What are Google Business Profile posts?
Business Profile posts are short updates a business publishes on its own profile. Google says owners can "share announcements, offers, updates, and event details directly with your customers on Search and Maps."
Posts can include text, photos, videos, and a button that links to the business's website.
What types of posts can a business create?
Google offers three post types:
| Type | What it's for | What Google requires or adds |
|---|---|---|
| Update | "Share info about your business." | Optional description, photo, video, and an action button with a link |
| Offer | "Provide promotional sales or deals from your business." | A title, dates, and time; Google adds a "View Offer" button |
| Event | "Promote an event at your business." | A title, start and end dates, and times |
For an update, Google says the button "should direct customers to a website where they can complete the action, like make a booking, order online, or learn more." For a moving company, that might be a quote page.
Where do posts appear?
Google lists three places:
- The Updates or Overview tabs of the Business Profile on mobile, on Search and Maps.
- The From the owner section of the Business Profile on a computer, on Search and Maps.
- Featured posts on mobile, which Google says are currently limited to some food and drink businesses.
How long do posts stay visible?
Google says: "Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set." Offers and events carry their own dates.
Owners can also schedule a post for later and set it to repeat. Google says to choose "how often you want your post to show up, such as weekly, monthly, or a custom schedule."
Do posts help local ranking?
Google doesn't say they do. Its help page on improving local ranking lists verifying the business, keeping information up to date, responding to reviews, adding photos and videos, and, for retailers, adding in-store products. Posts aren't on the list.
Google presents posts as information for customers: "When customers find your latest business updates on your Business Profile, it helps them decide to visit your business."
What rules do posts have to follow?
Google reviews each post. A post shows one of three statuses:
- Live: "The post is public and shows on Search and Maps."
- Pending: still processing, or the profile isn't verified.
- Not approved: the post breaks a content policy.
Two rules are worth checking before posting:
- Contact details. Google says it "may remove posts with unverified contact information," including phone numbers, email addresses, and social media handles. It suggests a "Call now" button instead, which uses the verified profile number.
- Quality. Google's tips say to avoid "misspelled words, extra characters, text that adds no value, and auto-generated or distracting content."
What can a moving company post?
Posts suit information that changes or has a deadline:
- An update about a new service, such as storage or packing
- An offer with real dates, such as a discount on moving boxes
- Photos from recent jobs or of new trucks
- A notice about booking ahead of a busy season
Add UTM parameters to the button link so analytics can show visits from posts. See what are UTM parameters.