The policy tells merchants and their agencies which items the listing feature will reject.<\/p>\n
In posts<\/h3>\n
The posts feature, the short updates merchants can publish from their Business Profile, has its own rules. Merchants cannot include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Email addresses<\/li>\n
- Phone numbers<\/li>\n
- Social media links<\/li>\n
- Links to other websites that are not related to the business<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Offers and updates that may be seen as promotional or commercial content are otherwise permitted in posts, which preserves the everyday utility of the feature for deals, events, and announcements while closing off off-platform contact and outbound link traffic.<\/p>\n
Why the rules were tightened<\/h2>\n
Google’s stated goal is to keep Maps focused on discovery and on a business’s permanent identity, rather than letting listings function like a marketplace of rotating promotions. Time-bound offers, prices, and direct calls to action push the listing toward advertising, which is a different product surface. For posts, Google is steering merchants away from treating the feature as a doorway to other platforms, since contact details and unrelated links pull users off Maps and reduce the value of the listing to shoppers.<\/p>\n
Both moves fit a broader pattern of Google steering Business Profile content onto Business Profile itself, where posts, photos, and updates fall under the same review queue as the core listing information.<\/p>\n
What merchants should do now<\/h2>\n
Three updates to a Google Business Profile reflect the revised policy.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Audit the listing fields for any time-bound offers, prices, or calls to action. Move those into Posts, where offers and updates remain allowed, or into the merchant’s own paid channels.<\/li>\n
- Review every Post for email addresses, phone numbers, social handles, and outside links. Remove any that fall outside what Google calls “related to your business.”<\/li>\n
- Decide which contact channel is the canonical one. Directing customers to a website, a booking tool, or a phone line off Maps is now harder, so make sure that the channel you do want customers to use is the easiest one to find.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For local businesses that depend on Maps discovery, the practical effect is a cleaner listing and a posts feed that functions more like a bulletin board and less like a flyer. Agencies managing multiple profiles should treat the new enumeration as a checklist for both the initial setup and ongoing updates, since the policy now names the specific items that can be reported and removed.<\/p>\n
Where the change came from<\/h2>\n
Notice of the updated wording spread on LinkedIn, where screenshots of the before and after text were posted and circulated. The change was made directly on Google’s policy page for Google Maps and Business Profiles, and the LinkedIn post included side-by-side captures of the old and new sections so the additions can be verified word for word.<\/p>\n
FAQ<\/h2>\n
What did Google change in its Maps policy for merchants?<\/h3>\n
Google added a “For merchants” section to the advertising and solicitation portion of its Prohibited and restricted content policy. It explicitly bars time-bound promotions, pricing, and direct calls to action in listings, and bars email addresses, phone numbers, social media links, and unrelated outside links in posts.<\/p>\n
Are offers and promotions still allowed in Google Business Profile posts?<\/h3>\n
Yes. Offers and updates that may be seen as promotional or commercial content are explicitly permitted in posts, even though contact details and certain links are not.<\/p>\n
Where can I read the updated Google Maps merchant policy?<\/h3>\n
The full text is on Google’s Prohibited and restricted content policy page for Google Maps and Business Profiles, under the advertising and solicitation section.<\/p>\n
Related coverage<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Local AI Visibility Study: Why Google Maps Rankings Don’t Translate to AI Search Results<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
BizScoreAI<\/h2>\n
![\"BizScoreAI,](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBizScoreAI’s AI visibility scan scores how visible a business is to AI search and shows what its listing looks like to the engines people ask. Open the AI visibility scan<\/a>.<\/p>\n
- Local AI Visibility Study: Why Google Maps Rankings Don’t Translate to AI Search Results<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n