Updated Google Maps Policy: What Merchants Can’t Post In Listings Or Posts

Google has expanded its Maps and Business Profiles prohibited and restricted content policy to spell out what merchants and business owners cannot post on their listings and posts, and the new language makes clear that Google Maps contributions should reflect genuine experiences or define a business’s permanent identity rather than act as a marketplace.

Merchants now know where to place promos, pricing, and contact links, and which placements Google will remove.

What the updated Google Maps policy says

The advertising and solicitation section of the policy was updated to broaden the scope of what is prohibited. The new text states that contributions to Google Maps should reflect genuine experiences or define a business’s permanent identity so users can discover listings and the platform stays reliable rather than turning into a marketplace. Because of that goal, Google instructs contributors not to post content for advertising or solicitation purposes.

Google then added a dedicated “For merchants” section that breaks the rules into two places: the listing itself and the posts feature.

What merchants cannot post in the listing

The listing field now bans promotional or commercial content that contains any of the following:

• Time-bound promotions
• Pricing
• Direct calls to action

That language targets the kinds of one-off deals, discount codes, and “call now” or “book today” lines that have shown up in business descriptions over the years.

What merchants cannot post in posts

Merchants cannot include the following items in their posts:

• Email addresses
• Phone numbers
• Social media links
• Links to other websites that are not related to the business

Google notes that offers and updates that may be seen as promotional or commercial content are otherwise permitted in posts, so a post about a new product or a seasonal offering is still allowed as long as it stays free of off-site contact details and unrelated links.

Why the policy was expanded

The framing in the policy ties the change back to Google’s stated goal for the surface: keeping Maps a place to discover businesses rather than a place to be pitched. By moving time-bound promos, pricing, and direct calls to action out of the core listing field, Google pushes that content toward formats it already monetizes, including local service ads and standard Google Ads campaigns. Posts remain a place to share offers and updates as long as the post itself does not turn into a contact card or a doorway to a different site.

What this means for business owners

Business owners who have been using the business description or the listing name field to advertise limited-time deals, prices, or strong calls to action should expect those edits to be flagged and removed under the refreshed policy. Posts that include phone numbers, email addresses, or social handles are also in scope, even when the rest of the post reads as a normal offer or update.

Posts that focus on a product, a service, an event, or a story about the business, and that keep contact information off the post, are still within the rules. The change narrows where merchants can put deals and how-to-buy details, not whether they can share offers at all.

Keeping a Google Business Profile clean and consistent across the web is part of how a business shows up reliably in local search. BizScoreAI (https://bizscoreai.com) audits how a business appears across AI search and directory listings, and surfaces gaps in the business information that the engines and assistants actually read.

How the change was spotted

The before and after of the policy page was shared publicly with screenshots, which made it possible to compare the older advertising and solicitation language with the new “For merchants” section and confirm the additions directly.

FAQ

What did Google change in the Google Maps merchant policy?

Google added a “For merchants” section to the advertising and solicitation portion of the Maps and Business Profiles prohibited and restricted content policy. It bars time-bound promotions, pricing, and direct calls to action in the listing itself, and bars email addresses, phone numbers, social media links, and unrelated website links in posts.

Can merchants still post offers and updates on Google Business Profiles?

Yes. Google states that offers and updates that may be seen as promotional or commercial content are otherwise permitted in posts, so a post about a new product, a seasonal menu, or an event is allowed as long as it does not include the off-site contact details and unrelated links the policy lists.

Why is Google restricting promotional content in business listings?

The updated policy says contributions to Google Maps should reflect genuine experiences or define a business’s permanent identity, and that this helps users discover listings and keeps the platform reliable rather than turning it into a marketplace.

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