🌴 A Note From The Jungle
It’s the start of the last quarter of the year. 2025 has gone by fast and we’re sure the next few months will too. Now is a great time to evaluate your local search performance and begin charting a course to get to the top of the Map in 2026.
🦍 Ask GMB Gorilla
Hey GMB Gorilla…does adding keywords to Posts improve the rankings of your Google Business Profile?
Howdy human! If I had a banana for every time someone asked me this question I’d be Chiquita. Posts having a positive impact your GBP rankings is one of the oldest myths out there that too many people still believe in. Let’s explore.
Google posts do not improve the visibility of your Google Business Profile. Posts are more of engagement feature, design to help convert browsers into potential buyers that click or call through the profile.
We’re not sure where this myth got started, but it could be that the Post functionality is often compared to the blog function on a website, so many assumed that adding more posts is to a profile is similar to adding (optimized) posts to a website’s blog section.
Adding keywords to your Posts (or any part of your profile) unnaturally does not impact your rankings. Google is not looking at the keyword density of your profile to determine if it is near, relevant, or prominent, the three things which impact a profiles ranking for a search.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t use Posts…it just means that you don’t need to worry about optimizing your posts for the keyword searches you want to rank for in the local pack. Instead of worrying about keyword optimizing your Posts, you should be focused on optimizing your posts for action.
The goal of your Posts should be to make a searcher want to click into your website or give a call. This means using Posts to put an emphasis on case studies, coupons, deals, interesting information, and sales that motive potential buyers. So, forget the keywords and start thinking about the actions!
🌴 Jungle Watch
Google Business Profile suspensions are on the rise
The buzz around the local search space is that GBP suspensions are on the rise and of course we’ve experienced the same trend the last 90 days.
Google support requests on the rise: Mike Blumenthal from Near Media tracks suspensions closely via the public Google Business Profile support forum ticket volumes. His nifty chart above illustrates the rising number of suspension related help requests rising throughout 2025, with a sharp spike over the last three months.
We’re seeing the most issues with service area businesses: A suspension can happen to any type of business, but we find service area businesses have far greater issues than clinics, storefronts, restaurants, etc. There are also several sensitive categories that have previously seen freezes and seem to receive increased scrutiny from Google.
Google is suspending new service area businesses frequently: We believe some of this rising volume is coming from Google seemingly defaulting to suspending newly claimed and verified service area businesses, requiring them to manually verify their existence in order reinstate the profile. This is even after the profile was verified by video, email, or phone.
Google wants thwart spammers: Given the volume of claims Google has to deal with they rely heavily on AI, automation, and outsourced support to stop bad actors from spamming and help legitimate businesses get back on the Map. Google’s systems aren’t perfect and often result in support nightmares as their vague responses throw many into multi-month doom loops.
There’s no simple answer to this problem: Suspensions are a reality of having a Google Business Profile. It’s not ideal that Google doesn’t provide direct support or answers to why your profile is suspended, but it’s done because if they did reveal this bad actors and spammers would use it for their gain, which eventually hurts users of the Map product.
The best way to avoid suspension is to stay compliant: The reality is that most businesses have nothing to worry about, so long as you stay up to date with Google’s guidelines and aren’t doing anything that could be interpreted as against their terms of service. If you think you’re in a gray area, now might be a good time to proactively get your profile in compliance before you get a notice emailed.
🍌 Banana Bites
A New Bing Places Dashboard is rolling out to users 🕵️ Search Engine Roundtable
Google to phase out Call-Only Ads by 2027 📈 Search Engine Land
Local Pack appearing at the top of shopping search results. 🛒 SE Roundtable
🆘 Need GBP Help?
GBP Optimization Service
Competitors outranking you? Want to show in the local pack? We can help!
One Time Fee: $749
Get Started: Click Me
GBP Reinstatement Service
Recently suspended? Reinstatement rejected? Let us swing in to help!
One Time Fee: $500
Get Started: Click Me
Did You Know? Gorillas are social animals and live in family groups called troops. The average troop size is around five to 10 gorillas but some can contain more than 50 individuals. 🦍
Till next time,