Google My Business Post Changes & How They Affect Local Business

Google My Business Posts No Longer Expiring

 

WHAT ARE GOOGLE MY BUSINESS POSTS?

Keeping your Google My Business profile updated and packed with fresh content is a smart move for local businesses. 

Not only does it help with your visibility to local families, but having an active profile gives your Google search ranking a serious boost. 

One of the valuable ways businesses can utilize the platform is by making posts.  Similar to a social media update, these posts are visible on your Google My Business profile with an image and text and can be used to communicate news, updates, new products, offer discounts, and more.  

Something else to know about these Google posts?  They are likely highly underutilized by local businesses. 

A 2019 study by Moz found that only 17.5% of local businesses had posted to Google My Business in the past seven days. And while those numbers certainly could have changed, most businesses we work with are not frequent Google My Business posters.

WHAT'S CHANGED WITH POSTS?

Google's official statements say that posts on Google My Business are archived after seven days. 

This policy may have contributed to their lackluster use.  Busy entrepreneurs rarely have the time to update posts continually to ensure there is always something showing.  

But over the past month, users around the globe have noticed that posts are no longer disappearing after seven days.  Rather they are sticking around so visitors to a GMB profile can see posts long after they were first created. 

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Easier access to older posts means more opportunities to reach searchers and potential customers and it could also give a boost to your SEO efforts. Be sure to include important keywords in your posts to help with your rankings.  

But you also need to go back through old posts and make sure any that contain expired offers or obsolete products and services are removed or clearly marked with an expiration date.  

The longer shelf life of Google My Business posts is an exciting development especially for time-strapped local marketers but you'll want to take extra caution to make every post count since it will be sticking around and seen by many more people from here on out.