Google Maps says deals go in posts, not the listing

Google added a "For merchants" part to the advertising and solicitation section of its Google Maps content policy. The listing can't carry promotional or commercial content with time-bound promotions, pricing, or direct calls to action. Posts can't carry email addresses, phone numbers, social links, or website links unrelated to your business. Offers and updates are still fine in posts.

The listing is who you are. Posts are what's on this week.

What Google's policy says

Barry Schwartz covered the update on Search Engine Roundtable on Oct 6, 2026. Hiroko Imai spotted it and shared before and after screenshots on LinkedIn. I read the actual announcements instead of the coverage, so I opened Google's Maps policy page. The section opens by saying contributions should reflect genuine experiences or define a business's permanent identity. Then comes the new part for merchants.

In the listing: Promotional or commercial content that contains any of the following: Time-bound promotions, pricing, or direct calls-to-action.

In posts: Email addresses, phone numbers, social media links, or links to other websites in your posts that are not related to your business. Offers and updates that may be seen as promotional or commercial content are otherwise permitted in posts.

The same section has a separate part for users. Reviews can't carry email addresses, phone numbers, social media links, or links to other websites. Google's page does not show a date for the change, so I won't guess one.

How I read it

Google's section talks about a business's permanent identity. A sale that ends Friday doesn't fit that. Google doesn't spell out which profile fields count as the listing. My read is that it means the text that sits on your profile all the time, like the business description. Deals and deadlines go in a post.

Where to look on your profile

If someone else wrote your profile text a while back, you are running on defaults you never chose. Open the description and read it the way a stranger would. Here are three made-up examples, not from any real profile. "20% off this month" is a time-bound promotion. "Haircuts start at $25" is pricing. "Call now to book" is a direct call to action. Each one matches a word in the new rule.

Then scroll through your old posts. Deals are fine there. A post with a phone number, email, or link that has nothing to do with your business is the kind Google now names.

What I would do

Rewrite the description so it says what you do, who you help, and where you work. Move every deal, price, and deadline into a post. Keep your phone and website in the fields made for them, and make sure each one is yours. Then fix or delete any post that links somewhere unrelated.

What to do next

Get Seen is the Gman Creations service for websites and Google presence. It includes help setting up or improving an eligible Google Business Profile, with accurate details and a link to your website. You get a written scope and quote after we talk, and the build does not start until you approve that scope. Get Seen does not promise rankings, and Google makes its own calls on verification. Last week's post covers Google's new rule on misuse of Business Profile support. Book a discovery when you want a human look: cal.com/shohgman/discovery.

A sale that ended in spring and still sits in your description is old news to a customer. Now it also breaks a written Google rule.

FAQ

What can't merchants put in a Google Maps listing?

Google's policy says promotional or commercial content with time-bound promotions, pricing, or direct calls to action.

Can I still post offers on my Google Business Profile?

Yes. Google says offers and updates that may be seen as promotional or commercial content are otherwise permitted in posts.

What contact details can't go in posts?

Email addresses, phone numbers, social media links, or links to other websites that are not related to your business.

When did Google change the policy?

Search Engine Roundtable reported the update on Oct 6, 2026. Google's policy page does not show the date the wording changed.