Where do Business Profile posts appear?
Google says posts can show in the Updates or Overview tabs of your Business Profile on mobile in Search and Maps, and in the 'From the owner' section on a computer. For some single-location food and drink businesses in Australia and a few other countries, posts about events, deals or specials, including ones from Facebook and Instagram, may appear as featured posts on the mobile profile in place of reviews. For most service businesses, posts sit beside your reviews, photos and hours. That is why accuracy matters: someone reading a post may be about to call you.
Which post type should you use?
Updates suit recent work, news and general information. You can add a description, a photo or video, and a button that links to a page where the customer can act, such as booking or learning more. Offers are for sales or deals and require a title, dates and times; Google adds a 'View offer' button, and you can include a coupon code and terms. Events need a title and start and end dates, and without times Google shows the event as lasting 24 hours on those dates. Most service businesses will use updates week to week and offers only when there is a real, approved deal.
What gets a post rejected?
After you publish, Google reviews the post against its posts content policy, and the status shows as live, pending or not approved. Contact details in the text are a common problem. Google says it may remove posts with unverified contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles, and suggests attaching a Call now button, which uses your verified number. Businesses in regulated industries, such as health and medical devices or financial services, can post but should not include content about those products. Links must go to sites you trust, and Google asks you to avoid misspellings, offensive content and auto-generated or distracting text.
How long do posts stay up?
Google says posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set. Offers and events carry their own dates. Updates do not, so an update about a service you no longer offer, or hours that have since changed, can sit on your profile for months. Check your live posts each month and edit or delete any that are out of date: open Posts, choose More beside the post, then Edit or Delete. You can also schedule a post for a later date, or set it to repeat weekly, monthly or on a custom schedule, which suits recurring reminders.
What should a service business post?
Posts work best when they carry information a nearby customer can use. Google's own tips ask for complete details, such as a descriptive title and dates, and warn against auto-generated or distracting content. If you use AI tools to draft posts, give them the specific job details and edit the result, so the post says something only your business could say. Keep each post to one topic, and put the most useful fact in the first sentence. Good material includes:
- A finished job, with the suburb, the scope and a real photo, posted with the customer's permission
- A new or changed service, with what it includes
- Holiday or emergency hours, with the dates
- A genuine offer, with its dates and terms
- An event, with start and end times
Who should be allowed to post?
Owners and managers on a Business Profile can create, manage and publish posts, and Google suggests each person uses their own Google Account so nobody shares a password. If a provider posts for you, add them as a manager, not an owner. Managers can also respond to reviews, so agree in writing whether they may do that or only post. Keep the primary owner role with someone inside your business. Our guide to giving access without passwords covers adding and removing managers step by step.