- Google My Business is one of the first places potential customers look to find hours of operation, directions, busy times, and news.
- Google My Business posts can include text captions, vibrant photos, or even videos.
- There are four types of Google My Business Posts: What’s New, Events, Offers, Products.
- Google My Business Posts may help with SEO by increasing location authority.
- Google Posts are completely free and only require a Google My Business profile.
You’re likely one of the billions of people that use Google. In fact, Google processes some 5.5 billion searches per day. Here’s another important stat for you: some 81% of shoppers do some research online before making a purchase. If you’re a small business owner, you’re trying to figure out how you can turn some of those searches into foot traffic.
We’d like to introduce you to your new best friend and one of the simplest and most direct ways to connect with your customers: Google My Business posts.
What are Google My Business Posts?
Google My Business (GMB) allows businesses and organizations to manage their online presence across Google platforms and is one of the first places potential customers look to find hours of operation, directions, busy times, and news. And, just as crucial, Google is also where customers can read to get a feel for your atmosphere, customer service, and offerings. Claiming your Google My Business profile is vital to any local SEO strategy, and using GMB posts increases your company’s online presence.
Unlike other social media platforms, Google My Business posts are designed for people already looking for you or your industry. Meaning your posts aren’t competing with the click-baiting captions of social media. You don’t need to grab attention – Google my Business posts just need to state the facts, hopefully accompanied by excellent photos.
Google My Business posts essentially allow businesses to share timely, relevant updates right on their Google listing, with several custom calls-to-action and post types so businesses can choose how to connect with their customers.
If you’re unsure whether it’s worth the time and effort to include Google My Business posts in your social media strategy, the answer is: yes. Google My Business posts offer high rewards, but with low time sink, and costs.
Note: Here are Google’s tips and best practices for Google my Business posts.
Why use GMB Posts?
Benefits include:
- Direct communication with local customers.
- Google posts can increase web traffic
- May help with SEO – Increased location authority may lead to better ranking.
- Improved customer experience with timely information.
- Promote sales, specials, events, news, and offers.
- Engage with customers through videos and photos.
- Best of all, it’s completely free.
Example of GMB Posts:
Types of Google Posts
Google My Business Posts can be used to promote deals, sales, events, or products directly into Google search results. These are the different types of Google Posts you can create:
- What’s New
- Events
- Offers
- Products
Tips for Crafting Google My Business Posts
Text
Posts may have a 1500-character limit; aim to be short and direct. Keep posts between 80-100 words, but remember that the first 7 or 8 words will show up above the fold, and users must click to read more – so get your message across as quickly as possible.
Tip: Hashtags are unnecessary on GMB posts, but a few emojis can help out.
Visuals
The photos and videos used in posts should be professional-grade if possible, or as near to it as possible. Remember this is your opportunity to showcase your absolute best in order to turn searchers into customers. A couple of things to consider.
- The ideal image size for a Google My Business post is 750 x 750. Images smaller than 250 x 250 won’t be accepted. Be sure to preview the post before publishing.
- Images with text may get cut off on mobile devices — Use plain images when possible.
- Acceptable video formats are: AVI, MP4, MOV, FLV, WMV, MPG, M4V, MKV, M2TS, and MTS. The maximum size for videos is 100 MB.
Here’s our Google My Business photo guide for a more in depth read.
Call-to-action
Google allows businesses to include a range of CTA buttons. Options depend on your post type, but include: Learn More, Order Online, Buy Now, etc.
Ensure your linked landing page matches the content of the post and meets a visitor’s expectations. If you’re not linking to your own (not recommended), ensure it’s a site you trust.
Date range
If you’re listing an event or offer, you’ll need to specify the times and dates for which it’s valid. Unless your Google My Business post has a specific date range, all posts are archived after seven days.
Publish
Always click Preview to see how your post will look before going live. Make any copy-edits or fine-tune images before you press Publish. Your post will show up in three places:
- On mobile: the tabs labeled Updates/Overview on your company’s Business Profile.
- On desktop: under “From the Owner” section of the Business Profile.
- Google My Business websites (a low-effort website Google will help make if you lack a webpage.)
GMB questions? We’ve got you covered
At RMG, we’re a little obsessed with local SEO. If you still have questions about how Google My Business works and what your business can get out of it, we’d be happy to talk you through it. Reach out to our team today to learn more.
