Every local SEO checklist tells you to post weekly to your Google Business Profile. Plenty of agencies bill for it. It's worth knowing what you're actually buying.
The ranking effect is small
Google has never said Posts are a ranking factor, and the testing people have done on it has not found a reliable effect on map pack position. Profiles that post weekly do not consistently outrank profiles that don't, holding reviews and categories equal.
That doesn't make them worthless. It makes them a conversion tool that's been sold as a ranking tool.
What they genuinely do
- They take up space on your profile. Someone comparing three businesses sees you've got something current and the other two don't.
- They show recency. A post from this week says the business is operating. A profile with nothing since 2024 raises a question you don't want raised.
- They carry an offer. This is the real use. A post saying what you're doing this month, with a button, is the closest thing to an ad on your profile and it's free.
- They get indexed in some searches. Occasionally a post shows in branded results. Nice, not reliable.
If you're going to do them
- One a fortnight is fine. Weekly is not meaningfully better.
- A real photo of your own work beats stock every time. People can tell instantly.
- One idea per post, one button. “Call now” or “Book”.
- Write the first sentence as though it's the only one that gets read, because it's what shows before the fold.
Where I'd put the hour instead
If you've got one hour a month for your Google profile, don't spend it posting. Spend it on this, in order:
- Send review requests to everyone you finished a job for this month, and chase the ones who didn't respond.
- Reply to every review that came in.
- Add photos of recent jobs.
- Check your categories and services are still right.
- Then, if there's time left, write a post.
Reviews beat posts by a distance, every month, for every business I've worked on. If someone is charging you for weekly posting and not running your reviews, you're paying for the wrong half.
Rather not do this yourself? Our Google Business Profile management handles the profile, the posts and the reviews every week, for one monthly fee.