What are Google Business Profile posts?

They are updates you publish that appear in your business listing on Google Search and Google Maps. They used to be called Google My Business posts, and before that just Google Posts. The post types are Updates, Offers, Events and Products. When someone searches for your business or your kind of service, your post shows up next to your listing.

How often should I post on my Google Business Profile?

Once a week. Pick one day and mix the post types, with an update one week, an offer the next and an event when it fits. Consistency matters more than perfection. Most posts last about 7 days before they are archived. A weekly post with a clear photo and a call to action will outperform a monthly masterpiece.

What size should a Google post photo be?

As of 2026 the specs are a 4:3 aspect ratio, at least 720 by 540 pixels, and no more than 10MB. Posts with images get more clicks. Use real photos of your work, your team or your location. Stock photography signals laziness, and customers can tell.

What should a service business post about?

For our trade and service clients, the mix is usually 40% educational, like tips and explainers. Then 30% is work in progress, like before and after photos and jobsite updates. Another 20% is offers and promotions, and 10% is community news. That mix keeps the profile feeling like an active business and avoids a constant sales pitch.

Using Google Posts to Reach Customers. A 2026 Update

When Google first launched the Posts feature in 2017, it was a small update buried inside what was then called Google My Business. We wrote about it at the time as a useful new channel. In 2026, after multiple platform rebrands and feature expansions, it's now one of the most underused free distribution channels in local SEO. Here's the modern playbook.

What Google Posts Are In 2026

Google Business Profile posts (formerly Google My Business posts, originally just "Google Posts") let you publish updates that appear directly in your business listing on both Google Search and Google Maps. When a customer searches for your business by name or for the type of service you offer, your post shows up right alongside your knowledge panel.

A live post on Supercanic San Jacinto’s profile in Google Maps, captured October 10, 2026. It shows a photo, a date and a Learn more button under From the owner.

These are the post types available today.

Updates. General news, behind the scenes content, and weekly highlights.
Offers. Promotional codes and discounts, with optional start/end dates.
Events. Featured events with dates, times, and registration links.
Products. For businesses with physical inventory. These appear in the Products tab of your GBP.

Most posts last about 7 days before they're archived (though they remain accessible). Events and offers can have explicit run windows.

Why This Channel Still Matters

The advantage hasn't changed since 2017. It puts the content you want your customers to see right in front of them when they find your business in Google Search results. Some of the options include adding a button to a part of your website or making the post a featured event for your business.

What HAS changed is that competition for GBP attention has grown. If your competitors are posting weekly and you're not, you lose the freshness signal in the local algorithm. Posts don't directly rank a profile higher, but the activity signal they generate compounds over time alongside reviews and Q&A responses.

The Old Google Plus Section

Our 2017 article had a section on Google Plus for business. Google Plus is dead. It shut down for consumers in April 2019 and for G Suite in 2020. The social signal play that lived in Google Plus has migrated partly to Google Business Profile posts and partly to Google's broader Knowledge Graph signals. Don't worry about Plus. Do worry about GBP.

How to Use Google Posts in Practice

Weekly Cadence

Pick one day per week. Publish a post. Mix the types. Try an update one week, an offer the next, and an event when relevant. Consistency matters more than perfection. A weekly post with a clear photo and a call to action will outperform a monthly masterpiece every time.

Always Include a Photo

Posts with images get more clicks. The image specs as of 2026 are 4:3 aspect ratio, minimum 720×540, maximum 10MB. Use real photos of your work, your team, or your physical location. Stock photography signals laziness.

A green septic riser lid set flush in a freshly restored lawn — A real job photo from Emergency Septic & Sewer, a Clickflame client, at 1000 by 750. That is 4:3 and above the 720 by 540 minimum.

Always Include a CTA Button

Every post should link somewhere with a clear action, like "Learn More," "Book," "Order," "Sign Up," "Buy," or "Call Now." The button is what turns a passive viewer into a tracked website visit (and if you have CallRail style attribution installed, a tracked lead).

Tie Posts to Your Content Calendar

Every blog post you publish on your website is a free GBP post. Write the blog. Excerpt the most useful sentence. Pair it with the article's hero image. Link the CTA to the article. Every piece of long form content earns at least one GBP post and one social post. That's table stakes content reuse.

What This Looks Like for Service Businesses

For our trade and service clients, the post mix typically looks like this.

40% educational. How to content, tips, and explainers on common issues.
30% work in progress. Before and after photos, jobsite updates, and team highlights.
20% offers / promotions. Seasonal discounts and specials for first time customers.
10% community. Local sponsorships, charity work, and team milestones.

Google Business Profile posts · Service business mixThe Weekly Post Mix

Educational40%

Work in progress30%

Offers and promotions20%

Community10%

Once a weekPick one day. Mix the types.

Photo4:3, at least 720 × 540, up to 10MB

About 7 daysbefore a post is archived

CTA buttonLearn More, Book, Order, Sign Up, Buy, Call Now

The mix we use for trade and service clients, with the post specs from this guide.

That mix keeps the profile feeling like an active business and prevents the "100% sales pitch" vibe that turns prospects off and gets posts ignored by the algorithm.

Where Posts Fit in the Bigger Picture

Posts are one piece of GBP optimization, which is one piece of local SEO, which is one piece of digital marketing. They're not a strategy on their own. They're a tactic inside a strategy. Read our what is local SEO primer for the full picture, or our best local SEO strategy guide for how it all fits together.

In today's always changing digital marketplace, it's important to stay up to date on new tactics and strategy. Get active for your business today.

Using Google Posts to Reach Customers