Google Business Profile posts are short updates you publish on your practice's listing in Search and Maps. They take minutes, but most practices waste them on stock-photo greetings. This guide covers which post types exist, what's worth posting for a practice, which health claims and patient details stay out, and a rhythm your front desk can keep. "google business profile posts" gets 320 US searches a month (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026). The rules below were checked against Google Business Profile Help in October 2026.
One thing up front: Google hasn't said posts improve rankings. They're for patients who have already found you.
What Google Business Profile posts are and where patients see them
According to Google's posts help page (opens in a new tab), posts appear:
- on mobile, in the Updates or Overview tab of your profile in Search and Maps
- on desktop, in the From the owner section of your profile
Google describes their purpose this way: "When customers find your latest business updates on your Business Profile, it helps them decide to visit your business." Your profile must be verified first; posts on an unverified profile stay pending.
Posts don't last forever: "Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set." You can schedule posts or set them to repeat.
Post types and when to use each
| Type | What Google requires | Use it at a practice for |
|---|---|---|
| Update | A description, plus an optional photo, video and action button with a link | New provider, new service, changed hours, parking or entrance changes |
| Offer | A title and dates; a "View Offer" button is added automatically; optional coupon code and terms | Rarely. Health offers carry advertising-rule risk |
| Event | A title and start and end dates and times; without times it shows as lasting 24 hours | Flu clinic days, community screenings, open houses, talks |
Updates will be most of what you post. Use an event when there's a date patients need to show up on, and think twice before an offer: a discount on care is still an advertisement for care.
12 post ideas for a medical practice, by month
Months with a health observance link to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), which publishes national observances. Observance dates change, so check each one every year in our health observances calendar.
| Month | Post idea | Source or note |
|---|---|---|
| January | Eye practices: what a glaucoma check involves and how to book one. OB-GYN and primary care: cervical cancer screening, how to schedule | National Glaucoma Awareness Month and Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, ODPHP (opens in a new tab) |
| February | Introduce a provider: name, training, languages, the patients they see | Staff consent to their photo |
| March | Hours update for spring, plus parking or entrance changes | Operational |
| April | Event: an open house or a community talk at the practice | Use the event type with times |
| May | Therapists and psychiatrists: how to request a first appointment. Physical therapy and sports medicine: what to bring to an evaluation | Mental Health Awareness Month and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, ODPHP (opens in a new tab) |
| June | Summer hours and vacation coverage | Pair it with special hours (opens in a new tab) |
| July | Pediatrics and primary care: booking school and sports physicals before August | Operational |
| August | Vaccine appointment availability; pediatric eye exams | National Immunization Awareness Month and Children's Eye Health and Safety Month, ODPHP (opens in a new tab) |
| September | Services for older patients: home-safety questions to ask, how to bring a caregiver | Healthy Aging Month, ODPHP (opens in a new tab) |
| October | "What to bring to your first visit" checklist | Health Literacy Month, ODPHP (same page) |
| November | Primary care and endocrinology: diabetes check-up scheduling | National Diabetes Month, ODPHP (opens in a new tab) |
| December | Holiday closures and after-hours instructions | Set special hours too |
New services deserve their own post whenever they launch. Describe them the way they appear in the services section and on your website.
Images, length and calls to action
Google's posts page doesn't publish image sizes or character limits. Its general photo requirements (opens in a new tab) are a safe target: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, 720 by 720 pixels recommended, "in focus and well lit." Google's media tips (opens in a new tab) add: "Avoid screenshots, stock photos, GIFs, collages," and avoid adding borders or text on the image.
- Photos: your real entrance, waiting room, equipment or staff (with their consent).
- Length: put the point in the first sentence; Google doesn't publish a limit, and patients skim.
- Button: Google says "The button should direct customers to a website where they can complete the action," such as a booking or learn-more page.
- Phone numbers: leave them out of the text. Google says "Posts that include a phone number in the post description might get rejected if they cannot be verified," and its content policy (opens in a new tab) suggests a Call now button instead.
Health claims and patient privacy in posts
A post is an advertisement. The FTC's truth-in-advertising (opens in a new tab) standard applies: ads "must be truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence." Leave out cure claims, "painless," "permanent results" and anything you couldn't support in front of your licensing board.
Google adds a rule for regulated products: "You can use posts if you offer products or services in a regulated industry, but do not include content about the products." If you dispense medications or sell medical devices, post about appointments and services, not the products.
Patient privacy is stricter still:
- No patient photos, names or stories without a signed HIPAA authorization. Using patient information for marketing generally requires one under 45 CFR 164.508 (opens in a new tab), and that includes before-and-after photos and "thank you, Jane" posts.
- No identifiable details in the background: schedules on screens, names on charts, patients in the waiting room.
- Google's own policy says "Do not distribute or post personal information without consent" (Prohibited and restricted content (opens in a new tab)).
Read our patient story and testimonial rules before featuring any patient.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.
A posting rhythm a front desk can keep
- Pick one owner. One person drafts; the practice manager approves.
- Two posts a month. One planned from the monthly table, one for whatever changed.
- Batch the work. Draft the month's posts in one 20-minute sitting and schedule them.
- Set end dates on anything time-limited, so expired events don't linger.
- Check before publishing: no patient information, no unsupported claims, a working link, a real photo.
Illustrative example (fictional practice): "Riverside Family Medicine welcomes Dr. Maya Lee, a family physician who sees patients of all ages and speaks English and Spanish. New-patient appointments are open from March 3." Button: Book, linking to the practice's request page.
Measuring whether posts do anything
Google doesn't report post-level ranking effects, and its local ranking tips (opens in a new tab) don't mention posts at all. Measure what patients do. Google's performance report (opens in a new tab) counts calls, website clicks and direction requests, and offers have their own metric for views and clicks.
Compare a few months with regular posts against a few without, and look at the trend rather than a single week. Add campaign tags to post links so your website analytics can separate post visits from other Google traffic. Our guide to the profile performance report explains each metric.
Medfy's dashboard shows Business Profile data next to website calls and form submissions, and its weekly brief by email summarizes what changed. Medfy doesn't write or publish posts for you. To see how your listing scores today, run the free marketing audit, and for the rest of the profile see Google Business Profile for doctors.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a medical practice post on Google?
Google doesn't set a frequency. Post when something real changes for patients: a new provider, new hours, a new service, a seasonal clinic or an event. Two posts a month is a pace most front desks can keep without padding. Because Google archives posts older than six months unless a date range is set, a profile with no recent post looks quieter than the practice really is.
Do Google Business Profile posts expire?
Google says posts older than six months are archived unless a date range is set. Offers and events are built around dates: an offer needs a title and start and end dates, and an event needs start and end dates, showing as 24 hours a day if you leave out times. Set an end date on anything time-limited so expired information doesn't linger.
Can I post patient before-and-after photos on Google?
Only with the patient's signed HIPAA authorization for that marketing use, which 45 CFR 164.508 generally requires before a practice uses patient information in marketing. Even with it, crop out identifying features you don't need, avoid implying typical results, and check your licensing board's advertising rules. Never post a patient's photo, name or story because they seemed happy to share it at the front desk.
Do posts help my practice rank higher?
Google hasn't said so. Its posts help page describes posts as helping customers decide to visit, and its local ranking tips mention photos, reviews and complete information but not posts. Treat posts as a way to inform patients who already found you. Measure them by watching calls, website clicks and direction requests in your performance report over months with and without posts.