As of 7 November 2026, checked against Google Business Profile Help in English and Swedish. The sources are listed at the end.

Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November, and then comes Christmas. Two changes reported in September and October 2026 make Google’s rules clearer about what can get a post in your Google Business Profile removed, and much of what goes into a typical Instagram caption belongs on that list.

Why does Google remove posts from your profile?

A post can be stopped when it breaks any of Google’s content rules. The change reported in September concerns contact information: according to the posts content policy, Google may remove posts with unverified phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles, to avoid fraud or abuse. The policy does not say which posts will be removed.

  • On 25 September 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google had updated two help documents about posts. The previous wording said post content could not include a phone number. Now the rule covers unverified contact information, which is more lenient for phone numbers but also covers email addresses and social media handles. According to the help page on posts, a post with a phone number might get rejected if it cannot be verified as connected to the business, but the page does not describe how that verification works.
  • On 6 October 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy now has rules of its own for merchants, under the heading Advertising & solicitation. They cover both the listing itself and posts.

What is allowed in a post, and what is not?

Offers and news are allowed in posts, but contact details and links not related to the business are not. Promotions do not belong in the profile itself. This is what Google’s rules say, in our summary:

WhereNot allowedAllowed
PostsPhone numbers, email addresses and social media handles that Google has not verified. Google may remove the post.A Call now button, which uses the profile’s verified number
PostsEmail addresses, phone numbers, social media links or links to other websites that are not related to the businessOffers and updates, even when they may be seen as promotional or commercial content
The listing itselfPromotional or commercial content with time-bound promotions, pricing or direct calls to actionWhat defines the business’s permanent identity
HotelsOffer posts, and posts that mention or link to deals, promotions, special offers or discountsPosts with relevant and timely information
  • The sentence about posts can be read two ways. It is not clear whether “that are not related to your business” applies only to the links or also to the numbers and addresses. Our assessment is that the safest approach is to put no contact details in the text, not even the business’s own.
  • The ban on direct calls to action applies to the listing, not to posts. As we read it, “Book before Friday” is allowed in a post. Where the English version says “In the listing”, the Swedish version says “I produktinformationen” (in the product information), but the English original shows that it means the profile itself.

Why is an Instagram post a risk in your Google profile?

Because a typical Instagram caption contains exactly what the rules mention, also when a scheduling tool posts the same text everywhere: phone numbers, email addresses, @handles (which count as contact information) and links to social media. “Link in bio” does not work, because a Google profile has no bio. Rows of hashtags are, in our assessment, the kind of extra characters Google advises you to avoid. We have not found anything from Google about how text in images is reviewed, but our assessment is that a phone number on the campaign image is an unnecessary risk.

Before: the Instagram caption BLACK FRIDAY!!! Friday to Monday: [the offer]. Book on 070-000 00 00 or DM @yoursalon. Link in bio! #blackfriday #haircare #salon

After: an offer post in your Google profile Title: Black Friday at the salon. Dates and times: Friday 27 to Monday 30 November. Text: [the offer, with the previous lowest price if you state that the price is reduced]. Link: the campaign page on your own website. Terms: what is and is not included.

How to write an offer that follows the rules

Select Posts, Add post and Offer. An offer requires a title, dates and times and automatically includes a “View Offer” button. You can add a description, photo, coupon code, link and terms and conditions, among other things, but Google’s help page does not mention a Call now button for offers. The full Black Friday preparation is in Black Friday 2026 in Sweden: a checklist for local businesses.

Want to check the text before you publish? Inläggskollen (in Swedish) looks for phone numbers, email addresses, @handles and links in your post.

What to do if your post has been removed

Open Posts in your profile and look at the status. Google reviews a post after you publish it, and we have not found anything in Google’s help centre saying you get a notification when a post is stopped.

  • Live: the post is public and shows on Search and Maps.
  • Pending: the post does not show on Search or Maps. It is uploading or processing, or the profile is unverified.
  • Not approved: the post does not show on Search or Maps. The question mark next to the status shows which content policy it violates.

Then you have two options:

  1. Fix it and publish again. Select More and Edit, or More and Delete and create a new post without whatever stopped it. When the problem is obvious, such as a phone number in the text, our assessment is that this is usually faster than appealing.
  2. Appeal. Businesses in the EEA, which includes Sweden, can appeal a media restriction (post, photo, video) in the Google Business Profile appeals tool, which also shows whether the decision can be appealed. An appeal can only be submitted once, and according to Google it can take up to five business days before the decision arrives by email.

December: respond to suggested edits within four days

Users can suggest changes to your profile, such as different opening hours, and Google notifies you about certain suggested edits before they are published. According to Google’s help centre, once notified you have four days to accept or reject the suggestion. If you do not respond, Google may automatically publish the update if it is supported by other publicly available information, such as your business website. Edits that are necessary to meet policy guidelines may be applied without your review.

Our assessment is that December is a sensitive month, because many businesses change their hours then. Add your Christmas hours as special hours and on your website on the same day, so that the website shows the right information, and check for suggestions at least twice a week. More on special hours in Opening hours, holidays and exceptions in your Google profile.

Do the rules apply in Sweden?

Yes, as we read them. Neither the posts policy nor the rules for merchants states any regional limitation, and the Swedish pages contain the same rules as the English ones. Google’s display of offers on your listing in Search is limited, however: according to Google it is available only in select regions and languages, and we have not found anything showing that it is available in Sweden.

We write your posts for you

In our profile care service, Profilvården (in Swedish), we write the posts in your Google profile according to Google’s rules for posts and check opening hours and suggested edits twice a week. The basics, from categories to reviews, are in Google Business for local businesses.

Frequently asked questions

Why was my Google Business Profile post removed?

A post can be stopped if it breaks Google’s content rules. Google now says it may remove posts with unverified contact information, such as phone numbers, email addresses and social media handles. Open Posts in your profile: the question mark next to the Not approved status shows which policy the post violates.

Can I put a phone number in a Google post?

It is a risk. According to Google, a post with a phone number in the text might get rejected if it cannot be verified as connected to the business. The help page links to how you add more numbers to your profile, but does not describe how the verification works. Use the Call now button instead, which uses your profile’s verified number.

Can I reuse Instagram posts in my Google Business Profile?

The photo and the message, yes, but rewrite the text. Remove @handles, phone numbers, email addresses, links to social media, link in bio and hashtags, and put the link to your own website in the button or the offer’s link field.

Can I link to Instagram or Facebook in a Google post?

Google’s rules for merchants list social media links among the things that must not go in posts, if the links are not related to the business. How a link to the business’s own account is treated is not stated, so our assessment is that you link to your own website instead.

What does Not approved mean on a Google post?

That the post does not show on Search or Maps. The question mark next to the status shows which content policy it violates. Fix the post or create a new one. If you think the decision is wrong, businesses in the EEA can appeal in Google’s appeals tool, but an appeal can only be submitted once.

How long do I have to respond to suggested edits on Google?

Four days after you are notified, according to Google’s help centre. If you do not respond, Google may publish the update if it is supported by other publicly available information, such as your business website.

Sources

All web pages read on 7 November 2026. Google’s help pages are undated and may change, and Google notes that the Swedish pages may contain AI-translated content. Search Engine Roundtable is a secondary source that quotes Google’s help text.