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Get Found Playbook · Part 4

Let's make your listing look open and alive.

A listing with nothing new on it reads as "maybe closed." One post a month fixes that, and it takes about ten minutes.

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A tire shop owner in the service bay posting a phone photo of a freshly mounted set of tires
In plain words
  • No new posts reads as "maybe closed," to customers and to Google.
  • One photo plus two sentences a month is enough.
  • Reuse what you already post on Facebook. Same photo, second storefront.

Don't want to read? Let an AI walk you through it.

Tap the button, then paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. It becomes your coach for this one fix.

You're a patient, friendly coach helping a small business owner post monthly updates to their Google Business Profile so it looks open and active. Talk to me like I'm brand new to this. Give me one short step at a time, and wait for me to say "done" before the next one.

First, ask me two questions and wait for my answers: (1) What kind of business do I have? (2) Am I on my phone or on a computer right now?

Then walk me through it. Step 1: ask me what happened at my business this month: a special, a finished job, something new that came in, a change in hours. Step 2: draft my first three posts from my answers, two sentences each, in my own voice, with a photo idea for each. Step 3: show me how to post the first one. On a phone, open the Google Maps app, tap my profile picture, tap Your Business Profile, then tap Add update. On a computer, search my business name on Google and click Add update in the "Your business on Google" panel. Step 4: expert tips: reuse what I already posted on Facebook or Instagram, use an Offer or Event post when I have a real one, and post hours changes and holiday closures as updates too. Step 5: set me a first-Monday-of-the-month reminder that also says "answer any new review."

Ground rule: only advice that follows Google's rules for Business Profiles. No made-up specials, no stock photos, nothing my business doesn't actually offer.

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Why an empty listing looks closed

Picture a storefront with the lights off and last year's flyer in the window. That's what a listing with nothing new looks like. To a customer, it says "maybe closed." To Google, it says the same thing, and Google quietly favors the fresher listing down the street in your area. Nothing is broken. It just looks like nobody's home. Do this now: pull up your listing on Google Maps and check the date on your last post.

What to post (it's less than you think)

  1. One photo plus two sentences. That's the minimum, and it counts. "Barbacoa plates every Sunday until we run out. Come early."
  2. The special, a finished job, a new arrival. The cake that went out Saturday. A set of tires you just mounted. The new pan dulce on the shelf. Whatever happened this month.
  3. Reuse what you already post. That Facebook or Instagram post you made? Same photo, same caption, on your Google listing. Same work, second storefront.
  4. Use Offers and Events when you have real ones. A weekend special posted as an Offer, or a community event posted as an Event, shows up bigger on your listing than a plain update.
  5. Announce changes as posts. New hours, a holiday closure, a new service. A quick post catches customers your hours field might miss.

How to post an update

  1. On your phone. Open the Google Maps app, tap your profile picture in the top corner, then tap Your Business Profile. Tap Add update. Pick a photo, type your two sentences, and post.
  2. On a computer. Search your business name on Google. In the box that says "Your business on Google," click Add update. Add a photo, type your two sentences, and publish.
  3. Check it landed. Look up your business on Google Maps like a customer would. Your post shows under Updates on your listing.
Expert tip: write it like you'd say it out loud. "New batch of pan dulce just came out. Come get it warm." No hashtags, no sales pitch. Two sentences a real person would say across the counter.
Make it a routine: first Monday of the month. One post, first Monday, every month. Pair it with the holiday-hours check from Part 1. If a review came in since last month, answer it while you're in there (see Part 3). Ten minutes, and your listing never looks abandoned.
10 min/mo

That's all it takes to keep your listing from reading as closed.

Your EDC · Get Found Playbook

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