If you want to maximize your business’s visibility online, especially on Google, then you’ll benefit hugely from implementing Google Posts. These types of posts make it easy to share text and photos on Google using your Business Profile.
In this blog post, Eric Solomon, Senior SEO Digital Strategist, will go over how to post on Google and the advantages of using Google Posts for your business.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why Google Posts Are Important for Local SEO
- What to Post on Google
- How to Create a Google Post
- Track Your Google Business Profile Posts
- 6 Benefits of Google Posts
- Common Mistakes to Avoid With Google Posts
- FAQs: Google Posts for Google Business Profile
My Expert Opinion on Google Posts
If you own a local business and want to reach potential customers in a way that’s both effective and cost-efficient, I recommend using Google Posts. With the help of this feature, you can supplement other content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) efforts to ensure people find you online.
The key to getting results with your Google Posts is to incorporate all of the elements needed to boost your posts’ rankings. Use a combination of relevant local keywords, high-quality images, and relevant business details to come out ahead of your competitors, and get the most from your Google Business Profile.
Google Posts can boost overall visibility and drive more direct conversions with good calls to action (CTAs) and promotions, leading to more conversions in the long term.
Here, I’ll get into more about what Google Posts are and how to post on Google with the right approach.
Why Google Posts Are Important for Local SEO
Google Posts are specific types of posts that appear on Google for businesses with a Google Business Profile. They essentially act as social media posts appearing in a business’s Knowledge Panel alongside relevant business details.
When you click on these posts, you can see them in their entirety within a new window, including all text and images.
They’re great for giving updates and ultimately boosting your Business Profile’s visibility on Google. They’re also entirely free to post, giving you a perfectly affordable solution to connect with audiences.
Is Google Business Profile the Same as Google My Business?
In short, yes!
Google My Business has been rebranded to Google Business Profile, and it happened in November 2021. The platform still serves the same purpose, allowing business owners to share images, videos, offers, and other content to audiences, where they’ll show up on Google.
The key difference is the updated name, and a few improvements to how businesses can manager their profiles, making it easier to manage Google Search and Maps.
Types of Google Posts
Depending on the kind of content you want to post, there are four main types of Google Posts you can use to engage audiences:
Update Posts
If your business sees any changes, post about them using updates with a summary and image. For instance, a local restaurant might post about opening a new location or adding a new item to their menu.
Product Posts
These posts can showcase your business’s various offerings, with lists of specific products or services and pricing for different items.
Offer Posts
Have any special discounts, deals, or limited-time promotions? Use offer posts to promote them up front on Google.
Event Posts
If you plan on holding or attending any event, event posts will notify audiences of them. Potentially invite them with a CTA.
What to Post on Google
There’s no shortage of things you can post on Google. Here are just some ideas to help you get started with this platform:
- Special discounts and offers
- Company updates, such as changes to your offerings, the opening of a new location, or partnerships
- New blog posts
- Customer testimonials and reviews
- Seasonally relevant content
- Relevant user-generated content
- New product or service launches
- Company accolades and achievements
How to Create a Google Post
While there are a lot of factors to consider, posting on Google Business Profile is fairly easy once you get the hang of it. Let’s break it down step-by-step.
To start, you’ll need to set up your Google Business Profile account(s). Log into to enter all of your information – business name, address, contact information, business category, etc.
Make sure you select the most relevant category and that all of your information is entered correctly. A mistake in this entry will affect which keywords will serve your business. Once all of your information is entered and verified, it’s time to decide what you’re going to post – and when.
Establish Your Goal
When crafting your first post, start by establishing the goal. What do you want this post to accomplish? Do you want to establish brand awareness? Promote an event? Drive traffic to your site? Whatever it is, you have 300 words to make it clear!
- Optimizing your posts with relevant keywords, ideally long-tail keywords of three or more words that fit naturally into your text content.
- Keeping your posts short and succinct, encouraging people to learn more by clicking through to your website so the engagement doesn’t stop on Google.
- Always include CTAs in your posts to bring more people to your website, further ensuring that the customer journey continues beyond Google.
Consider Using UTM Parameters
This one isn’t a requirement, but if you want to go above and beyond, consider adding UTM parameters to your links.
Doing so will allow you to track who’s coming to your site from your Google Posts, which will be invaluable in helping you evaluate how effective your Posts are.
You can set up UTM tracking for Google Posts using tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Specifically, you can use Google’s Campaign URL Builder to enter your URLs and campaign details, including Campaign IDs, Campaign Sources, and Campaign Mediums. For instance, you can use “utm_id” to identify your GMB post referrals, along with “utm_source” to identify Google as a source.
Choose Your Visual
People are very visual creatures, so including a well-lit and enticing photo or video will help capture your reader’s attention. High-quality images can highlight specific offerings, behind-the-scenes footage of your team, promotional graphics, and more.
Be mindful of Google’s minimum and maximum requirements for photos and videos. If a photo is too large, Google will crop it, which could impact your post’s vibe.
Photo Guidelines:
- Format: JPG or PNG
- Size: 10KB to 5MB
- Recommended Resolution: 720 px tall x 720 px wide
- Quality: Google Posts should have images that are clear and devoid of filters, with pictures of your business reflecting reality
- Types: You can use logos, cover photos, and business photos on your Business Profile
Video Guidelines:
- Duration: 30 seconds long max
- Size: Up to 75 MB
- Resolution: 720px or higher
Publish Your Google Post
Do
- Keep your GMB posts timely. Some Google My Business posts examples could include event posts that let audiences know about an event in time to help attendees prepare or offer posts disclosing a sale well before it ends.
- Post frequently. By posting on a regular basis, you can keep audiences consistently engaged and contribute to your SEO rankings.
- Integrate visuals. Use images and videos to display everything from pictures of your business and teams to graphics showcasing offerings and sales.
- Create a custom CTA. Don’t go with a generic “Learn more” CTA when there are other more compelling options available, such as “Buy Now” or “Sign Up Here.”
Don’t
- Violate Google’s policies and guidelines. Do your best to ensure that your Google Posts adhere to Google’s policies to keep your Business Profile in good standing.
- Implement hashtags. While other platforms might encourage the use of hashtags to help people find your posts, they won’t do you any good on Google.
Track Your Google Business Profile Posts
Just like any other marketing tool, you’ll want to check in to see what is working for your business and what isn’t.
Google makes it easy for you to track your analytics. All insights are logged in real-time so that you can see how your posts are performing at any given time.
Using the Google Insights Dashboard, you can see how many searches you are showing up in, whether it’s branded or unbranded, number of photo views, and which actions the users are taking after viewing your posts.
After tracking this information for a while, look at your data and analyze what is working. Capitalize on high-performing terms or visuals and ditch the undervalued ones.
6 Benefits of Google Posts
Trying to decide whether to use Google Posts? The following are some of the main advantages of regularly posting on Google:
1. Improved Local Visibility
One of the primary benefits of Google Posts is the ability to increase visibility among local audiences. People searching for your offerings and services will be more likely to find you in Google Search and Google Maps than competitors neglecting this channel.
This benefit is particularly crucial as around 87% of consumers use Google to decide whether to go with a particular business. 86% also use Google Maps to find local businesses.
2. Engagement With Customers
Google Posts also help you connect with customers on a regular basis to keep them informed, encourage more sales, and showcase your business over less active competitors. You can also use Google Posts to answer people’s questions about your business.
3. Promotion of Special Offers and Events
If your business is promoting any offers or events, use descriptive and visual Google Posts to attract more sales and/or attendees. Your posts could use eye-popping images to connect with prospects, while descriptions and CTAs compel people to take action.
4. Effective Audience Targeting
Knowing how to post on Google effectively will also help you target your audiences. Specifically, using targeted keywords in your posts can help them appear in search results for those terms, reaching people interested in a particular topic.
5. A Cost-Effective Marketing Solution
Similar to other SEO efforts, Google Posts are entirely free to post. As such, if you want to make the most of your available marketing budget, you don’t have to worry about Google Posts taking from it. They’ll also supplement your other SEO and PPC efforts.
6. Generate More Clicks
Google Posts will ultimately drive more clicks when done right, with 56% of Google Business Profile engagement resulting in website visits. High-quality CTAs in your posts can subsequently help with conversion rate optimization (CRO).
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Google Posts
With a better idea of how to post on Google, it’s also important to know about the potential mistakes that might impact your posts.
Try to avoid these two key issues in your Google Posts:
Overloading Your Posts With Information
Don’t overwhelm your audiences. Instead, try to keep your posts short and to the point. Remember, you want to entice your audiences and get them to click on your CTA, so don’t give everything away in your posts.
Neglecting Regular Updates
Frequently posting on Google can help you maintain your SEO rankings and engage followers. Conversely, failing to keep a regular posting schedule could cause rankings to drop gradually and audiences to lose interest.
Not Using Relevant CTAs
Your CTAs should reflect the offer and the desired course of action. Simply using “Learn more” might not be sufficient when you want people to make a purchase, attend an event, or take another type of direct action. Get creative and engaging with your CTAs.
Poor Image Quality
Using low-quality images can make your business look bad online. People will ultimately find you more credible if you use high-quality images that clearly present your business and offerings.
FAQs: Google Posts for Google Business Profile
1. Are Google Posts free?
Yes, Google Business Posts are entirely free to make, which is why they’re among the most cost-effective ways to improve your SEO. Simply post an update as soon as you need to at no extra cost.
2. When is the best time to post on Google?
Look at your analytics is the time of day and day of the week when you were featured in the most searches. This will tell you when your ideal customers are online and looking for what you’re offering.
Adjust your posts to match those analytic results. Meeting your customers where they are is an excellent way to make a customer for life.
3. Are Google Posts helpful for SEO?
The short answer? Yes!
When Google performs an algorithm update or a core update it impacts website traffic for some websites as much as 30-50%. This also impacts your Google posts.
It’s important to make sure that your entire Google Business Profile is complete and that all directory listings are correct and consistent. The more accurate your Google Business Profile is, the more likely you’ll be to show up in local searches.
4. How do I find my Google posts?
You can easily find your GMB posts by going to “Posts” in Google Business Profile when accessing your profile on a desktop or within the mobile app. The mobile app also allows you to see posts in the “Updates” or “Overview” sections. On desktop, you can see posts in the “From the Owner” section.
5. What should I put in a Google post?
You can include a variety of content in your posts, such as text, optimized images, videos, links, codes, and terms and conditions.
Develop the Perfect Google Post Strategy With Ignite Visibility
Want to succeed with Google Posts? Ignite Visibility’s marketing team knows how to develop a Google posting strategy in addition to SEO, PPC, and other digital marketing campaigns.
With our solutions backing you, you can:
- Develop high-quality content for compelling Google Posts
- Use hyper-targeted messaging to reach the right people and boost rankings
- Drive conversions with clicks using effective CTAs with every post
And more!
To experience these and other benefits for your business using Google Posts and other content, reach out to us today!
