Posting on your Google Business Profile once a week is one of the easiest habits for a cafe to keep, and one of the most often dropped. The first two posts are easy. By week five nobody can think of anything to say, and the last post on the listing is the Easter hours from seven months ago.
Here are twenty ideas that work for cafes, grouped by what they do, with an example of the wording for each. Pick one a week and you have nearly five months covered. For the mechanics of writing a post (length, photos, buttons), see our guide to writing Google Business Profile posts.
Before you start: what a good post looks like
A post shows on your listing to people who have searched for you or found you on the map. They are close to deciding. So a good post is short and gives one reason to come in now:
- One subject. One dish, one change, one event. Not the whole week's news.
- A real photo taken in your cafe, in good light. Stock photos look out of place and can get a post rejected.
- A button that matches the post: Order online, Book, Call now or Learn more.
- The words people search, such as breakfast, brunch, coffee or the suburb, used naturally once.
- No phone number in the text. Posts with one are often rejected. Use the Call now button instead.
Food and drink
1. The new menu item. "New this week: pumpkin, feta and sage toastie on house sourdough. Available all day." Photo of the dish on the counter.
2. The seasonal change. When the menu turns over for spring or winter, post the three dishes that are new and update the menu on your listing the same day. Our guide to adding your menu to Google shows how.
3. The coffee. A new single origin, a guest roaster, a change of house blend. Coffee people search for it, and it is a reason for them to choose you over the chain on the corner.
4. The thing that sells out. "Our almond croissants are usually gone by 10am on Saturdays. Come early." It tells people what you are known for and gives them a time to aim for.
5. Dietary options. Vegan, gluten free, dairy free milks. A short post with a photo of the gluten free brownie reaches the people who filter for it.
6. Weather food. A cold snap is a reason to post about soup, chai or hot chocolate. A hot week is iced coffee and smoothies. Keep a few photos ready so you can post on the day.
Reasons to visit at a quiet time
7. The weekday breakfast special. "Monday to Thursday before 9am: any coffee with a bacon and egg roll, one price." Use an Offer post with start and end dates.
8. The afternoon slot. If 2pm to close is slow, give it a reason: a cake and coffee pairing, a quiet space to work, a kids' menu after school.
9. Takeaway and pre-ordering. "Order ahead on your way to the station and skip the queue." Use the Order online button pointing at your own ordering page, not a delivery app.
10. Catering and big orders. Office platters, morning teas, birthday cakes. A post every couple of months with a Learn more or Call now button reminds local businesses you do it.
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11. Meet the barista or chef. A photo of them at work and two lines about them. Regulars like it, and new customers see real people.
12. The suppliers. The bakery that delivers your bread, the farm your eggs come from, your roaster. Name them. It is specific, it is local, and suppliers often share it.
13. The room. The new outdoor seating, the courtyard heaters, the big table that seats ten. These answer questions people have before a visit.
14. Dogs, prams and laptops. If you have a water bowl out front, room for prams, or power points by the window, say so with a photo. Plenty of people choose a cafe on exactly this.
15. Getting here. Parking nearby, the closest tram stop, bike racks. Useful, and it uses the street and suburb names people search with.
Dates and changes
16. Public holiday hours. Post them a week ahead and set special hours on the listing at the same time. Wrong holiday hours cost you the customer and can earn you a bad review.
17. Local events. A market day, a street festival, the footy final at the ground down the road. "Open from 7am on market Sunday" with an Event post and dates.
18. Christmas and end of year. Christmas orders, gift vouchers, closing dates over the break and the day you reopen.
19. Changes to the business. Longer hours, a new booking system, a renovation, a second venue. Anything a regular would want to know.
Proof from customers
20. Thank your reviewers. Share a short quote from a recent Google review with a photo of the dish they mentioned, and thank them. It shows the cafe is cared for and nudges others to leave one. Pair it with replying to every review; our guide to replying to restaurant reviews has examples.
Make it a ten-minute weekly job
The cafes that keep posting are the ones that make it routine. Pick a day (Monday morning works for most), have whoever opens take three photos during the week, and write the post from the best one. Keep a running list of ideas from this page on the office wall or in your phone's notes.
Posts are one part of a listing that wins customers. Reviews, categories, photos and a website that backs up the listing matter more for where you rank. Our checklist on getting into the Google Maps top 3 puts them in order.
FAQs
How often should a cafe post on Google Business Profile?
Once a week is a good rhythm for most cafes. It keeps the listing looking current to people who are deciding where to go, and it is easy to keep up. A few posts in one week followed by months of silence does less.
Do Google Business Profile posts help a cafe rank?
Google doesn't say posts are a ranking factor, and the effect on position is small if any. Their real value is with people already looking at your listing: a fresh photo and a reason to come in today can turn a view into a visit.
What should I put in a Google post for my cafe?
One specific thing, a real photo of it, and a button. For example: the new pumpkin and feta toastie, a photo of it on the counter, and an Order online or Call now button. Keep the text to a few short sentences.
Why was my Google Business Profile post rejected?
Common reasons are a phone number in the text, a link to an unrelated site, stock or low quality photos, or wording that breaks Google's content policies. Put the phone number on the Call now button instead of in the text and use your own photos.
Can I post offers and events on Google Business Profile?
Yes. Besides standard updates, there are Offer posts (with a title, dates and optional coupon code) and Event posts (with a title and start and end dates). Use them for real offers and events with clear dates.