Google Business Profile Posts: Examples and What to Post Each Week

Google gives you three kinds of posts, Update, Offer and Event, and for a service business the one that earns its keep is the plain Update: a job you finished this week with a photo, a seasonal reminder, a change in hours. Below are posts you can copy word for word, the fields Google requires, the rules that get a post rejected, and what Google says posts do and do not do for your ranking.

What are the three post types, and which one do you need?

From Google's instructions on adding updates to your Business Profile:

• Update. No special fields. A description, photo, video and an action button with a link. Google says the button "should lead to a site where customers can book, order, or learn more."
• Offer. Requires a title, dates and times, and Google adds a "View Offer" button automatically. You can add a coupon code and terms.
• Event. Requires a title plus start and end dates and times. Leave the times out and the event shows as lasting 24 hours on those dates.

The path: Business Profile, Posts, Add post, then pick the type. Turn on Schedule this post to publish later, and use the Repeats dropdown for weekly, monthly or custom.

For a plumber, roofer, electrician or HVAC shop, nearly everything you post is an Update. Use Offer only when there is a real offer with real dates, and Event for the rare thing like a booth at the county fair.

What should a contractor actually post?

Short, specific, one photo, no sales pressure.

A job you just finished. "Replaced a 40-gallon water heater in Oakridge this morning. The old one was 14 years old and weeping at the base. If yours is past ten years, it is worth a look before it picks the date for you." Photo: the new unit.

A seasonal reminder, HVAC. "Heating season is a few weeks out. If your system sat unused all summer, the first cold night is when you find out. We are scheduling tune-ups now." Photo: a tech at a furnace.

After a storm, roofing. "Wind came through the north side of town Tuesday night. If you found shingle pieces in the yard, that is worth a look before the next rain." Photo: the debris or the repair.

The housekeeping post. New hours, a town added to your service area, closed the Friday after Thanksgiving. Boring, and the most useful kind you can publish.

Run a four-week rotation: a finished job, the problem that is in season, a question you answer on the phone every week, then housekeeping or a real Offer. Fifteen minutes a week, photos off your truck, no software and no fee. Most owners can do this themselves.

What will get your post rejected?

After you publish, Google reviews each post against its posts content policy and gives it one of three statuses: Live (public on Search and Maps), Pending (still uploading or processing, or your profile is not verified), and Not approved (with a question mark that tells you which policy it broke).

The trap most owners walk into is contact information. Google's posts content policy says that to prevent fraud or abuse it "may remove posts with unverified contact information," which includes phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles. The updates page says the same about a number typed into the description: it may be rejected if Google cannot verify the number belongs to the business.

So do not type your number into the post. Attach a Call now button instead, which uses your verified profile number.

What photo should go with it?

Google's photo and video criteria are specific:

• JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB.
• Recommended 720 px by 720 px, minimum 250 px by 250 px.
• It "should be in focus and well lit, and have no significant alterations or excessive use of filters," and "the image should represent reality."
• Video: up to 30 seconds, up to 75 MB, 720p or higher.

A photo straight off your phone almost always qualifies. What breaks the rules is the editing: a heavy filter, a stock photo of someone else's work, a logo and a price pasted across the image.

How long does a Google post stay up?

Google's own line: "Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set." So an Update you write today sits on your profile about six months, while Offers and Events run on their dates.

One thing to ignore: featured posts, which can appear in place of reviews on mobile. Google limits those to English-language, single-location food and drink businesses in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, so any article promising your posts that spot was not written for a contractor.

Do posts help you rank higher on Google Maps?

Google does not say they do. Its page on improving your local ranking names relevance, distance and prominence, says "businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results" and that "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking," and states flatly: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." Posts are not mentioned on that page at all. Neither are photos.

Worth knowing before you buy a package built on weekly posting. Post because the homeowner comparing three profiles sees yours was touched this month while the other two went quiet two years ago. Ranking work is your category, services, reviews and a real website, covered in the profile checklist and how to rank higher on Google Maps.

How do you know if your posts are doing anything?

Honestly, not post by post. Google's performance metrics are Views, Searches, Calls, Website clicks, Directions, Messages, Bookings, Products, Menus and Offers. There is no metric for updates. Offers is the only post-related one: "the number of times customers viewed and clicked on offers on your Business Profile."

To see them on a verified profile: Business Profile, Performance, pick a time period, Apply. Two quirks: Searches "is updated at the start of each month" and "might take up to 5 days to show up," and Views counts unique visitors at most once per day, so it reads low.

Watch calls and direction requests month over month. That is the honest signal.

How I handle it for owners who will not do it

I keep profiles current on the Website + Google Profile plan: $1,000 to set up, one time, then $297 a month on a 12-month plan or $397 month to month. That covers the profile kept current, posts, photos, hours, services and answers to questions, plus a custom website, one new article a week on it, hosting and domain, and a monthly email report with your profile views, calls and direction requests. Already have a website you like? Google Profile only is $300 to set up, then $197 a month with a 12-month plan or $247 month to month. Plans and prices are here.

What I cannot do is force Google to approve a post or sell you a position in the map results. Nobody can. Plumbers can see what goes on the site itself on the plumber website page.

FAQ

How often should I post on my Google Business Profile? Google publishes no required frequency. Once a week is plenty, and once a month beats the silence on most profiles.

Can I put my phone number in a Google Business Profile post? Better not to. Google may remove posts with unverified contact information, phone numbers included. Use a Call now button, which pulls the verified number already on your profile.

Do Google Business Profile posts expire? Posts older than 6 months are archived unless you set a date range. Offers and Events follow their own dates. You can schedule and repeat them in advance.

My post says "Not approved." What now? Check the question mark next to the status, which names the policy it broke. The usual culprit is a phone number, email or social handle in the text. Take it out and repost with a Call now button.

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If you would rather hand the profile off and get back to work, see the plans and prices or call me at (407) 890-7557. I will look at your profile and tell you whether posting is even what you are missing.