Google Business Profile posts: a simple guide for local businesses (with AI help)

The short answer: Google Business Profile posts are free updates you add to your business listing on Google. They can show on Google Search and Maps when people look at your profile. There are three types: Updates, Offers and Events. Google's own best-practice guide suggests posting at least once a week, with a clear photo, a description and dates. AI can help you write them quickly, but you should check each post before it goes live.

If you run a café, salon, garage, gym, shop or trade business, your Google profile is often the first thing a nearby customer sees. Yet many profiles have no recent posts. That's an easy gap to fill. (Planning posts across social media too? See our AI social media campaign guide.)

What is a Google Business Profile post?

A post is a short message with a photo or video that you publish on your Business Profile. Google says you can use posts to "share announcements, offers, updates, and event details directly with your customers on Search and Maps" (Google Business Profile Help: Create & manage posts).

Customers can find your posts in:

• The Updates or Overview tabs of your profile on mobile (Search and Maps)
• The "From the owner" section of your profile on a computer

The three types of post

Source: Google Business Profile Help

Handy detail: Google says posts older than 6 months are archived unless you set a date range. Offers and Events have dates built in, so update them when they end.

Do Google posts help my local ranking?

Here's an honest answer, based on what Google publishes. Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence (Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google). Its advice for improving local ranking is to:

• Verify your business
• Keep your business information complete and accurate, including address, hours, category and extras like parking
• Respond to reviews
• Add photos and videos

Google also says: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google."

Posts aren't named on that list as a ranking factor, so we won't claim they push you up the rankings. What posts do is give people who find your profile a fresh, specific reason to visit, call or book. Google's GBP best practices playbook (PDF) recommends posting at least once a week and using all three post types.

How to create a post (step by step)

1. Go to your Business Profile. Searching for your business name on Google while signed in usually brings it up.
2. Select Posts, then Add post.
3. Choose Update, Offer or Event.
4. Add your photo or video, description and button. For offers and events, add the title and dates.
5. To post later, turn on Schedule this post and pick a date and time. To repeat a post, choose how often (for example weekly) from the Repeats menu.
6. Select Post.

Google then reviews the post against its content policy. Steps are taken from Google's help page, checked 29 October 2026. Google changes its menus from time to time.

Watch out: Google warns that posts with a phone number in the description might be rejected if that number can't be verified as connected to the business. Use the call button or your profile's listed number instead.

What to post: 12 ideas for local businesses

Use these to plan a few months of weekly posts:

1. This week's special (Offer). "Midweek lunch deal, £9.99, Tuesday to Thursday."
2. New in (Update). A photo of a new product, dish or service.
3. Before and after (Update). Great for trades, salons, cleaners and detailers.
4. Meet the team (Update). One person, one photo, one fun fact.
5. Seasonal opening hours (Update). Bank holidays, Christmas and summer.
6. An event or workshop (Event). A tasting, open day or class.
7. A customer question answered (Update). "Do you do gluten-free?" "Do you cover [town]?"
8. A quick tip (Update). "Three ways to keep your boiler running this winter."
9. A local link (Update). A local team you sponsor, or a market you're at.
10. Gift vouchers (Offer). Ahead of Christmas, Mother's Day or Father's Day.
11. Behind the scenes (Update). Prep, deliveries, the workshop.
12. Thank you (Update). After a busy weekend or a milestone (real numbers only).

How AI can help you post every week

The hardest part is remembering and finding the words. AI is good at this. Try these prompts in any AI assistant:

• "Write a Google Business Profile offer post for my [business] in [town]. Offer: [details]. Valid [dates]. Under 80 words, friendly, UK spelling, with no phone number."
• "Give me 4 weekly Google post ideas for a [type of business] in November, mixing an offer, an update and an event."
• "Rewrite this post so the most important point is in the first sentence."

Then check the AI draft:

• Are the facts right? Prices, dates, opening hours and what's included.
• Is the offer clear and honest? Promotions should state key conditions such as end dates and limits (CAP Code, Section 8).
• Does the photo match? Use a real photo of your business where you can.
• Does it follow Google's rules? Google's prohibited and restricted content policy applies to posts.

Writing tips that work for Google and for people

• Lead with the point. Many people only read the first line.
• Name the place. "Fresh bread daily in Clifton" is clearer than "fresh bread daily".
• One message per post. Don't mix an offer, an event and a hiring notice.
• Use the button. Point it at the page where people can book, order or find out more.
• Keep photos bright and simple. A short text badge like "£9.99 lunch deal" is fine, but don't cover the photo with words.

Don't forget reviews and photos

Posts work best on a profile that's complete and active. Google's local ranking advice puts weight on reviews and replies, so ask happy customers for a review and reply to every review politely, good or bad. Google has a help page on this: Tips to get more reviews. Keep your hours and photos up to date too. Our Google Business Profile checklist covers the full setup.

How BizBoost can help (our own product)

Disclosure: BizBoost AI is our own product, made by the team that publishes this blog. BizBoost AI is a done-for-you AI marketing app for UK local businesses. It's in pre-launch and not on general sale yet. Today it can turn your photos into ready-to-approve social media posts, with a built-in photo editor and deal badges such as "Only £9.99". We're also building AI drafts for blog posts, review replies and a weekly report of what was done. Those are still in development, so we don't describe them as finished. BizBoost can't guarantee more customers, followers or rankings, because nobody honestly can. Publishing straight to Google Business Profile isn't available in BizBoost yet, so for now you'd post the update on Google yourself using the steps above. If you'd like to hear when BizBoost opens, join early access.

This post is general information, written to be accurate as of 29 October 2026. Prices, platforms and rules change, so check the official sources linked above. Examples are illustrations, not real businesses or results. BizBoost AI is our own product. Nobody, including BizBoost AI, can guarantee rankings, followers, leads or sales.