A new content feature called Google Posts was officially rolled out late last week by Google to all verified GMB users and rumored to serve as the new way for businesses to share relevant social updates directly on Google Search. By enabling local businesses to create and display content on Google that links to the company’s GMB listing, Google Posts act as an updated business card that will help customers stay informed about any promotions or business updates.
For the past several months, this feature was only available to select politicians, corporations, and organizations but now, anyone with a verified GMB account can start using Google Posts today. Interestingly enough, Google has noted that Hotel listings have been excluded from using this updated GMB listing feature. These Google Posts are published through Google My Business and will appear on Google Search and Google Maps.
Before, businesses had to rely on social media to share important announcements or promote events, but now customers can see offers, promotions, and updates from a business right from Google Search and the local business listing. It’s important to note that these Google Posts will not show up in the AMP Carousel, and instead, act as a business card on the local listing in the Knowledge Panel. These Google Posts updates can also be created on-the-go by using the Google My Business apps or website.
Before businesses had to rely on social media, but now customers can see offers and updates right from Google Search and the local business listing.
According to Google, businesses can use Google Posts to:
- Promote events such as in-store sessions or live music
- Share offers and specials such as discounts or sales
- Announce updates such as new merchandise
- Inform customers about business announcements such as extended hours
The purpose of this Google Posts feature is to offer local businesses a new way to engage with customers and drive new clients towards their business by displaying updated content directly on the Google Knowledge Panel.
Google Posts Insights
Google provides views and button clicks (Engagement) for this post. This data is only made available through GMB and cannot be viewed over specific date ranges.
How to Create a Post:
- Sign in to Google My Business.
If you have two or more locations, click Manage location for the location you’d like to manage.
- Click Create post. Or click Posts from the menu.
- The “Create post” screen will appear. Here, you’ll see options to add photos, text, events, and a button to your post. Just click each field, and enter the relevant information.
4. Once you’ve created your post, click Preview to see a preview. If it looks good, click Publish in the top right corner of the screen.
What Makes a Great Post
Like with any new update, it’s important to consider what your CTA – call to action – is with your customer, before you publish. Here are some helpful tips for writing a great Google Post. A post on your GMB listing to your customers should be brief, helpful, and inspire action, with photos that should be well-lit and in focus.
- Post type: Is your post about an in-store event? The release of new merchandise? Whether you want to encourage store visits, sell products online, or announce a new feature or business update, be sure to keep in mind what your CTA is before you publish.
- Photos: Use high-resolution photos to reinforce your message to enable your post to stand out. The resolution for Google Posts is 720px tall by 720px wide, so using a bright, simple, and in-focus photo will catch your customer’s attention and direct them towards the action you want them to take in no time.
- Title (if your post is an event): There are only 58 characters allowed for your title, so try to describe your event in 4-5 words.
- More details: Be clear about the offer/event. There are 1,500 characters allotted for the details of your post, with Google noting the ideal length to be between 150-300 characters.
- Call to Action: Include instructions for your customer to follow such as “Buy,” “Book online,” “Learn more,” “Call,” or “Visit.”
Your post should be brief, helpful, and inspire action.
Tip: You don’t need to include the business name since it will already be in the post. Be sure to abbreviate months days and hours to keep within your character limits.
Learn more about Google Posts here.