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Google Business Profile lets you publish three post types: updates, offers and events. For a service business, the useful posts are finished-job photos with the town named, seasonal reminders, real offers with dates, crew introductions, schedule openings and holiday hours. Keep unverified phone numbers out of the text, use real photos, and post on a rhythm your office can keep.
Key takeaways
- Google offers three post types: Update, Offer and Event. Every idea below fits one of them.
- Google says posts that include a phone number in the description might be rejected if the number cannot be verified as yours.
- Posts older than six months are archived unless you set a date range, so plan on fresh content.
- Google does not set a required posting frequency. Pick a rhythm someone in your office will actually keep.
- Photos should show real work. Google asks for in-focus, well-lit images with no excessive filters.
Posts are the part of your Business Profile you fully control. They show up in the Updates or Overview tab on mobile and in the "From the owner" section on desktop, according to Google's help page for adding posts. Each item below is a checkable action: who does it, when, and the way it usually gets skipped. Google's pages describe the mechanics, not a ranking effect, so treat posts as a way to give a person looking at your profile fresh proof that you are open and working, not as a trick. For the broader setup, see our Business Profile guide for contractors. Google's rules and screens change, and everything here was read on Google's help pages in October 2026.
1. Post a finished job with the town in the caption
Who: the crew lead takes the photo; the office posts it. When: the day the job is signed off. Use an Update post with one clear photo and two sentences: what you did and where, for example "Replaced a rotted porch step in [town]." Get the customer's okay if the home or address is identifiable, and crop out house numbers. Common skip: nobody owns the photo handoff, so the pictures sit on a phone. See before-and-after photo marketing for the shooting routine.
2. Post a before-and-after pair
Who: whoever takes the photos on the job. When: once a week at most, from your best job. Shoot both from the same spot, in similar light. Google asks that photos be in focus and well lit, with no significant alterations or excessive use of filters, and that the image represent reality. Common skip: editing the after shot until it stops looking like the job. Brighten for exposure only.
3. A seasonal reminder tied to your calendar
Who: the owner, once a quarter. When: four to six weeks before your busy window, such as "Fall gutter cleaning slots are open in [town]." Say what the work is and how to book, with a button that sends people to a booking page. Google says the button should direct customers to a website where they can complete the action, such as booking or ordering. Common skip: posting during the rush, when it is too late for the customer to plan.
4. A real offer with dates
Who: the owner decides; the office posts. When: when you truly need to fill a slow stretch. An Offer post needs a title, start and end dates and times, and Google adds a "View Offer" button. Coupon code and terms are optional fields. Use terms that are specific and honest, such as which service and which dates. Common skip: leaving an offer running past its end date or running one that you do not honor. Also note Google's guidance on review replies advises against promotions there; keep deals in posts.
5. An event post for something you really host
Who: whoever runs the event. When: two weeks ahead. Examples: a free homeowner workshop at your shop, a booth at a home show, a community cleanup day. An Event post needs a title and start and end dates and times. If you leave the times out, Google shows the event as lasting 24 hours on the event dates. Common skip: posting a "sale" as an event. Events are for things people attend.
6. Answer one customer question per post
Who: the person who answers the phone knows the questions. When: monthly. Take a question you heard that week, such as "Do you work on weekends?", and answer it in two or three sentences in an Update post. Link to the page on your site with the longer answer. Common skip: waiting for perfect wording. Plain speech reads better than polished copy.
7. Introduce a crew member or the owner
Who: the office, with the employee's agreement. When: after a hire or a work anniversary. One portrait, a first name, role and one line about the work they like. Never post a worker's photo without their yes. Common skip: posting only logos. People hiring someone to come into their home want to see who shows up.
8. Share a review, with permission and accuracy
Who: the owner. When: when a review describes a specific job. Reviews are already public, but ask the reviewer before reusing their words in a post, quote them exactly, and name the job. Do not edit a quote to sound better, and do not offer anything in exchange for a review; Google's contribution policy prohibits incentives. Common skip: quoting only five-star reviews and never saying thank you.
9. A short job walkthrough video
Who: the crew lead films on a phone. When: from one job a month. Google's media guidelines allow video of up to 30 seconds and 75 MB, at 720p or higher. Show one thing: a repair step, a tool, the finished space. Common skip: filming vertical clips with loud background noise and no captions. Keep it to a single idea and a clear first frame.
10. A schedule opening notice
Who: the dispatcher or owner. When: when a cancellation opens a day or the next two weeks are light. Post what kind of job fits and how to book. Skip a phone number in the text: Google says posts with a phone number in the description might be rejected if it cannot be verified as connected to your business, and its posts policy says unverified contact information may be removed. Add a button to your scheduling page instead. Common skip: never posting openings because the calendar changes daily. A weekly post covers it.
11. Announce a new service or service area
Who: the owner. When: the week you can actually take the work. Name the service, the towns, and what to expect. Make sure the service and area are also updated in the profile itself; our guide on adding service areas shows how. Common skip: announcing a service you cannot yet staff.
12. Holiday hours and closures
Who: the office manager. When: two weeks before the date. Post the change as an Update, and update the hours on the profile too. State when the office reopens and whether emergency calls are handled. Common skip: posting but forgetting to change the profile's special hours, so the two say different things.
13. A practical tip a homeowner can use today
Who: the technician. When: monthly. One concrete action, such as "Look at the caulk around your second-floor windows before the first freeze." Keep it to what you know from the job, and skip claims about health, legal or regulated products. Google's create a post page says you can use posts if you offer products or services in a regulated industry, but should not include content about the products. Common skip: turning tips into sales pitches. A tip with no pitch is shared.
14. Local involvement
Who: the owner. When: after you do it. A sponsored youth team, a food drive, a cleanup of a local park. Post a photo with the organization's okay and name the neighborhood. Common skip: posting a donation as an ad. State what happened and thank the group. Do not tie it to a promotion.
15. Use scheduling and repeats for the routine posts
Who: the office, once a month in a single sitting. Google lets you turn on Schedule this post and pick a date and time, and a Repeats dropdown offers frequencies such as weekly or monthly. Batch four seasonal and evergreen posts on the first of the month. Common skip: scheduling a repeat of an expired offer. Set a repeating post only for evergreen content, and check the calendar monthly.
16. Check the status of every post you publish
Who: the person who posts. When: the next day. Google marks posts as Live, Pending or Not approved. If one is not approved, open the post, read why, and fix it. Google's help page names a phone number it cannot verify as one reason a post may be rejected. Also note that Google archives posts older than six months unless a date range is set, so your profile should not rely on a single post from last spring. Common skip: posting and never checking. A post that never went live helps nobody.
Where to start
Do these three first:
- Item 1, finished job with the town named. Every job produces one, and it costs five minutes.
- Item 3, a seasonal reminder. Put the next four on your calendar.
- Item 16, status check. Make it part of the habit from the first post.
After that, add one new type a month. Review the common Business Profile mistakes so your posts sit on a clean profile, and if you want someone to run this for you, our local SEO service covers it.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I post on my Business Profile?
Google does not publish a required frequency in the help pages we read. A realistic rhythm is one or two posts a week at most, or even one a month, as long as it keeps going. Stale profiles look abandoned; thin daily posts take time you do not have.
Can I put my phone number in a post?
Google says posts that include a phone number in the description might get rejected if the number cannot be verified as connected to the business. Use the buttons and your profile's phone number instead.
Do posts disappear?
Google's help page says posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set. Offers and events carry their own dates.
Are posts a ranking factor?
Google's help pages for posts describe how posts appear and what is allowed; they do not claim a ranking effect, and we do not either. Their value is giving someone who finds your profile current proof of work.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: Add posts to your Business Profile, 2026
- Google Business Profile Help: Create a post for your Business Profile, 2026
- Google Business Profile Help: Posts policy, 2026
- Google Business Profile Help: Photo and video guidelines, 2026
- Google Maps User Generated Content Policy: Prohibited and restricted content, 2026
General information for service-business owners, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules vary by state; check with a qualified professional for your situation.