Google Business Profile Posts: What to Post and How Often

Business Profile posts are short updates — text, a photo, sometimes a button — that appear on your profile in Search and Maps. They are not a significant ranking factor, whatever the tools selling automated posting say. They are a conversion factor and an activity signal, and used properly they take ten minutes a fortnight. This is what the post types do, what to write, and a cadence that does not become a chore.

The post types

• Update. General news: a new service, a team member, a completed project, a change of hours. Stays visible for about six months, though newer posts push it down.
• Offer. A promotion with start and end dates, optional coupon code and terms. Gets a distinctive "offer" tag on the profile.
• Event. Something with a date and time: an open day, a tasting, a workshop. Shows until the event passes.

Each can carry a photo, up to 1,500 characters of text and a call-to-action button (Book, Order, Buy, Learn more, Sign up, Call).

What posts do

• Show searchers that the business is active and current — a profile with a post from this week looks open; one whose last post is from 2023 does not.
• Give a specific reason to choose you today: an offer, a new treatment, availability this week.
• Occupy space on the profile that would otherwise be Google's suggestions.
• Provide a link to a page on your site, with tracking.

What posts do not do

Move your pack ranking in any measurable way. Tests over the years have shown at most a faint effect, more likely from the behavioural response (clicks) than from the post itself. Do not post keywords; do not post daily; do not pay for a tool to post twenty variations of the same thing.

What to write

Specific and short. A post is read on a phone by someone deciding between three businesses. Structure:

1. First sentence is the point: "Boiler services from £79 through October."
2. One or two sentences of detail: what, who for, how to get it.
3. Button to the relevant page — not the homepage.
4. A real photo. Posts without images get less attention; stock images look like ads.

Examples by sector

Sector	Update	Offer	Event
Trades	"Finished a full rewire in Purley this week — photos of the consumer unit before and after."	"Free smoke alarm check with any EICR booked in November."	Rare; a trade show or open day if you have one
Clinic	"Dr Patel has joined the practice and is taking new patients for Invisalign consultations."	"Hygiene appointments £65 until end of month."	"Free implant consultation evening, Thursday 14th, 5–7pm."
Restaurant	"New autumn menu from Friday — the venison ragù is back."	"Two courses for £22, Tuesday to Thursday lunch."	"Wine tasting with Lucia from Vinalba, 3 October, £35."
Professional services	"Self-assessment deadline is 31 January. We are taking new clients until 10 December."	"Free initial consultation for new limited companies."	"Landlord tax webinar, 12 November."

Cadence

Fortnightly is enough; weekly if you have genuine news. Put it in the calendar. The practical approach: at the start of the month, write two posts (one update, one offer or event if applicable), schedule them, done. Google does not reward frequency beyond "recent"; it does notice a profile that has gone quiet.

Rules to know

• No phone numbers in the post text (Google rejects them; use the Call button).
• No regulated content in offers without compliance: alcohol, medical claims, financial products all have restrictions.
• No misleading offers. The DMCC Act covers promotions too.
• Posts can be rejected for "off-topic" if the image is irrelevant or the text is thin. Rejections are quick to fix; resubmit with a clearer image.

Measuring

The Performance report shows post views and clicks. Compare clicks on the post's button with clicks on the same page from other sources. If offers get clicks and updates do not, post more offers. That is the whole analysis.

Fortnightly posting is included in every plan; we write them from what you tell us on WhatsApp — a photo and a sentence is enough.

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