How to Create a Google My Business Post in 2019

It’s been nearly a year since Google has rolled out Google My Business (GMB) posts for users. Primarily meant for local business owners, it’s one of the most effective ways to connect with potential customers online. What’s great about it is that it presents any information you want to share with your audience in the business knowledge panel when a user searches your brand name.

There are many elements that can be added to a Google My Business post, such as a call to action (CTA), a link to your landing page, an image and text. Each post has a limit of 300 words, out of which the first 100 characters are visible on the knowledge panel.

This article provides a detailed description of a Google My Business Post and the ways to create it.

Types of Google My Business Posts

GMB Posts can be used for a variety of purposes. Whether you want to promote a product or an event, a GMB Post is the perfect choice. Here’s a list of GMB Posts you can create:

1. Book Now,
2. Order Online,
3. Buy,
4. Learn More,
5. Sign Up,
6. Get Offer,
7. Event

You need to ensure that you link a proper CTA to your landing page when publishing a creative post. For example, if you have recently launched a product, post an attractive description of it with a link to the product page. If you want to drive traffic to a product page, create a separate landing page that displays your product. You should add contact details to that page so that users can easily find your physical location.

Likewise, if you want users to book appointments, select “Book” and link it to the contact us or booking page on your website. For an increased subscriber list, choose the “sign up” option. If you are offering a sale, select “Get Offer” and add a special coupon that will attract your potential customers. The “Event” option lets you show the start date and end date on GMB Posts and stays live till the event end date.

How to Use GMB Posts

The knowledge panel takes a lot of space on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). A GMB Post allows you to speak directly to the users and grab their attention. So, make sure that your message is worthy enough to get clicked. There’s no point of misusing valuable characters with keywords and hashtags as there’s no SEO benefit of GMB Posts. Moreover, a keyword stuffed post will look like spam to users. It’s better to use this feature to exhibit something that your targeted audience is looking for.

Important Things to Keep in Mind

• The visibility of all the characters in the knowledge panel will vary depending on the type of the device they are being viewed from. Though you may include up to 300 words, it’s recommended that the write-up contains no more than 100 words.
• Try to put the most important part of your message in the top paragraph.
• The perfect image size for a GMB Post is 750 x 750. Make sure that the image is centered and doesn’t contain text so that it looks visually appealing even when it’s cropped. Images smaller than 252 x 250 are not accepted.
• Ensure that the landing page linked to your post is relevant.
• The posts should be created to highlight sales and promotions.
• Try to upload a GMB Post often, as they are live for only seven days. If there are multiple posts, the latest will show first and the older posts will be displayed in the carousel format. Google can scroll up to 10 posts in the carousel but the first two posts are properly visible without scrolling.
• Write headlines that motivate users to take action. For example “Get Your Free Website” entices viewers to seek additional information on a free service.
• Create meaningful call to action buttons like “Order Now”, Learn More” “Get a Free Download” etc.
• A GMB Post is not included in Google Analytics, therefore, it’s difficult to see detailed insights about the clicks and visits. A custom URL that links to your landing page will let you see all the information about the users in Google Analytics. Don’t forget to track the click-through report with UTM codes.

What You Should Not Do

• As it does not take much space in the knowledge panel, try to make every single post clear. If you want to offer various products and services, it’s better to create separate posts rather than proposing multiple offers in a single post.
• Posts shouldn’t give a detailed description of the offer because the user won’t be able to read the entire story in the knowledge panel. Focus on creating attractive posts and discuss the details on the landing page.

Why Should You Create Google My Business Posts

It would be a huge mistake if you think that GMB Posts aren’t beneficial for your business as they are only live for a short period of time. However, it’s the best method to make your best selling products and services visible to customers searching for your type of business. They are also beneficial because customers may not be aware of your current deals until they visit an offer or product page.

A GMB Post can also improve your click through rate (CTR). Google shows related searches or your competitors underneath the knowledge panel. By showing your offers on top, you are increasing the chances of users clicking through to the desired landing page.

We hope the above article provides you with numerous reasons to log-in to your Google My Business Listing and create a GMB post. If you have any other suggestions, please let us know.