will see it.
do google posts expire after 7 days 2025
For the current rule, Google says posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set. The question refers to 2025, but an old seven-day claim is not a reliable guide to the current feature. Check offer and event dates separately, and do not treat the archive rule as a guarantee of prominent display until that point.
how often to post on google business profile
Choose a rhythm you can maintain with accurate, useful information. A real change, event or time-limited offer is a better reason to post than a target number. Google’s posts guide does not prescribe a universal weekly publishing quota. Review scheduled and recurring posts when the underlying information changes.
do hashtags work in google business profile posts
Google’s posts documentation does not describe a hashtag discovery or ranking benefit. Do not build a posting strategy around an unconfirmed hashtag effect. Use clear words that explain what is happening and what the customer can do next; adding a hashtag does not make a vague announcement useful.
are google my business posts worth it
They can be useful when they answer a timely customer question, explain an event or lead to a relevant page. Their value depends on the business and the information available. Treat them as customer communication, not a promised ranking boost. An accurate profile and a working destination link remain essential.
What you will see after you press Post
Google reviews the post. Live means it is public; Pending means it is not showing and can relate to upload, processing or an unverified profile; Not approved means it is not showing, with a policy indicator beside the status. Check the status and the public view. The status is not a promise of views, clicks or bookings.