Everything You Need to Know About Google Business Posts: From Benefits to How to Create Them

No matter what industry you are in, you want to claim your Google Business Profile page, and it’s free to do this. This online marketing tool is essential whether you are a dog groomer or an electrician. Claim your profile and fill out all the details in order to optimize the page for your business.

Your company will benefit from people finding you online, and with your Google Business Profile, it becomes easier to do so. Once completed, you want to add regular posts to your profile about events your company is hosting or new products or services you offer. Keep reading to learn more.

Important Details You May Include:

Contact details, such as phone number, email, address
Hours of operation
Any links to book appointments
Links to virtual tours where applicable
High-quality videos and photos of services and products
Services or products you want to highlight

While many companies remember to claim their Google Business Profile page and fill out the details, they fail to remember to post regularly. This is one of the basic services you can utilize with your Google Business Profile. Don’t neglect to make posts because this free tool is essential to growing your online presence.

What You Need to Know About Google Business Profile Posts

When your company, whether a clothing boutique or sandwich shop, claims your Google Business Profile page, you can add more details and media information for added appeal. Your text can be no longer than 1,500 characters, but there is a lot you can do with that. You can use these posts to list e-commerce products, videos, photos, and other information about your business.

Subjects to consider as content for your posts include the following:

Reviews
Offers and discounts
Updates on special events
Photos and videos
FAQ
Screenshots of positive reviews and testaments

Why a Google Business Profile Page Is Important to Any Business

The competition is building its online presence, engaging with its clients, and keeping current with industry events. You don’t want to get left in the dust. A Google Business Profile and regular posts are free and easy-to-use tools. Consider the following advantages to adding posts on your Google Business Profile:

Zero Cost: The function is absolutely free, so you won’t have to make room in your budget for it. Taking advantage of any free marketing tools is one way to make sure you are strengthening your online presence.

SEO and Visibility Increase: Claiming your Google Business Profile Page and adding regular posts will get you noticed by Google’s algorithms. This will get you onto Google Maps, and more potential clients will notice you and visit your website and, therefore, your business. When you have a Google Business Profile page fully fleshed out, your local rankings will soar.

Use of CTAs: You can incorporate a call-to-action easily with your Google Business Profile Page. Tell your clients to sign-up here, or book this event, call now, and more. Other CTAs that you should include are:

- Book this appointment
- Buy now
- Learn more here
- Sign up for this offer
- Call now for a free estimate
- Order this item here

Add photos and videos: Grab potential customers’ attention by adding photos relevant to the services or products offered.

Internet Searches: The majority of people will google a business before they go to it. This means making sure your Google Business Profile page has all the details will help get you noticed and ranked in Google listings. Local rankings are critical to how you rank with Google searches, your website traffic, conversions, and brand recognition.

Add Videos and Photos to Your Posts

Your engagement and website traffic will increase the more you add multimedia, like videos and photos, to your posts. In fact, Google reports that there is a significant traffic boost on your Google Business Profile page when videos or photos are added. In fact, businesses see as much as 35% more clicks with these visual aids added. They also report up to 42% more direction requests for Google Maps.

DigitalMaas confirmed this trend for 2020. A company with photos or videos has numerous advantages over companies that just post written content. Some of these advantages are:

24% increase in total views
45% increase in direction requests
76% increase in overall searches
48% increase in website traffic from GMB listings

You want to upload photos and fresh content regularly because they will improve your business’s appearance when searched. These photos and multimedia posts will help build trust, improve awareness of your brand, and increase customer engagement. They are an integral part of growing your client base.

Depending on your business, there are a few other things you can add to your post, such as:

New products for your e-commerce site
New menu items or specials
New specials
Specialized training
Awards

Other Things to Include in Your Google Business Profile Posts

Many people report not knowing what to post when they first get started with their Google Business Profile. While there are many memes and anecdotes that help get you traffic, it is best to be thoughtful with what you post.

Here are some tips on the best content practices you can share:

Updates

A Google Business Profile post is a good way to share company updates and other important happenings. Whether you are posting about new hours, holiday closings, or new products, there is always something worth sharing. You may want to announce that you have recently participated in a continuing education program or you’ve hired a new expert.

New Product Promotions

Anytime you launch a new product or service, it is the perfect time to make a Google Business Profile post. Be sure that the description is easy to read, to the point, and has a relevant photo you have available. When possible, include video content on how to use the product or the benefits of a new service offering.

Have Offers Active at All Times

There are always discounts or sales you can share with your client base. Whether you offer senior discounts, military discounts, student discounts, or bulk savings, your clients need to know in real time. Your Google Business Profile is the perfect place for sharing a link to let your target customers know how they can get the offer. Customers love discounts, and as soon as your offer expires, you should post about another coupon. These offers show up with your business listing, allowing more potential clients to see the specials you are providing.

Show Your Store Off

For businesses with a store location, you should capture it in a series of posts and photos. These don’t have to be professionally done, but they do need to be of good quality. Remember that potential clients will look at your business online before visiting, and photos are the best way to demonstrate what you offer.

Did you get a new remodel? A recent addition? Or are you just behind on displaying what your shop looks like? Make sure to take the time to post current pictures that showcase your store in the best way possible. This is perfect for retail stores or beauty salons, as it will give your clients the best idea of your setup, services, and products.

Event Highlights

You won’t get people to come to your event if they don’t know about it. Getting it out and announcing the upcoming event will give you a chance to grow your attendance. When you add a post with an event, it will also automatically post to your Google event listings. This will get you noticed more when people search your company out because of the additional listing.

What You Need to Know About Adding Posts to Your Google Business Profile

Once you have all the details filled in on your Google Business Profile, you are ready to post.

Here are some tips:

Know what your goal is. Do you want to announce a new service you offer? Are you announcing recent training you’ve had? What about a new product? Deciding on the goal of your post before you create it helps give you direction.
Utilize your 1,500 characters to create an amazing description. While this seems short, it is more than enough to convey your message in an interesting way.
Make sure to add videos and photos when you can. It is proven that visual content helps further engagement with your client base.
Publish the post. Google will review it and then announce it as “live” when published. If it is not approved, you will need to make some adjustments. Read below to learn more about Google content guidelines.
Remember the post will only remain online for a week. Be thoughtful when making your posts because they do not last forever.
Maintain your post after it is published. You need to respond to anything customers say – whether negative or positive in a professional manner. This will help let your potential clients know you are serious about your business and your customers.

Consider the Following Pointers for Posting to Google Business Profile

Follow the content policies set forth by Google. Your content can’t be:

Spammy
Irrelevant or off-topic
Disrespecting privacy
Hate speech, bullying, or harassment
Disparaging content
Content promoting graphic injuries or violence
Sexually explicit or suggestive content

A Word About Photos

Make it a point to include videos and photos in your Google Business Profile posts. These will catch people’s attention and create brand trust. Think for a moment about what it will be like to post about an award or continuing education without adding a photo. Same with a service you provided. Without a photo for context, it is hard to be considered real. Add a photo of the award or logo, and there is proof you earned it. People like to back award-winning businesses, so adding these details will improve your customer traffic.

Photos: Size Matters

You can upload any photo regardless of ratio or size. The best ratio is 4:3, or the main subject needs to be centered. This will keep cropping from affecting videos and images. You need to stick with PNGs or JPGs.

The minimum recommended size is 480 pixels by 270 pixels, but a better size is 1,000 pixels by 900 pixels. Photos can be as big as 5 MB. When uploading videos, the resolution needs to be a minimum of 720 pixels. The video can be 30 seconds long and up to 75 MB.

Avoid the Photo Filters

Always choose to filter fewer photos when adding them to your Google Business Profile posts. Be accurate, clear, and crisp when creating your posts. These don’t need to be professional photos, but you want to take the time to make the best pictures you can.

Skip the Hashtags

A lot of social media platforms work best with hashtags. You don’t want to add them to your Google Business Profile post because it adds clutter. The idea is to keep the posts engaging and concise.

Customer Responses

Once you have created your posts, you will start to see customers and potential customers commenting. When this happens, you need to respond to these comments quickly. Whether they are positive or negative, your response should be professional and quick.

Post Regularly

In addition to the above tips, you want to post regularly to your Google Business Profile page. These posts should offer insights into your business.

Conclusion

It is increasingly important to have your Google Business Profile optimized and filled out to the best of your ability. This will keep your business, whether lawn care or pet sitting, ranking high in Google searches and Google Maps. It is an integral part of internet marketing, and, fortunately, it comes free of charge.