How posts appear to someone on Google Maps
When someone taps your pin, the listing card opens with tabs or sections such as Overview, Reviews,
Photos and About. Posts from the owner typically appear in an Updates area, either as its own tab or
as a section further down the overview. Offers and events may be shown with their own labels and dates.
Customer photos and review snippets sometimes sit nearby, so your posts are competing for attention with
what visitors have said.
The exact layout varies between the Maps app, the browser version and Google Search, and Google adjusts
it regularly. Three things tend to hold, and they are what matter for the fix:
- The date is visible. People notice how long ago the business last said anything.
An old date is a signal in itself.
- The space is small. On a phone, a post is a cropped image and the first line or
two of text. Anything important has to be in that first glimpse.
- The reader is nearby or planning a trip. Unlike someone reading your newsletter,
a Maps user is usually weighing up whether to go to you or somewhere else, today or this week.
The Google Maps Audit checks post cadence, meaning whether you have posted recently and regularly.
The Business Profile posts guide covers
post types, rejections and click tracking in detail. This guide keeps to what makes an update useful
to someone looking at the map.
Why an empty or stale Updates section hurts
Posts are not the first thing most people look at, but they fill in gaps that the rest of the listing
cannot. Hours tell someone you are open; a post can tell them the car park is shut for resurfacing and
to use the side street. Reviews tell them what others thought; a post can tell them the new autumn menu
started yesterday.
When the section is empty, nothing is lost directly, but a competitor with a recent, practical update
looks more active. When the section is stale, the damage is more direct:
- Expired offers. A visitor reads a deal that ended months ago, turns up, and is disappointed.
- Past events. An event post for a date that has gone suggests the listing is not looked after.
- Old notices. "Temporarily closed for refurbishment" still visible after reopening puts people off.
- Old prices or opening times in the text. These conflict with the hours shown on
the card and create doubt about which is right.
💡 Hours, special hours and closures belong in the hours section, which drives the
open or closed status and filters in Maps. Use a post to explain a change, never as the only place a
closure is recorded.
Updates that help a Maps visitor decide
Good Maps posts answer a question someone might have while looking at your pin. Useful subjects fall into a few groups:
| Kind of update | Example | Why it helps on Maps |
|---|
| Getting here | "Road closed outside until Friday: reach us from Mill Lane, entrance unchanged." | Prevents
a wasted trip or a missed turning. |
| What is on now | "Seasonal pumpkin patch open this weekend, 10am to 4pm, no booking needed." | Gives
a reason to come today rather than later. |
| New in stock or on the menu | "Fresh sourdough back on Saturdays from this week." | Answers
"do they have it?" before the trip. |
| Event | "Late opening with live music, Thursday 7pm to 10pm." | Event posts show
a date and time, which people can plan around. |
| Offer | "Free key cutting with any lock fitted in October." | Offer posts carry their
own dates, so they expire cleanly. |
| Practical change | "We now take card payments at the market stall." | Removes a reason someone might hesitate. |
Avoid posts that only make sense to existing followers, such as internal news or long stories. Avoid
generic lines like "Come and visit us!" that tell a stranger nothing. And keep phone numbers, prices
and hours out of the text unless they are stable, because text is not updated when the rest of the profile
changes.
A fictional example
Ferndale Cycle Works (a fictional shop on example.co.uk) had one post, from two years earlier, advertising
a sale that had long ended. Over one month they removed it and added three: a notice that the side entrance
was temporarily the only way in during building work, an event post for a free bike check morning, and
an update that e-bike servicing was now available. None of these was marketing copy; each answered a
question someone looking at the map might have.
Making posts work on a phone card
Most Maps users see posts on a phone, often one-handed, often outdoors. Design for that:
- Front-load the text. Put the useful fact in the first sentence. Assume only the
first line or two will be read before someone taps away.
- Crop for the centre. Post images are cropped to fit the card, and the crop is not
always the same as the image you uploaded. Keep the subject in the middle with space around it, and do
not rely on text near the edges.
- Skip text-heavy graphics. A poster with small words becomes unreadable at card size.
A clear photo of the product, the event space or the entrance works better, with the words in the post
text.
- Use real photos. A photo taken at the premises that week is more believable than
a designed graphic, and it reinforces what the place looks like.
The fix, step by step
Step 1
See the Updates section as a visitor
sees it
Open the Google Maps app on a phone, ideally in incognito mode, find your business and
tap the pin. Look for the Updates tab or section and note what is there, how old the newest post is,
and how the image and first lines look on a small screen. Do the same for two nearby competitors. This
shows you what a person comparing pins is actually comparing, which is often very different from the
profile manager view.
Step 2
Remove posts that now mislead a
visitor
In the profile manager, open your posts and delete any that describe offers that have
ended, events in the past, closures that are over, old prices or old opening times, or a product or service
you no longer provide. An empty updates area is better than one that sends people with the wrong expectations.
If a post was useful and still largely true, edit it rather than deleting it, and correct any details
that have changed.
Step 3
Write for someone deciding whether
to come
Pick something genuinely useful to a nearby stranger: a practical notice about access,
something happening this week, a new product or service, or a change such as card payments. Put the key
fact in the first sentence, keep the post short, and avoid stating prices, hours or phone numbers that
may change. Use an event or offer post when there is a date range, so it expires by itself instead of
lingering.
Step 4
Frame the image for a small phone
card
Choose a real, recent photo taken at your premises that shows the subject of the post clearly,
with the important part in the centre and plenty of margin, because the card crops images. Avoid posters,
collages and small text on the image. Preview the post on your phone after publishing and, if the crop
cuts off the subject, replace the image with a simpler one that survives cropping.
Step 5
Match the button to the next move
on Maps
Posts can carry a button such as Book, Order online, Buy, Learn more, Sign up or Call
now, depending on what is available for your profile. Pick the one that matches what a Maps visitor would
do next, and point it to a page that works well on a phone and matches the post. For a notice about access,
no button may be better than a vague one. Check the link opens correctly from the Maps app.
Step 6
Set a cadence tied to real events
Rather
than an arbitrary schedule, list the moments each month when a Maps visitor would benefit from knowing
something: new stock, events, seasonal changes, works outside, holidays. Aim for at least one or two
genuine updates a month, add them to a calendar, and set a reminder to remove each post once it stops
being true. Rerun the Google Maps Audit after a couple of months to confirm post cadence is no longer
flagged.
What posts cannot do
- They are not a ranking shortcut. Google has not said that posting frequency directly
improves where you appear on the map, so do not expect a jump in positions from posting alone. Treat
posts as a way to help the people who already see you.
- They do not replace hours. The open and closed status and the "Open now" filter
come from your hours and special hours, not from post text.
- They do not always show. Google can choose not to display a post in some views,
and posts that break its content policies are rejected or removed. A post that seems missing on Maps
may still be in review.
- They are not permanent. Older updates move down the list and become less visible
over time, and offer and event posts end on their dates.
- They are not available to every listing type. Some kinds of profile, such as certain
chains or sensitive categories, may have restrictions on posting.
⚠️ Do not post fake urgency, invented reviews or misleading offers. Beyond breaking
Google's policies, misleading promotions can fall foul of UK consumer protection law. This is not legal
advice; check with a qualified adviser if you are unsure about an offer.
Posts for different kinds of business
Shops get the most from stock and access updates: a new range arriving, a returning
favourite, or works outside. Cafés, pubs and restaurants benefit from events, specials
and seasonal menus, although menus themselves belong in the menu section. Appointment-based services
such as salons or clinics can post new treatments or extended hours, with a booking button. Tradespeople
without a shopfront can post finished jobs in named areas, which shows a Maps user that you
work near them. Attractions and venues should post events with dates, and practical
notes about parking or queues on busy days.
If you run several locations, write updates for each branch that reflect what is happening there,
rather than the same text everywhere. The multi-location
guide covers keeping branches consistent without making them identical.
Questions and answers
1. Where do my Google Business Profile posts appear on Google Maps?
They usually appear on your Maps listing as updates from the business, either under
an Updates tab or in a section of the overview, depending on the device and the current design. Offers
and events can be shown with their own dates. Google changes the layout from time to time, and it may
not show every post in every view. The easiest way to check is to open your listing in the Maps app on
a phone.
2. Why is my Maps listing showing a post from years ago?
Posts stay attached to the profile until you delete them, although newer ones push
older ones down. If your most recent post is old, it may still be the first thing visible in the updates
area. Delete or edit posts that are no longer true, and add a current, practical update. Offer and event
posts end on their set dates, which is one reason to use them for anything with a time limit.
3. Do posts help my business rank higher on Google Maps?
Google has not confirmed that posting directly improves map rankings, so it is wise
not to rely on that. What posts do reliably is give people looking at your listing a reason to choose
you and answer practical questions before they travel. The Google Maps Audit checks post cadence because
an active, accurate listing tends to serve customers better, not because posts are a guaranteed ranking
lever. Judge posts on whether they reduce wasted trips and questions.
4. What should a small business post on Google Maps if nothing new is happening?
Something is usually happening that a visitor would find useful: a seasonal product,
a service people often do not realise you offer, a change to parking or access, extended hours, or a
photo of a recently finished job. If you truly have nothing, it is better to post less often than to
post filler. One genuine update a month is more useful to a Maps user than weekly generic messages that
say nothing.
5. Why does my post look cropped or cut off on the Maps app?
The Maps listing card shows post images at a fixed shape, so the image is cropped to
fit and only the start of the text is shown before someone taps. Use photos with the subject in the centre
and space around it, avoid text on the image, and put the most important information in the first sentence.
Preview the post on your phone after publishing and replace the image if the crop hides the subject.
6. Should I use a post to tell people we are closed for a holiday?
Use special hours first. Special hours set the open or closed status that Maps shows
and feed filters such as Open now, so they are what stops people making a wasted trip. A post can then
add context, such as the reason for the closure or when normal service resumes. Relying on a post alone
is risky, because many visitors will never scroll to the updates and will see only the regular hours.
7. Can customers reply to or comment on my Google Maps posts?
Posts are one-way updates from the business, so customers cannot reply underneath them
in the way they can on social media. They can still contact you through the listing using calls, messages
where available, or reviews. If you want to invite a response, add a suitable button such as Call now
or Book to the post, and make sure the linked page or phone line is ready to handle enquiries from Maps
users.
Check your post cadence on Maps
The Google Maps Audit checks pin accuracy, hours completeness, photo count and recency, primary
and secondary category fit, review velocity and rating, services and products, post cadence and attribute
coverage, and links each finding to a fix guide.
Open Maps Audit Fixes →