Google's merchant policy separates listing and post rules

Google's merchant policy now separates listing and post rules, a change reported on October 6, 2026

On 2026-10-06, Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google had expanded its advertising-and-solicitation policy to distinguish what merchants can post in a listing from what they can post in Business Profile posts. Google's current policy prohibits promotional or commercial listing content that includes a time-bound promotion, pricing, or a direct call to action. In posts, related offers and updates may remain permitted, while unrelated contact details and links can violate the rule.^1,2

October 6 is the date of the public report, not a stated Google effective date. The practical change is to review the listing and its posts as separate surfaces. A Google Maps listing is the public business record customers see on Maps. A Business Profile post is a dated update, offer, or event that a business publishes through its profile.

What did Google reportedly change on October 6, 2026?

The October 6 report recorded a new “For merchants” distinction between prohibited content in a listing and prohibited content in posts.

Search Engine Roundtable described the change after comparing Google's policy wording and linked to the current policy section. The report did not provide a dated Google announcement or state that October 6 was the policy's effective date.¹ Google's current Help page is therefore the source for the rules, while the report supplies the date of the public observation.

This story records the dated listing-versus-post distinction. The Google Business Profile hub remains the standing reference for the profile itself.

What is prohibited in a merchant's Google Maps listing?

Google's current advertising-and-solicitation rule prohibits promotional or commercial listing content that contains a time-bound promotion, pricing, or a direct call to action.

The rule applies to promotional or commercial content in the listing. It does not say that every mention of a business, service, or contact detail is prohibited. Read the exact field and content context before changing permanent business information.

Google also gives field-specific guidance for the business description. The description should explain the business's services, products, mission, and history. It should not focus on special promotions, prices, or offer sales, and it cannot display links.⁴ That separate guidance is a useful check for a field that can otherwise be mistaken for an advertising slot.

What can a merchant still put in a Business Profile post?

Google still describes Updates, Offers, and Events as normal Business Profile post types, so the reported change is not a blanket ban on promotions.

Google's post-management guidance says a business can share announcements, offers, updates, and event details in posts. An Update can include an action button with a link. An Offer can include dates, a coupon code, a link, and terms and conditions. An Event can include dates, times, and an action button.⁵

The permission has boundaries. A post link or contact detail should relate to the business, and the post must follow Google's other content rules. A post type does not make prohibited content acceptable. The guide to publishing photos and posts on a Google Business Profile carries the standing creation paths and post-type details.

Does this mean Google banned offers and promotions?

No. The current rules separate promotional content in a listing from related offers and updates in posts.

For a non-hotel business, an Offer post remains a documented way to share a promotional sale or deal. Google says an Offer can carry dates and time, with optional details such as a coupon code, a link, and terms and conditions.⁵ That product guidance sits alongside the advertising-and-solicitation policy, so it does not turn an unrelated link or a restricted product promotion into an allowed post.

Hotels have a narrower boundary. Google's posts policy says hotels can publish relevant, timely local posts, but cannot create Offer posts or mention or link to deals, promotions, special offers, or discounts in a post.³ A hotel should not treat the general Offer-post guidance as permission to publish a hotel promotion.

Can a Business Profile post include a phone number or website link?

Use business-related contact details and links only, and do not assume that an unverified phone number, email address, or social-media handle will remain in a post.

Google's advertising-and-solicitation rule addresses whether a contact detail or link is related to the business. Its posts content policy separately warns that Google may remove posts containing unverified phone numbers, email addresses, or social-media handles. Google points to a Call now button that uses the verified Business Profile phone number as an alternative.^2,3

That means a relevant link is not a substitute for policy review. Check that the destination belongs to or serves the business, that the phone contact matches the verified profile where applicable, and that the post does not promote a restricted product in a way Google's policy forbids.

What should a business owner check this week?

Review the permanent listing separately from its posts, then move a temporary promotion to an eligible post format with related links, clear terms, and any required restrictions.

Use this sequence:

1. Read the listing content that describes the business. Remove time-bound promotions, pricing, or direct calls to action from content covered by the listing rule. Keep permanent business facts accurate rather than treating the rule as a ban on every service description.²
2. Check the business description separately. Keep it focused on the business, its services, products, mission, and history. Do not use it as a place for special promotions, prices, offer sales, or links.⁴
3. Choose the post type that fits the customer update. Use Update for general information, Offer for a sale or deal, and Event for an event with dates and times.⁵
4. Review the post's links and contact details. Keep them related to the business, avoid unverified contact information, and use the verified-profile Call now button when that is the appropriate contact path.^2,3
5. Check the special case before publishing. Regulated products and services have additional limits, and hotels cannot use Offer posts or publish hotel deals, promotions, special offers, or discounts in posts.^2,3
6. If the post is not approved, read the status and the policy indicator before resubmitting. Google says it reviews posts for compliance after publication, and a Not approved post does not show on Search or Maps.⁵

For example, a bakery can keep its permanent listing focused on what the bakery is and what it sells. A weekend sale belongs in an eligible Offer post with the correct dates and related business destination, not in a listing description that turns the permanent record into a time-bound advertisement.

FAQ

Google's reported policy update separates promotional listing content from related promotional posts, but every post still has to meet Google's contact, content, and sector-specific rules.

Did Google publish October 6, 2026 as the policy's effective date?

No. October 6 is the date Search Engine Roundtable reported observing the policy wording. The report does not establish a Google-published effective date.¹

Can a non-hotel business publish an Offer post?

Yes. Google's post guidance lists Offers as a post type for sharing a promotional sale or deal. The post still has to comply with Google's advertising-and-solicitation, content, contact, and regulated-product rules.^2,5

Can I put a price in my Business Profile description?

Google's representation guidelines say the business description should not focus on special promotions, prices, or offer sales. The description also cannot display links.⁴

What happens when Google does not approve a post?

Google says a Not approved post does not show on Search or Maps, and its status indicator identifies the policy issue. Read that indicator before deciding what to change.⁵

Are hotel posts treated the same as other businesses' posts?

No. Google says hotels may publish relevant, timely local posts but cannot create Offer posts or mention or link to deals, promotions, special offers, or discounts in a post.³