Google Posts
Update, event and offer posts: buttons, scheduling, states and Google's rules.
Google posts are short updates that appear in the Updates section of your Google profile: a new product, changed hours, an event or a promotion. You create, schedule and track them on the Posts screen.
Post types
| Type | Google topic | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Update | STANDARD | General news, announcement |
| Event | EVENT | An event with a name, start and end; it leaves your profile on its own when it ends |
| Offer | OFFER | A promotion or discount; coupon and terms are optional. Offers are listed on the Offers page (see Offers and events) |
Creating a post
- On the Posts screen, press New post at the top right. A job in the SEO Analysis or in Tasks can also bring you straight to this window.
- Pick the Type. Events need a name and a start and end; offers need a name and a validity range.
- Write the Text or press Write with AI: you describe the topic in one sentence, and the text is written in your Google profile's language and replaces what's in the box. Typing the topic in another language doesn't change that; if you want another language, say so in the topic. Each write uses 1 of this month's post text credits (credits are monthly and shared by the businesses in your account).
- Optionally add an image or video: choose a file, drag it into the window, or use Pick from gallery to reuse a photo from your Google profile (it isn't uploaded again). If your business's map location is known, Localghost adds it to the uploaded image as a location tag.
- Optionally pick a button: Book, Order online, Buy, Learn more, Sign up or Call now. For link buttons your profile website is filled in, and you can type a more specific page; Call now calls the phone number on your profile.
- In When, pick a day and time, or leave it empty. With no day, the post publishes as soon as you save.
- Publish, Schedule or Save as draft. The preview in the window is roughly how Google shows the post.
Google's post rules: text up to 1,500 characters, event and offer names up to 58 characters; images JPG or PNG, 250–4,096 pixels per side, files 10 KB–5 MB; video MP4 or MOV, up to 75 MB. The window checks these before you save. Don't put a phone number in the text: Google may reject posts with contact details. Pick the Call now button instead; the window warns you if it sees a number in the text.
Scheduling and time zones
You pick the day and time in the business's time zone: even if you manage from London, "9:30 AM" for your Austin branch publishes at 9:30 AM Austin time. The window shows the time with the business's time zone. You can schedule up to 90 days ahead; for events and offers the publish day can't be after the end. If the business time zone is unknown, scheduling is off and the post publishes right away.
A post goes to the business selected in the top bar. To share the same announcement at another branch, switch the business and create a new post there.
The list and post states
The list tabs are All, Scheduled, Live, Drafts, plus Issues when something needs attention. The publishing calendar on the right also shows offers and scheduled photos; tap a day to see it in the list.
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Saved, not sent to Google. |
| Scheduled | Publishes on the day and time you picked (business time). |
| Publishing | Sent to Google; it can take a few minutes to show on your profile. |
| Live | Showing on your Google profile. |
| Ended | The event's end date has passed; it's off your profile. |
| Couldn't publish | Google didn't accept it or didn't respond. The row shows the reason and what to do; Try again sends it again. |
| Removed by Google | It was live and Google removed it from your profile. Fix the text and publish again. |
| Google is reviewing | Google has been reviewing it for more than 24 hours and hasn't published it; it doesn't show on your profile. |
When posts have issues, a red notice appears at the top of the page and Show takes you to the Issues tab. When you edit a live post, the change is applied to the post on Google too; its type and publish time don't change. Deleting a live post removes it from your Google profile as well; if Google doesn't accept the removal, nothing is deleted and you see why.
Posts you create directly on Google come into the list too (syncing runs every 3 hours). Posts you shared from Instagram carry a From Instagram label.
Posts in the SEO Analysis
The SEO Analysis counts the posts published in the last 30 days (the target is at least 4) and lists posts that couldn't be published or were rejected in the last 90 days; whether an offer went live in the last 90 days is a separate check. These feed the analysis score, not your Google ranking.
If you're not sure what to post, Draft a post plan on the right asks Ghost for a plan for the coming weeks (1 AI credit); you send any post to this window with one click. If you already post on Instagram, Instagram to Google brings the same content to your profile.
What's next
Dated and coupon content with Offers and events.