How often should you post on Google Business Profile

"How often should I post on my Google listing?" It's the question we hear most often — and the answer isn't the same for every sector. Here's the cadence that works, by vertical, with a ready-to-use calendar.

The baseline rule: 1 to 2 posts per week

Before getting into nuances, here's the rule that applies to 80% of local businesses:

• Minimum: 1 post per week. Below that, Google considers your listing dormant.
• Optimum: 1.5 to 2 posts per week (6 to 8 per month).
• Ceiling: 4 posts per week. Beyond that, posts cannibalize each other and ROI drops.

Why this range? GBP posts have a short shelf life: they stay visible for about 7 days in the main carousel of your listing, then get pushed to history. Without a new post each week, your listing looks frozen to Google and visitors alike.

Why frequency matters so much for local SEO

Three reasons:

1. Freshness signal. The local pack algorithm rewards active listings. A listing that publishes weekly beats an identical listing that hasn't posted in 3 months.
2. Indexing surface. Each post is indexed separately. 50 posts a year = 50 micro-pages where your listing can match long-tail queries.
3. Direct engagement. Posts have CTAs ("Call," "Book," "Learn more") that Google tracks. More clicks = more relevance to the algorithm.

Cadence by sector

Restaurants & cafés — 2 posts/week

The sector where frequency matters most. Your potential customers search "where to eat tonight" today, not in two weeks. A frozen listing loses these real-time searches.

Suggested calendar:

• Monday-Tuesday: inspiration post (signature dish, recipe, seasonal ingredient).
• Thursday-Friday: promotion or event post (happy hour, Sunday brunch, themed evening).

Daily specials, special closures, new menu items, photos of the team in the kitchen: vary it. Google Stories (which appear on some restaurant listings) need this regularity.

Hair & beauty salons — 1 to 2 posts/week

Longer purchase cycle (clients book 2 to 6 weeks ahead). You can afford a slightly lower cadence, but content must be highly visual.

Suggested calendar:

• Tuesday: before/after (with written client consent).
• Friday: last-minute weekend openings OR seasonal promotion (summer highlights, winter smoothing, etc.).

Auto repair shops — 1 post/week

Less "impulsive" public. What works: seasonal tips, maintenance reminders, certification highlights.

Suggested calendar:

• Monday: seasonal tip/reminder (tire change, antifreeze, AC, brakes).
• Ad hoc posts: new service, equipment, certified technician.

Peak relevance: 2-3 weeks before seasonal changes (October for winter tires, March for summer tires).

Clinics (medical, dental, vet) — 1 post/week

Sector regulated by professional orders — caution required. No promised results, no medical before/afters, no client cases.

Suggested calendar:

• Tuesday: seasonal health tip (allergies in May, dental prevention in September).
• Occasional posts: new service, new professional joining the team, Saturday emergency hours, etc.

The goal isn't to sell — it's to signal to Google that the clinic is active, professional, and present.

Retail boutiques — 2 to 3 posts/week

Public that scrolls regularly. Boutiques that post rarely vanish from the local pack in favor of big chains.

Suggested calendar:

• Monday: new arrival of the week (product, brand, collection).
• Wednesday: spotlight on a featured item or local brand.
• Friday: weekend event or promotion.

Home services (plumbing, electrical, landscaping) — 1 post/week

Public in "urgent need" mode. Your listing should project seriousness, certifications, and service areas — not push hard sells.

Suggested calendar:

• Tuesday: seasonal practical tip (frozen pipes in November, electrical outage in July).
• Ad hoc posts: new certification, expanded service area, specialized equipment.

The 4 cadence mistakes to avoid

1. The one-time spike followed by silence

Publishing 10 posts in two days then disappearing for 6 weeks is worse than doing nothing. The algorithm values regularity, not volume.

2. The empty weekly post

Posting for the sake of posting ("Have a great week everyone!") is filler. Google detects it (low engagement, no CTAs clicked) and eventually deranks these listings.

3. Copy-paste

Recycling last week's post by changing two words — the algorithm recognizes the similarity and only indexes the first. You're publishing void.

4. The seasonal post 3 months late

A winter tire post published in February helps no one (and sends a negative signal). Anticipate seasonal needs by 2 to 4 weeks.

How long before you see an effect?

If you start today at one post per week, here's the realistic timeline:

• 2-4 weeks: Google starts actively indexing your listing again.
• 6-10 weeks: slight bump in impressions on unbranded searches ("café Verdun," not "[your business name]").
• 3-4 months: potential breakthrough in the local pack for your main queries.
• 6 months: stabilization. If effort continues, your listing holds its place in the long tail.

Important: stopping is retroactive. If you publish 6 months then stop, the effect decays in 4 to 6 weeks. Consistency is the real asset, not cumulative volume.

The right content, not just the right volume

Three criteria a GBP post should meet:

1. A recent photo (not stock visual).
2. A concrete call-to-action ("Call to book," "View menu," "Learn more").
3. 80 to 120 words in the text. Shorter = poor indexing. Longer = truncated and ignored.

How to maintain cadence without thinking about it

The real reason 70% of businesses post once and abandon: it's not hard, it's just one more thing. A few approaches that work:

• Block 30 minutes Monday morning to prep the week in batch.
• Use an annual calendar with your sector's seasonal peaks already placed.
• Hand it off to a specialized service that writes and publishes for you (full disclosure: that's exactly what radius/local does, at $29.95/month).

Summary

1 to 2 posts per week for most businesses. 2 to 3 for restaurants and boutiques. Regularity > volume. Photo + CTA + 80-120 words. Anticipate seasonal peaks by 2-4 weeks. And above all, don't stop — consistency is the real asset.

For the technical why behind the local pack and listing completeness, see our 2026 Google Business Profile guide.

Before committing to a cadence, know where you stand: our free audit gives you a 0-100 score across 5 dimensions (profile, reviews, photos, description, hours) — you'll know which to prioritize.