WHAT TO POST AS A GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE UPDATE.
An update is a short post that appears on your Google Business Profile, a bit like a social post on your listing. Use it for real news: a seasonal service, a photo of a finished job, a booking reminder or a practical tip. Keep it factual, use your own photo, leave phone numbers and links out of the text, and aim for one honest update a week.
AT A GLANCE
By Conqueror Capital · Published
The short answer: post something true and useful about your business about once a week, with a real photo and no phone number in the text.
WHAT AN UPDATE IS
Google lets you add posts to your Business Profile. There are three types: updates, offers and events. An update can include a description, a photo or video, and a button such as Book or Learn more. Offers need a title and dates; events need a title and start and end times.1
Posts don't stay up forever. Google says posts older than six months are archived unless they have a date range.1 Posting costs nothing; it is part of your free profile.
WHY BOTHER
- It shows you are active. A recent update tells anyone looking at your profile that the business is open and working.
- It shows what people don't know you do. Customers who know you for one service often don't know about the others. An update is a simple place to show them.
- It is free. No ad budget, no extra tool. Your time is the only cost.
One thing updates are not: a promised ranking lever. Google's local ranking help page doesn't promise a ranking benefit from posting.2 Post for your customers, and treat any search benefit as a bonus.
WHAT TO POST
- A seasonal service. What you do at this time of year and when to book it. Furnace checks before the cold, gutter cleaning after the leaves fall, patio service before the warm weather.
- A finished job. One clear photo and a sentence on what was done. Ask the customer first, and leave out addresses and anything that identifies them.
- A booking reminder. Openings next week, a new online booking link, holiday hours. Use the post's button for the action.
- A practical tip. One short, correct answer to a question customers ask you all the time.
Not sure which services to feature? The categories on your profile are a good guide: see how to choose your Business Profile categories.
WHAT TO LEAVE OUT
- Phone numbers. Google says posts containing phone numbers might be rejected.1 Your profile already has a call button.
- Links in the text. Your profile has a website button, and an update can carry its own button. Put the link there, not in the description.
- Hype. No "best in town", no claims you can't back up, no fake deadlines. State what you do, when, and for whom.
- Stock or borrowed photos. Google asks for photos that are in focus, well lit and not heavily altered.3 A stock photo of someone else's work misleads customers. Use your own.
A RHYTHM YOU CAN KEEP
Google doesn't set a number of posts. In our view, one honest update a week is a rhythm most businesses can keep without resorting to filler. If a week has nothing worth saying, skip it.
Two habits make it easier. Take a photo at the end of every job you are proud of, so you always have material. And keep a running list of the questions customers ask. Google also lets you schedule posts or set them to repeat,1 so you can write several on a quiet afternoon. Our guide to optimizing your Business Profile covers posts alongside photos and services.
MULTI-LOCATION AND ENTERPRISE
Google lets you publish a post to one profile or to several at once.1 That is useful for news that really is the same everywhere, such as new holiday hours or a service every branch now offers. It is less useful for local news. The same text pasted to every location tells customers nothing about the branch they are looking at.
- Split the work. A central team owns brand-wide posts. Local teams supply the photos and the local news.
- Write a one-page rulebook. No phone numbers or links in the text, no claims the business can't prove, real photos only, and the customer's permission for any job photo.
- Approve before publishing. One reviewer checks local posts against the rulebook, so a single bad post doesn't reach every profile.
- Keep a shared calendar so no location goes quiet for months while another posts daily.
See our mid-size and enterprise page for how we handle content across many locations.
FAQ
How often should I post updates?
Google doesn't set a number. One honest update a week is a rhythm most businesses can keep up without resorting to filler.
Can I put my phone number in an update?
Leave it out. Google says posts containing phone numbers might be rejected, and your profile already has a call button.
Do updates help my ranking?
Google doesn't promise that. Treat updates as a way to show customers what you do and that you are active.
What photo should I use?
Your own: a finished job, your team or your space, in focus and not heavily edited.
Do old updates disappear?
Google archives posts older than six months unless they have a date range.
SOURCES
- Google Business Profile Help, Create and manage posts on your Business Profile.
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile photos and videos.
Platforms change often. Check the sources for the current version before acting.
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