Google Business Profile posts appear in your Map Pack listing when someone searches for your business directly or for your trade in your area. They are visible in Google Search and Google Maps. They signal to Google that your business is active.
Activity is a factor in local rankings. An active profile — one that posts regularly, responds to reviews, and updates its information — outperforms an identical but static profile in the same market. GBP posts are the simplest way to signal activity without significant time investment.
What to Post and How Often
Completed job updates
A photo of a completed job with two or three sentences describing the work, the location, and the outcome is the most useful type of GBP post for a trade. 'Completed a full bathroom refit in Harrogate this week — new suite, tiling, and all plumbing. The customer had been waiting 18 months to get this done. Really pleased with how it came out.' This type of post demonstrates active work, uses relevant local keywords, and shows real output.
Seasonal service reminders
October is the right time for a heating engineer to post about boiler servicing before winter. March is the right time for a roofer to post about post-winter roof inspections. A landscaper posts about lawn preparation in spring. These posts match the seasonality of your customers' search behaviour and keep your profile active during periods when you want more enquiries.
Answers to common customer questions
A short post that answers a question your customers frequently ask — 'How much does a new boiler cost?', 'Do I need planning permission for a garden room?', 'What is the difference between a combi and a system boiler?' — positions you as knowledgeable and provides useful content to potential customers who find your post. Include a call to action at the end: 'Give us a call for a no-obligation quote.'
How often to post
Two to four posts per month is sufficient to maintain the activity signal. One post per week is ideal. Daily posting is unnecessary and can look spammy. The posts do not need to be long — 50 to 150 words with a photo is the standard format. The consistency matters more than the length or frequency beyond the minimum threshold.
How long posts stay visible
Standard GBP posts expire after seven days and are no longer shown in search results, though they remain in your post history. Event posts expire when the event date passes. Offer posts expire on the offer end date.
This means the posts that are visible in your profile at any given time are your most recent ones. Posting consistently ensures there is always fresh, relevant content visible to anyone who searches for your business.