Google+ Is Gone: Use Google Business Profile Posts Instead

This post first ran on April 2, 2019, as consumer Google+ was closing, to tell PSX website dealers we were removing Google+ buttons from their sites. The news is long settled, so this version covers what matters now: the Google feature that carries a dealer's local news today.

What happened to Google+

Google announced in October 2018 that it was "shutting down Google+ for consumers," saying the consumer version "currently has low usage and engagement" and that "90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds." In December 2018, after a bug in a Google+ API that Google said "impacted approximately 52.5 million users," it brought the shutdown "forward from August 2019 to April 2019." Google said it would keep investing in Google+ for enterprise customers. If your website or email footer still shows a Google+ button, remove it; it leads nowhere useful.

What took over Google+'s local role

For a dealership, the useful part of Google+ was always local: a place on Google to share news about the store. That job now belongs to posts on your Google Business Profile.

Google describes posts as a way to "share announcements, offers, updates, and event details directly with your customers on Search and Maps," and says that when customers find your latest updates, "it helps them decide to visit your business." Posts show in the "Updates" or "Overview" tabs of your profile on mobile, and in the "From the owner" section on a computer.

Posts are not the whole profile. Categories, hours and photos are covered in our guide to local SEO for powersports dealers, and reviews in how to get more Google reviews. This article is only about posts.

The three post types, with dealer examples

Google's help page lists three post types: updates, offers and events.

If you leave out an event's start or end time, Google says it "shows as lasting 24 hours on the event dates." Offers can also carry a coupon code, a link and terms and conditions, and that is the place for any conditions on the deal.

What to post at a powersports store

Four kinds of post cover most of what a dealer has to say.

New arrivals. A real photo of a unit that just landed, one line on why it is worth a look, and a button to its page on your website. Pre-owned trades, rare colors and units customers have been asking about are the strongest. Use real photos of the unit on your floor, not brochure images.

Offers. Service specials, parts and accessory promotions, gear sales and seasonal storage deals. Put the real dates on the post and the conditions in the terms. If you would not honor it at the counter, do not post it.

Events. Demo days, open houses, group rides, new-rider clinics and model launches. The event post type puts the date and time in front of the shopper, which a plain update does not.

Service and seasonal news. Spring tune-up booking, winterization reminders, new service hours, a new technician who works on a brand you just added. Service posts reach owners, who are your next buyers.

What to leave out: anything that is really advertising for something else you sell. Google's tips say businesses in regulated industries can use posts but should "not include content about the products," and the list it gives includes "financial services." Keep finance offers off your posts unless you have checked Google's current rules and the disclosure rules that apply to credit advertising where you sell. This is general information, not legal advice.

How often to post

Google does not set a posting frequency. What it does say is that "posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set," and that you can schedule posts and set them to repeat "weekly, monthly, or a custom schedule."

Our recommendation for a single-store dealer is a weekly rhythm you can keep through the whole year:

• one new-arrival or update post every week;
• one offer whenever you have a real, dated special;
• an event post two to three weeks before each event, with the date range set.

A steady weekly post beats a burst of daily posts in March followed by nothing until August. Use the scheduling option to load a month of posts in one sitting.

Photos and video in posts

Updates, offers and events can all carry a photo or a video. Google's posts page does not list its own size rules; it points to the Business Profile photos and videos policy. The standards Google gives for Business Profile photos are a good guide: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, a recommended 720 by 720 pixels, and a photo that is "in focus and well lit" with no heavy filters, because "the image should represent reality." Profile videos can be up to 30 seconds, up to 75 MB and 720p or higher.

For a dealer, three rules cover most of it:

1. Shoot the real unit or the real event, at your store.
2. Keep text off the image. Put the message in the post description, where people can read it on a small screen.
3. Check the crop on a phone before you post. A side-by-side shot from too far away turns into a small blur.

Our article on building a virtual showroom shoppers trust covers the photos on the profile itself.

The rules that get posts rejected

After you publish, Google reviews each post. It shows as "Live," "Pending" or "Not approved," and a post that is not approved does not show on Search or Maps. The most common traps for dealers:

• Phone numbers and other contact details in the text. Google says posts with a phone number "might get rejected if they cannot be verified as being connected to the business," and that it "may remove posts with unverified contact information," including "phone numbers, email addresses, and social media handles." Use the "Call now" button instead, which uses your verified profile number.
• Sloppy text. Google asks you to avoid "misspelled words, extra characters, text that adds no value, and auto-generated or distracting content."
• Untrusted links. Links that lead to malware, phishing or similar sites are not allowed. Link to your own website.
• Regulated products. As above, content about regulated products and services, which Google says usually includes financial services, stays out of posts.
• Misleading content. Google's prohibited content policy covers "false or misleading accounts of the description or quality of a good or service." A post for a unit you no longer have, or an offer you will not honor, fits that description.

Google also notes, "You're responsible for making sure that your posted content complies with all applicable laws and regulations."

What most Business Profile posts advice gets wrong

Much of the advice that ranks for this topic comes from vendors who sell posting services, and two claims in it do not match Google's current help pages.

"Posts disappear after 7 days." One vendor guide in the current results says each post stays on your profile for only 7 days, and recommends five to seven posts a week to stay visible. Google's help page says something different: "Posts older than 6 months are archived unless a date range is set." The 7-day rule may describe how posts were once shown; it is not what Google says today. Post because you have something worth saying, not to beat a timer.

"Use product posts." Some guides list a fourth post type for products. Google's posts help page lists three: updates, offers and events. Products are a separate part of the profile, covered in our local SEO guide.

There is also a quieter point most guides skip. Google describes posts as something that helps customers "decide to visit your business." It does not describe them as a ranking lever. What Google does say about ranking is covered in our article on reviews, reputation and local SEO. Treat posts as a shop window: their job is to make the shopper who already found you want to come in.

A weekly posting routine

1. Monday: pick the week's post. Choose one new arrival, offer or event that is true and current.
2. Take a real photo or 20-second video. Use the unit or space itself, in good light.
3. Write two or three plain sentences. What it is, why it matters, what to do next. No phone number in the text.
4. Choose the right type. Update for news, offer for a dated special with terms, event for anything with a date and time.
5. Add the button. Link to the unit's page, the service booking page or the event page on your website.
6. Schedule and check status. Make sure the post shows "Live," and fix and repost anything "Not approved."
7. Clean up. Delete posts for sold units and ended offers the day they end.

The same new arrivals and events can feed your other channels too; our guide to social media for powersports dealers covers those.

Where PSX Ascend fits

A post only works if the button leads somewhere useful. PSX Ascend's certified powersports dealer websites connect with inventory tools so current vehicle details, pricing and photos appear on each unit page, and the product page describes "built-in local SEO" as part of the website. Shoppers who tap through from a post and send a question land in the PSX Ascend CRM, where the inquiry can be followed up. Keeping those unit pages accurate is covered in our guide to online inventory listings.

You can also see the same certified dealership websites on our sister site, PSXDigital's certified dealership websites page.

Sources

• Google, The Keyword, Project Strobe: Protecting your data, improving our third-party APIs, and sunsetting consumer Google+ (October 8, 2018).
• Google, The Keyword, Expediting changes to Google+ (December 10, 2018).
• Google Business Profile Help, Create & manage posts on your Business Profile.
• Google Business Profile Help, Business Profile photos, videos & posts content policy.
• Maps User Generated Content Policy Help, Prohibited & restricted content.
• Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile photos & videos.