Managing Google Business Posts
FigureOut's Google Post Scheduler enables you to plan and automatically publish Google Business Profile update posts directly to Google Maps and Search, without needing to log into the Google Business Profile Manager. This article explains the post types supported, content formatting rules, the character and image constraints enforced by Google's Posts API, and the background job system that handles automated publishing.
1. Google Post Types Supported by FigureOut
FigureOut currently supports the following GBP post event categories:
📢 Update / Announcement
Standard promotional updates for sales, events, and service announcements.
📅 Event Post
Time-bound event announcements with start and end date-time fields.
🛍️ Offer / Deal
Discounts, coupon codes, and promotional deal posts with redemption period.
🆕 Product Launch
Product or service introduction posts with a call-to-action button.
2. Content Formatting & API Character Constraints
Google Business Profile Posts must adhere to strict content constraints enforced by the API:
| Parameter | API Constraint | FigureOut Recommended Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Post Body Text | Max 1,500 characters | We display a live character counter in the composer UI. Stay under 300 for maximum impact. |
| Call-to-Action Button | Optional, with supported types: BOOK, ORDER, SHOP, LEARN_MORE, CALL | Always add a CTA for higher engagement signal. |
| Photo Attachment | Minimum 400x300px, Max 5MB, JPEG or PNG only | Upload at 1200x900px for best quality on mobile search results. |
| Post Lifespan | Standard posts expire after 7 days | Event posts remain live until the end date. Offer posts display redemption dates. |
3. Scheduling a Post: Step-by-Step
Open the Post Composer
In the left sidebar, navigate to Posts and click the Create New Post button.
Select Location(s)
Choose which connected GBP location(s) this post should publish to. Multi-location users can select multiple profiles at once.
Write Your Post
Type your post text (under 300 characters recommended), attach a photo, select a post category, and optionally add a CTA button with a redirect URL.
Set Schedule Date & Time
Toggle the "Publish Later" option to enable the date and time picker. Select an IST timestamp in the future.
Confirm Schedule
Click Schedule Post. The post enters a queue visible in the Post Calendar view.
4. Background Job Execution & Retry Logic
The Post Scheduler cron job runs every 15 minutes. At each cycle, it queries the database for posts whose scheduled_at timestamp is now in the past and whose status is queued. These are dispatched to the Google Business Profile Posts API in sequence.
If the API returns an error (e.g., due to a token expiry or temporary Google service disruption), the system marks the post as retry_pending and reattempts publishing within 30 minutes. After 3 consecutive failures, the post status is flagged as failed and you receive an email alert with the error code and next steps to resolve.