Do Google Business Profile posts help? What they do in 2026 (and what Google took away)

Google Business Profile posts don't move your local ranking in any proven way. What they do is show the people already looking at your profile that you're working, with recent jobs, real photos and the towns you serve. That still matters when someone is choosing between you and two other names on the map.

This page covers what posts are, how long they last, what the evidence says about rankings, what Google has removed from profiles and what's worth posting.

What a Business Profile post is

A post is a short update with a photo that shows on your Google profile when someone finds you in Search or Maps. Google offers three kinds (Google's post guide):

For most trades, updates about finished jobs are the post you'll use most of the time.

Do posts help your Google ranking?

Not in any way anyone has proven. In Whitespark's 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey, local search experts ranked how often you post at 148th and how many posts you have at 168th, out of 187 factors. The things near the top are your primary category, how close you are to the searcher, the words in your business name, your address, your hours, your star rating, how many reviews mention the work and how recent your reviews are.

Google itself says local results come down to relevance, distance and prominence, and that you can't pay for a better local ranking (Google's ranking help).

So why post at all? Because ranking gets you into the list, and your profile is what someone looks at before they call. A profile whose newest photo is from 2023 looks like a business that might not pick up. One with a deck in Huntington from last week doesn't.

How long does a post stay up?

Google archives posts after six months unless you set a date range (Google's post guide). Offers and events end on the dates you give them. That's one more reason a steady habit beats a burst of ten posts in one afternoon.

What Google removed from Business Profiles

If you set up your profile a few years ago, some features you remember are gone:

• Chat and call history. Google turned off Business Profile chat and call history on July 31, 2024 (Search Engine Land).
• Questions and answers. Google discontinued the Q&A API on November 3, 2025, and has been replacing Q&A in the US with an AI feature in Maps called Ask Maps (North County Digital).

Anything you read that tells you to "turn on chat" or "seed your Q&A" is out of date.

What should a blue-collar business post?

The job you just finished. One photo, the town, and one or two sentences about the work. For example:

• "Replaced a 20-year-old furnace in Smithtown today. New high-efficiency unit, old one hauled away."
• "Spring cleanup and edging in Garden City. Beds are mulched and ready for planting."
• "Full interior detail on a minivan in Massapequa. Three kids, one beach trip, good as new."

A few rules that keep posts from getting rejected or looking off:

• Leave your phone number out of the post text. Google can reject a post with a phone number it can't verify (Google's post guide). The call button is already on your profile.
• No house numbers, plates or faces. Crop them out. Google's policies bar posting someone's face without their consent.
• Photos that show the real job. Google asks that images represent reality. JPG or PNG, at least 250 by 250 pixels, and 720 by 720 or bigger looks best (Google's photo guidance).

What goes into a good job post?

Two or three sentences is plenty. A post that reads like a note from the job site is easier to trust than one that sounds like an ad.

How often should you post?

There's no number that unlocks anything. Once a week, from a real job, is a pace most owners can keep. Posting after every job is better if you can. Ten posts in one day and then nothing for three months is the pattern to avoid.

How Compa writes these for you

Here's a sample from the site: an owner texts a photo of a finished fence in Massapequa, and Compa sends back the Google post along with Instagram and Facebook captions.

You text the photo and a few words, Compa writes the post, and you paste it into your profile yourself. Compa never posts for you. After the post, the next step is the review ask: how to ask a customer for a Google review by text. More samples by trade are on the examples page.

Common questions

Do Google Business Profile posts help SEO?

Not directly, as far as anyone has shown. Experts rank posting near the bottom of local ranking factors. Posts help the person looking at your profile decide to call.

How long do Google posts last?

Updates are archived after six months unless you set a date range. Offers and events end on their dates.

Can I put my phone number in a Google post?

It's better not to. Google can reject a post with a number it can't verify, and your call button is already on the profile.

What size photo should I use?

JPG or PNG between 10 KB and 5 MB. Google recommends 720 by 720 pixels, with 250 by 250 as the minimum.

Should I post the same thing on Facebook and Instagram?

Same job, different words. Each platform reads differently, and a caption that sounds right on Google can read flat on Instagram.

Did Google get rid of Q&A on Business Profiles?

In the US it's being replaced by an AI feature in Maps called Ask Maps, and the old Q&A tools are being shut off.