Posts, offers and events on your Business Profile
Posts are short updates that appear on your profile in Search and Maps. Select Posts, then Add post, and choose Update, Offer or Event. Add a photo and a button, then post or schedule it. Google reviews every post, and posts older than 6 months are archived unless you set a date range.
The short version
- Three types: Update, Offer and Event.
- Create one under Posts, then Add post. Turn on Schedule this post to publish later.
- Our advice: leave phone numbers out of the text and use a Call now button. Google may remove posts with contact details it can’t verify.
- Post when you have real news, not just to post.
- Posts are archived after 6 months unless you set dates.
How do I create a post?
- Go to your Business Profile.
- Select Posts, then Add post.
- Choose Update, Offer or Event.
- Add your text, photo or video, and any extras, such as a Button or Coupon code.
- To publish later, turn on Schedule this post and set a date and time. For a repeating post, use the Repeats drop-down.
- Select Post. If you manage several profiles, choose which ones. For one profile, select Skip.
These steps and the post types come from Google’s posts page.
| Type | Best for | What you fill in |
|---|---|---|
| Update | News, a new service, a finished project | Description, photo or video, optional button |
| Offer | A real deal with dates | Title and dates; optional description, photo, coupon code, link, terms |
| Event | A class, open house or sale day | Title, start and end dates and times; optional description, photo, button |
Google adds a “View Offer” button to offers automatically. If an event has no times, Google shows it as lasting 24 hours on those dates.
Writing a good post
Lead with the point, one idea per post:
- What’s new, in one line.
- Who it’s for or why it matters.
- What to do next, matched to the button.
Here’s a sample update for a business like ours, not real news: “We’re closed Thanksgiving Day and the day after. Site monitoring and backups keep running as usual. Questions? Call us Monday.” Pair it with a Call now button.
Google says the button should take people to a page where they can act, like making a booking, ordering online or learning more. Link to the specific page, not your homepage.
Why bother with posts?
Posts let you say something new without changing the rest of your profile: a holiday schedule, a new service, a seasonal offer or an open house. Think of them as a notice board on your front door rather than social media. Useful ideas:
- Holiday or seasonal hours, alongside your special hours.
- A new service, with a link to its page. Add it to your services list too.
- A recent project, with a before and after from your photos.
- An event with a date and a sign-up link.
What gets posts rejected?
- A phone number in the text. Google’s content policy says posts with unverified contact information may be removed. A Call now button uses the verified number on your profile.
- Prohibited or restricted content. The same rules that cover reviews and photos apply.
- Unclear offers. Say what the deal is, when it ends, and any conditions in the terms field.
- Hotels posting deals. Hotels can’t create offer posts, or any post about deals or discounts.
Other mistakes that won’t get rejected but will cost you:
- Fake “limited time” deals or prices you won’t honor. Customers screenshot posts.
- A discount in exchange for a review. That breaks Google’s review rules, as our guide to getting more reviews explains.
- Empty posts like “Happy Monday!” that tell customers nothing.
What if my post isn’t showing?
Check the status next to the post:
- Live: the post is public on Search and Maps.
- Pending: it’s still processing, or your profile isn’t verified yet.
- Not approved: it broke a rule. A question mark next to the status tells you which. Fix that and post again.
If an older post has disappeared, it may have been archived. Google archives posts older than 6 months unless you set a date range.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
Posts are free. Google doesn’t set a schedule; post when something changes or when you have something worth saying. Writing a month of posts in one sitting and scheduling them keeps a steady habit without much effort.
How does E-3 handle this?
Posts are one of the profile updates in our SEO and AI search service. Each post is drafted in plain words, a person checks it, and it goes live only after you’ve approved it.
Related questions
Next step
- Next: Get more Google reviews with a link and QR codeThe next guide in Google Business Profile.
- Google Business Profile checklistA free printable checklist (PDF).
Still stuck? Ask E-3 for an answer from our help guides.
Rather we handled google business profile for you?
It’s part of what we do every week for small businesses, as part of seo and ai search. Start with a free check of your site and profile, or call and ask.