Reader question: Is it worth posting on my Google profile every week, or is that busywork?
A detailer asks whether weekly Google Business Profile posts bring in work. A plain answer on what posts do, what to post, how often, and what matters more.
The question: "Someone told me I need to post on my Google profile every week. I already post on Instagram, I am on cars all day, and I have never had a customer say they saw a Google post. Is it worth it, or is it busywork?"
Short answer: posts are not the thing that wins you the map. They are a cheap way to make your profile look alive and answer questions before people call. Fifteen minutes a week is worth it. Two hours a week is not.
Here is the longer version.
What a Google post actually does
When someone searches "ceramic coating near me" and taps your listing, they see your rating, reviews, photos, hours, and sometimes your recent posts. Google does not publish how much posts affect ranking, and anyone who tells you a precise number is guessing.
What posts clearly do is show a person deciding between three shops that you are open, working, and doing the exact service they want. A listing with fresh photos of a coated truck from Tuesday looks very different from one whose last update was a holiday greeting two years ago.
So think of posts as a storefront window, not a ranking trick.
What matters more than posts
If you only have an hour a month for your Google profile, spend it in this order:
- Reviews. Across the 73,083 detailing listings we track, the median has 24 Google reviews. Getting into the top quarter takes about 124, and the top tenth sits around 400. Detailing is a high-review category, so this is the number that most separates you from the shop down the road. The reviews guide has scripts for the ask at pickup.
- Services and prices. List every package with a price or a starting price. People compare detail prices before they call.
- Hours. 36% of detailing listings have no hours. If you are by appointment, say so and list the hours you take bookings.
- Photos. 96.4% of listings have at least one photo, so having photos is not enough. Recent photos of your own work are what count.
- Posts. Last, but still worth doing.
The Google Business Profile guide walks through each section. The benchmark report shows where the typical shop stands.
What to post
Keep it simple. One photo, two or three sentences, and a button. Five post types cover almost everything a detailer needs.
A before-and-after with the vehicle and the town. "Full interior on a family minivan in Meridian. Three kids, two dogs, one very happy mom. Interior detail from $180." The town name and the service help people searching nearby, and the price filters out tire kickers.
A package spotlight. Pick one service a week and explain it plainly: what is included, how long it takes, who it is for. Ceramic coating, paint correction, headlight restoration, odor removal.
A seasonal note. In late fall: "Road salt season starts soon. Undercarriage rinse and a sealant now protect your paint through winter." In spring: pollen and bug removal.
An offer. Google has a specific Offer post type with a start and end date. Use it for something real, like a maintenance wash price for returning customers, not a fake countdown.
An answer to a question you get every week. "How long does ceramic coating last?" or "Do I need to be home for a mobile detail?" Write the answer you give on the phone.
Repurpose what you already shoot for Instagram. Same photo, shorter caption, add the town and the price.
How often
Once a week is plenty. Once every two weeks is fine. The key is that the newest post is never months old.
Batch them. On a slow Monday, pick four photos from the last month, write four short captions, and schedule or post them over the next few weeks. That is fifteen to twenty minutes for a month of posts.
What to skip
- Hashtags. They do nothing on Google.
- Long paragraphs. People skim on a phone.
- Stock photos. Use your own cars.
- Generic holiday greetings with no service or offer. Fine once a year. Not as your weekly post.
The honest bottom line
You are right that almost no customer will say "I saw your Google post." That is not how it works. They see a profile that looks active and specific, with reviews, prices and recent work, and they call. Posts are one small part of that picture.
If you are choosing between posting and asking for reviews, ask for reviews. If you can do both in under half an hour a week, do both.
If you want someone to run your Google profile or any one service for you, the free 14-day trial needs no card. See the free trial page or text or call (385) 217-3233.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, auto detailers and car washes among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor