The essentials
- Why: posts signal an active listing, increase engagement and give prospects a reason to click.
- Formats: an update (expires after 6 months), an offer (with validity dates), an event (with dates), plus photos.
- Pace: one post a week; below one a month the effect disappears.
- Contents: completed jobs, behind the scenes, tips, new arrivals, promotions; with a real photo and an action button.
Posts on Google Business Profile appear in your listing, on Google Search and Maps, as short updates with an image and a button. Their direct effect on ranking is small; their effect on engagement (clicks, time on the listing) and on prospects' decisions is real, and a listing that posts regularly stands out from competitors whose last news is two years old. The difficulty isn't posting once, but keeping up a pace.
The formats available
| Format | Example | How long it shows | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update (what's new) | Text up to 1,500 characters, a photo or video, a button (Learn more, Book, Call…) | 6 months | A completed job, a tip, behind the scenes, a product arriving |
| Offer | Title, start and end dates, description, promo code, conditions | Until the end date | A promotion, a seasonal discount |
| Event | Title, dates and times, description, button | Until the event ends | An open day, a workshop, a trade show, a webinar |
| Photos and videos | Added to the gallery, outside posts | Permanent | Completed jobs, the team, the premises |
Some categories (hotels in particular) have no access to posts. Videos are limited to 30 seconds and 75 MB.
What makes a good post
- A real photo, sharp, square or 4:3, with no text on it (Google crops).
- A first sentence that says everything : only the first lines are visible before the click.
- Something concrete : a completed job with the neighbourhood named, a seasonal tip, a dated new arrival. Generic posts ("we're here to help") add nothing.
- A button to a specific page of the site, with UTM parameters so you can measure (see UTMs on Google Business Profile).
- No phone number in the text (Google often rejects it) and no excessive capitals.
The pace and a sample calendar
One post a week is the pace that keeps a listing visibly active without exhausting your ideas. Here is a sample month for a tradesperson or a shop:
| Week | Format | The full destination URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Update, a completed job | "A kitchen renovation in Saint-Herblain: before/after" + photo |
| 2 | Update, a tip | "How to get your boiler ready for winter: our 3 checks" |
| 3 | An offer or an event | "15% off annual servicing until 31 October" or "Open day on Saturday" |
| 4 | Update, behind the scenes or the team | "Welcome to Sarah, our new technician" |
Set aside an hour a month to prepare all four posts at once (text and photos), then schedule them. The stock of ideas builds up in the field: a photo of every job or every new arrival, taken on a phone, feeds six months of posts.
Post ideas for six months
- Completed jobs : before/after, a finished job, the dish of the day, a new collection, with the neighbourhood or the town.
- Tips : a seasonal tip tied to your trade, an answer to a frequent question.
- Behind the scenes : the team, a tool, training attended, a certification obtained.
- Local news : taking part in a market, a trade show, a charity action, a partnership with a neighbouring business.
- A highlighted review : quoting a customer review (with their agreement) and the corresponding job.
- Offers and events : seasonal promotions, open days, workshops.
Scheduling and keeping it up
Google offers no native post scheduling. Three solutions:
- The weekly reminder : a fixed 15-minute slot in the diary, with the content prepared in advance. Enough for one location.
- A multi-network scheduling tool that includes Google Business Profile, to post to Facebook, Instagram and the listing at once; see which tools to plan your posts with.
- A multi-listing tool for a network, publishing a post to every listing or by group; see posting in bulk to several listings.
Measure
The listing's statistics no longer break down views per post, but two measurements remain possible: clicks on post buttons, visible in GA4 thanks to UTMs (the gbp-post-aaaa-mmcampaign), and the overall trend in listing interactions (calls, directions, clicks) in the months after you start the weekly rhythm. Those metrics are in tracking your listing's performance, and posting is step 8 of the local SEO action plan.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's Google Business Profile module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Do Google Business Profile posts improve your search performance?
Their direct effect on local pack position is small. They act indirectly: an active listing gets more clicks and interactions, two signals that count, and they give prospects a reason to choose you. A weekly post is a good pace.
How long does a post stay visible?
An update stays on the listing for six months (against seven days before 2021). An offer disappears at its end date, an event at the end of the event. Photos added to the gallery are permanent.
Can you schedule posts on Google Business Profile?
Not natively. You either post manually in a fixed slot, or use a third-party multi-network scheduling tool compatible with Google Business Profile, or a multi-listing tool for a network of locations.
Why was my post rejected?
The frequent reasons: a phone number in the text, content judged misleadingly promotional, an image with too much text, mention of alcohol or regulated products, links to unauthorised sites. Rewrite it without a number and without excessive capitals, and use a photo with no text baked in.