Three post types. Three different jobs.
Why this mattersAn optimized profile that never publishes is a dead profile. Google rewards consistent activity and reads silence as out of business. Module 7 turns the foundation you built in Modules 3 through 6 into a running engine that produces visibility every single week, on 30 minutes of work. Activity feeds three things at once: freshness signals, AI summary generation, and entity confidence across surfaces.
Read this once. Sit with it before you answer.
Which of the three GBP post types is doing which job, and how many of them is your profile actually using to move visibility?
Where you stand right now.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- 1Identify the three GBP post types (What's New, Offer, Event) and the specific job each one does.
- 2Apply current 2026 specs (image sizes, character counts, retention windows) to a post draft.
- 3Draft one Update, one Offer, and one Event for the next 30 days using your Claude Project.
- 4Schedule all three posts in your GBP admin using the native scheduling feature.
The whole lesson in a few points.
- 01Three post types. Three different jobs. Most owners use only Updates and leave Offers and Events on the table.
- 02What's New (Update): the workhorse. Now stays archived for 6 months, not 7 days. Every post you publish is doing work for half a year.
- 03Offer: gets special visual treatment, a bright badge, a "View offer" CTA. Stays live through the offer's end date.
- 04Event: attaches a start and end date. Feeds Google Maps event discovery. Underused by service businesses.
- 05Posts are not a direct ranking factor, but they feed freshness signals and AI summary generation. BrightLocal's 2026 research shows 2 to 3 posts per week produces about 34 percent higher engagement than monthly posting.
Why posts matter more in 2026 than they used to.
Quick context before we get into the post types. Posts are not a direct ranking factor on their own. But they feed two things that absolutely move your visibility.
First, freshness signals. Google reads recent activity as proof you are still operating. Profiles that have not posted in 30 days are seeing dramatic impression drops in 2026. The decay rate is faster this year than it has ever been.
Second, your posts now feed Google's AI summary generator. When someone runs a local search and Google generates an AI Overview answer, it pulls from your recent posts to build context about your business. Stale profiles get skipped. Active profiles get cited.
BrightLocal's 2026 research shows businesses posting 2 to 3 times per week see about 34 percent higher engagement than businesses posting monthly. The question is not whether to post. The question is which post type does what.
What's New — the workhorse.
What's New posts, also called Updates, are the default and the most flexible. This is where most of your posting energy goes. They share announcements, service spotlights, project completions, seasonal reminders, helpful tips — anything that says "we are open and active."
The specs. One image, between 720 by 720 pixels and 1200 pixels or larger. Body text up to 1,500 characters, but the sweet spot is 150 to 300 characters. Short, punchy, easy to skim. Optional CTA button: Book, Order online, Buy, Learn more, Sign up, or Call now. Pick the verb that matches what you want them to do next.
Here is the part most owners get wrong. What's New posts now stay archived on your profile for 6 months, not 7 days like they used to. Google changed the retention in 2026. Every Update post you publish is doing work for half a year. That changes the math on what is worth posting.
All business types use these. If you only post one type, this is the one. But you should not only post one type.
Offer — the conversion driver.
Offer posts get special visual treatment. A bright offer badge. A "View offer" CTA. They are visually distinct in the local panel.
Use them for limited-time promotions, seasonal discounts, bundled service deals, new customer specials — anything with a clear time window and a clear discount or incentive. You can include a coupon code, a specific redemption link, terms and conditions, and start and end dates that Google will display.
Offer posts stay live until the end date you set. That is different from Updates. If your offer runs for 30 days, the post is visible for 30 days, displayed with the special offer styling the entire time.
The compliance reminder from Module 5 still applies. You cannot offer anything in exchange for reviews. Offers are for customers booking or buying, not for review collection. Use Offers for the promotions you would have run anyway — the conversion lift is real because the visual treatment makes them stand out.
Event — the visibility magnet.
Event posts attach a start date, an end date, and optional times. They stay live through the entire event window.
Open houses. Workshops. Webinars. Grand openings. Seasonal service windows. Community events you are hosting or attending. Pop-ups. Limited-time service availability like emergency call windows.
Most service businesses think Events are for retail or restaurants. They are not. A roofing contractor running a free storm damage inspection week is an event. A landscaper running a spring cleanup week is an event. A med spa running a Botox open house is an event.
The event schema feeds into Google Maps event discovery. Customers searching for "things to do this weekend" or specific event types can find you through pathways that regular posts do not reach. It is one of the few places where structured calendar data surfaces natively inside your profile. Run at least one Event per month if you can find something legitimate to attach to it.
Draft all three now.
Open your Claude Project. Draft one of each. One Update. One Offer. One Event. For the next 30 days.
Schedule all three in your GBP admin using the native scheduling feature. You no longer have to remember to post manually. Schedule them in one sitting and walk away.
Save the drafts in your workbook on the Post Plan page so you can rinse and repeat the format next month.
Three post types. Three different jobs. Use all three, not just one.
The next lesson is the visual layer that sits underneath every post you publish.
The vocabulary that follows you.
- What's New post (Update)
- The default GBP post type. The workhorse. As of 2026, archives stay visible for 6 months, not 7 days. Sweet spot for body text is 150 to 300 characters.
- Offer post
- A GBP post with special visual treatment, a bright badge, and a "View offer" CTA. Stays live through the offer's end date. Allows coupon codes and redemption links.
- Event post
- A GBP post with a start date, end date, and optional times. Feeds Google Maps event discovery and surfaces in pathways regular posts do not reach.
- Freshness signals
- Google's read of how recently a profile has published. Profiles silent for 30 days lose impressions. Decay is faster in 2026 than it has been before.
- AI summary generation
- The process by which Google's AI Overviews and Ask Maps assemble local answers, pulling from recent post content to build context about your business.