Google Business Profile posts in 2026: what the API lets you schedule (and what it doesn't)
Google Business Profile (GBP) posts are the most under-used free placement in local marketing. They show up right on the profile people see when they search for a business, and Google's official API lets software publish them on a schedule. But the API is specific about what it accepts. Here is what you can rely on.
The three post types
- Standard posts: a summary of up to 1,500 characters, one photo, an optional call-to-action button. These expire after seven days.
- Event posts: a title plus start and end dates and times. They stay visible until the event ends.
- Offer posts: an event with optional coupon code, redemption link and terms.
Postwoo exposes all three in the composer and validates the required fields before the post is queued.
What one image really means
The API accepts one media item per post, and it must be a photo (JPEG or PNG) that Google can fetch from a public HTTPS URL. Minimum size is 250 × 250 pixels and the file should be under 5 MB. Video is not accepted for posts through the API, no matter what a tool's marketing page says.
If a scheduler promises video or carousel posts on Google Business Profile, ask how. There is no official endpoint for it.
Call-to-action buttons
Buttons are the only way to attach a link. Google offers BOOK, ORDER, SHOP, LEARN_MORE, SIGN_UP and CALL. All but CALL need a URL. Postwoo turns a plain link on your post into a Learn more button automatically and lets you pick another type per target.
Things Google rejects after you publish
Google runs policy checks after a post is created. Common rejections:
- Phone numbers inside the text.
- Excessive capitalisation or emoji walls.
- Content for restricted categories.
Postwoo warns about phone numbers before you schedule and surfaces Google's rejection message on the post card when it happens.
Scheduling is your tool's job
Google has no concept of a scheduled post. A scheduler has to hold the post and publish it at the right moment — and do it exactly once. Postwoo queues every post with an idempotent job, so a network timeout never produces a duplicate on the profile.
Access is approval-gated
Software needs Google's approval to use the Business Profile APIs; until then quota is zero. Postwoo runs on an approved project, and the connecting user only needs to be an owner or manager of the locations.
Want the full checklist? Our Google Business Profile integration page lists every capability with its current verification status.