Where Users Actually See Posts
Before discussing whether posts in Google Business Profile are effective, it’s worth starting with a very simple question — where can users actually see them?
Many people assume that posts function like a built-in social network inside Google. In reality, it works a bit differently.
Posts appear in several places:
- in the company profile within Google search results
- in the company profile on Google Maps
- in the “Updates” section of the profile
- on the automatically generated Google Business Profile website (if enabled)
However, there is one important thing to understand: posts are mostly seen by users who have already opened the company profile. In other words, a person first finds the business in search or on Maps, then opens the profile, and only after that may see the posts.
That’s why posts should not be considered a direct traffic acquisition tool.
What Role Posts Used to Play in GBP
A few years ago, posts in Google Business Profile served two main functions.
The first was maintaining profile activity. Regular posts signaled to Google that the business is active, operating, and engaging with its profile.
The second function was even more interesting.
Post content could include keywords that Google Search sometimes indexed. This could be observed in both Google Maps and standard search results.
When a user entered a query, Google could match a business and display a snippet under the profile where that query appeared.
Google also showed the source of that snippet. Typically, it came from:
- reviews
- the company website
- a post (update/news)
Today, this is rarely seen.
Personally, I haven’t encountered examples like this in over a year, which suggests that this mechanism has either been disabled or its impact has become minimal.
Why Engagement with Posts Is Low Today
There is another important point that is often overlooked. When Google first introduced posts, they appeared much higher in the business profile. Users could see them almost immediately after opening it.
Over time, Google changed the interface. Posts were moved significantly lower — especially on mobile.
Now, users often need to scroll down to find them.
This is one of the key reasons why engagement with posts is relatively low today.
Based on my observations:
- in cities with around 100,000 people, posts may get ~100 views
- in smaller Ukrainian cities — around 5–10 views
- in large European cities — up to ~200
- in the US — sometimes up to 500
However, even in these cases, this is a very small share. When looking at overall profile analytics, post engagement is typically less than 1% of total user actions.
What Role Posts Play Today
Today, posts should primarily be seen as a tool for long-term profile activity.
In the long run, they do produce results. We have repeatedly observed that consistent activity in a profile can gradually influence views and engagement metrics.
However, it’s important to distinguish between short-term and long-term impact.
If a business posts occasionally without a system, there will be no noticeable result. But if posting is consistent and structured, it can lead to positive growth over time.
How to Use Posts Correctly
In this article, we analyzed whether posts still matter and what role they play.
But a separate question is how to use them properly. We covered this in detail in the following article:
👉 How to Publish Posts in Google Business Profile Correctly
How Social Media Impacts Business Visibility
Recently, Google has started analyzing social media content much more actively. Today, posts on social media can also help Google better understand a company’s activities.
We covered this in detail here:
