The Google Business Profile playbook for AEO

Google Business Profile (GBP) recency is one of the largest local-pack ranking factors. The math is straightforward: a profile that posts weekly outranks a profile that posts monthly outranks a profile that hasn't posted in a year.

What does Google count as an "active" GBP?

Google considers a GBP active when it has posted within the last 14 days, uses multiple post types (text, images, offers, events, Q&A), and shows engagement signals like website clicks, direction requests, and calls. Profiles that meet all three criteria outrank dormant profiles in the local pack.

Active means three things:

1. Recency — last post within 14 days.
2. Diversity — text, images, offers, events, Q&A — Google rewards profiles that use multiple post types.
3. Engagement — clicks on website, direction requests, calls. These are downstream of the first two but Google reads them as quality signals.

If your last GBP post is 47 days old, you're sending a "this business may not be operating" signal.

What does a weekly GBP cadence look like?

One post per week, every week, forever. The formula:

• Body: ~100 words. Lead with the answer to a customer question, link to the matching blog article.
• Image: branded, original, square. AI engines and Google both penalize stock photos.
• Link: to a relevant page on your site (article, service page, or contact). Drive the click into your funnel.
• CTA: LEARN_MORE for content posts, BOOK if you have an online booking link.

What should you avoid posting on GBP?

The three GBP mistakes that consistently hurt rankings are posting less than weekly, publishing only promotional content instead of answers to customer questions, and using stock photos. Cadence matters more than polish — a short on-time post beats a polished late one every single week.

• Skipping a week. Cadence > polish. A 100-word post on time beats a 200-word post late.
• Posting only services with no questions answered. GBP posts that read like ads underperform GBP posts that read like answers.
• Stock photos. Google flags duplicate images. Use original (even iPhone) shots.

How do you measure GBP performance?

Watch three GBP metrics weekly:

• Profile views (28d)
• Calls (28d)
• Direction requests (28d)

A weekly cadence usually moves all three within 60 days.