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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Google treats Business Profile listing content, posts, and customer reviews differently. Keep the listing focused on lasting business information—not prices, limited-time promotions, or direct calls to action. Offers and updates may appear in posts, but hotels face a specific ban on deal-related posts, unverified contact details can be removed, and Google’s broader content rules still apply. This guide reflects Google’s published policies checked October 7, 2026; Google notes that its policies may change.
First, distinguish the listing from a post
“Listing” usually means the standing information shown on a Google Business Profile, such as the business description and other profile content. A post is a separate, update-style item published to the profile. Google’s rules differ by surface, so permission to publish an offer as a post does not make it appropriate listing content.
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| Surface | What Google’s policy says |
|---|---|
| Merchant listing content | Do not include time-bound promotions, pricing, or direct calls to action. See Google’s Prohibited & restricted content policy. |
| Posts | Offers and updates can generally be promotional or commercial, subject to post-specific and broader content rules. See Google’s Business Profile photos, videos & posts content policy. |
| Reviews and other contributions | Contributions must reflect genuine experiences and follow rules against fake engagement, solicitation, irrelevant content, and other prohibited material. See Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy. |
What merchants can’t put in listing content
Google says merchant listings must not contain promotional or commercial material featuring time-bound promotions, pricing, or direct calls to action. Keep this area centered on the business’s enduring identity rather than using it as an ad for a limited-time deal or asking people to take an immediate action.
- Do not use listing content to advertise a temporary promotion.
- Do not include prices there.
- Do not add direct calls to action.
These restrictions are about listing content; they do not mean every promotional post is forbidden.
What can go in a post—and the important limits
Offers and updates
Google’s post policy permits offers and updates that may be promotional or commercial. A merchant can therefore use an appropriate post for a business update or offer, while following the content rules that apply to posts and the general prohibited-content policy.
Contact details and links
Google may remove posts that contain unverified phone numbers, email addresses, or social handles. Its recommended alternative for a phone call is the profile’s Call now button, which uses the verified Business Profile phone number. Contact information or links unrelated to the business are also prohibited in posts.
Hotels: deal-related posts are not allowed
Hotels may not create offer posts or mention or link to deals, promotions, special offers, or discounts in posts. This is a hotel-specific restriction; it should not be generalized to every business category.
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Google’s broader policy restricts content promoting certain regulated products or services, including alcohol, gambling, tobacco, guns, health and medical devices, regulated pharmaceuticals, adult services, and financial services. For the categories covered by the policy, content must not include calls to action or offers for sale. Google’s examples include purchase links, contact details for buying restricted goods, and promotional pricing or coupons. The exact policy category and applicable local rules matter; this is not legal advice.
How to ask for reviews without violating the rules
Google’s standard is that “Contributions to Google Maps should reflect a genuine experience at a place or business.” Merchants may ask customers to leave an honest review, provided they do not influence its rating or contents and offer no incentive.
Do not reward, manipulate, or pressure reviewers
Google prohibits paying for reviews or offering goods or discounts in exchange for them, including asking for a revision or removal in return for an incentive. It also prohibits fake contributions, manipulation through multiple accounts or technical methods, and using reviews to undermine competitors.
- Do not selectively ask only customers likely to leave positive reviews.
- Do not discourage negative reviews or suppress them.
- Do not require a particular rating or dictate review wording.
- Do not pressure customers to leave a rating while they are on your premises.
Google Business Profile Help says merchants may “Solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience, without offering incentives to do so or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review.”
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Other content that can be removed
Google’s rules also cover material that may not be an offer or review manipulation but is still inappropriate for a Business Profile or Maps contribution:
- Off-topic general, political, or social commentary, and personal rants in location contributions.
- Advertising or solicitation in reviews.
- Email addresses, phone numbers, social links, or external links in reviews.
- Unclear or repetitive content.
- Contact details or links in a post that are unrelated to the business.
What happens after a policy violation?
Google may reject content, restrict profile features, or limit access. For fake-engagement violations specifically, possible actions include temporarily blocking new reviews, temporarily unpublishing existing reviews, or displaying a consumer-facing warning that fake reviews were removed. Google says it will notify a business if it plans to apply a restriction. These are possible enforcement actions, not outcomes that apply automatically to every violation.
How to check whether an action can be appealed
- Open Google’s appeal guidance and follow the route for the type of action you received.
- If the decision is available for appeal, use the appeals tool to view the affected profile, moderation reason, and relevant policy link.
- Where offered, submit the optional evidence form within 60 minutes after submitting the appeal.
- Wait for the decision. Google says reviews can take up to five business days; this is not a guarantee of a decision by then or of a successful appeal.
The available route depends on the issue and geography. Google provides the appeals tool for certain suspended-profile, rejected-edit, and media-restriction matters in the UK and EEA. For some rejected edits and media restrictions outside those areas, Google directs businesses to contact support. Not every restriction is necessarily appealable.
For the general policy framework, see Google’s Overview of Google Business Profile policies. Google’s post policy says it may modify its rules, so check the live policy pages before publishing content.
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