Google Business Profile Posts - Best Practices

What are Google posts?

A Google post is an update that can be added to a business’s Google Business Profile. It can include text (up to 1,500 characters), photos, videos, offers, ecommerce listings, and more. Google posts show up alongside all the other profile information and reviews in search results on Google search and maps. Posting to Google can increase visibility on Google, especially if you post regularly with engaging/timely content.

Luckily, you won’t need to create a lot of NEW content; much of what is being posted to FB/IG can be repurposed for Google with a few small tweaks.

There are 6 types of posts available to all businesses:

- Updates

- Photos

- Reviews

- Offers

- Events

- FAQ

Three additional post types are available for specific types of businesses:

- Menu, for restaurants

- Services

- Products, for e-commerce

Google My Business post image sizes

Maintaining consistency throughout all of your social platforms and marketing channels shows you care about your brand.

Even though Google will fit any size or aspect ratio, it is best to upload images and videos with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Or, at the very least, keep your main subject centered. This will keep any cropping to a minimum. Since FB and IG mainly use square images, it is ideal to resize these for Google, especially if your image contains text that may get cut off.

Uploading photos larger than 1200px wide is also not recommended as Google seems to compress them, resulting in fuzzy images. This may change with future algorithm updates.

- Image format: JPG or PNG

- Aspect ratio: 4:3

- Photo size: 1200px x 900px recommended (480px x 270px minimum), up to 5mb each

- Video specs: 720p resolution minimum, up to 30 seconds long and 75mb per video

How to create a Google My Business post

Step 1: Decide your post type

Will you share an update, a video, change your menu, add a service, or launch an offer? To see available options, log in to your Google My Business dashboard and click Posts in the navigation.

Some post types, such as menus, are limited to specific categories of businesses.

Decide the objective and purpose of your post and where it fits in your social content for your urgent care marketing strategy before you start writing. Answer these questions:

- Is this post promoting a new product or service?

- Are you trying to bring back old or current customers, or find new ones?

- How will you capture your ideal customer’s attention?

Still not sure what to post? Use Google’s marketing kit to create a graphic from a review and share it. You can get creative with these, too: Print out a bunch and make a review wall in your shop, or display them in your window.

Step 2: Write your post

Simple enough, right? It’s true that creating social media content isn’t as tough as neurosurgery, but there are ways to make it even easier.

These tips are specifically for Google My Business posts and not other social media platforms:

Do:

- Keep your post short. You have a 1,500 character limit but there’s no need to max it out. Customers are looking for quick answers or info on Google, not an in-depth piece.

- Include a visual. Stick to photos or videos of your location or products. Leave the infographics for your other social platforms.

- Use Google’s free marketing kit assets if you don’t have any great photos yet. While the best visual to use is a real photo, this can be a great resource if you don’t have one, and to go along with an event or offer post.

- Customize your CTA button. You can include a link to a landing page, coupon code, your website, or product page in every Google My Business post. By default, the CTA button will say “Learn more,” but you can choose from many different options, including “Sign up,” “Order now,” “Book,” and more.

- Track your offers with UTM links. Adding UTM parameters to your offer links tracks campaign performance to optimize future offers.

Don’t:

- Use hashtags. They don’t help you rank higher. They just clutter up your post.

- Run afoul of Google’s strict content policies. While taking a stand on social issues or featuring your customers’ faces may work well on other social platforms, Google wants to keep their profiles 100% business activity focused. Google will remove any content they determine to be “off topic.” Be sure to review Google Business Profile content policies.

Step 3: Publish it

Hit Publish and your post is live! GMB posts stay visible for 6 months. After that, they are automatically removed from your profile. It is important to remember that posts expire, since if you are promoting an event or limited time offer, you will want to make sure you delete them in a timely manner after the promo expires.

Step 4: Engage and respond to your customers

A post on your profile might prompt a customer or prospect to leave you a review or ask a question. It’s crucial to respond to these interactions.

This is true for all platforms, but especially Google My Business, since your reviews show up front and center in local searches and can drastically influence someone’s decision to visit your business.
Other best practices for Google Business Profiles.

Make it a weekly habit to:

- Respond to new reviews (ideally daily!)

- Repurpose your reviews into other content: Social media posts, on your website, add them to in-store signage, etc.

- Ensure all questions are answered

- Reply to post comments

- Check your Business Profile and keep information up to date, like hours, contact info, and services

Whether you have a full social media team or a one-person marketing operation, Google business posts are a simple yet valuable way to promote your business. With these tips and tricks, you will be posting in no time!

Much of this article was adapted from Hootsuite’s How to Write Great Google My Business Posts [Tips + Examples]