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Google Now Bans Deals, Prices and Calls to Action in Business Listings

The Short Answer

Google updated its Maps and Business Profile policy, and the change was reported on October 6, 2026. Marketing content such as time-limited deals, prices and direct calls to action is not supposed to appear in the listing itself. Posts should not include contact details like emails and phone numbers, social media links, or links to unrelated websites.

What Changed

Google summarizes the rule as not posting content for advertising or solicitation purposes. In practice, the reporting on the update says the listing itself should not carry time-limited deals, prices or direct prompts to take action. Posts are treated a little differently. Offers and updates are still allowed there, but contact details, social media links and links to unrelated sites are not.

Google has not announced an enforcement date, and it has not said whether existing listing content will be removed automatically.

The update also sits awkwardly next to a late September change, when Google said Posts could include phone numbers only if they were verified. The newer policy wording lists phone numbers among the contact details to keep out of Posts, and Google has not explained how the two fit together.

The Mistake Worth Avoiding

Putting your offer in the places Google does not want it. A business description that says 10 percent off this month, or a services section with prices and a call now line, is the sort of thing this policy is aimed at. The same goes for pasting a phone number or an email address into the text of a Post.

What Actually Works

A quick cleanup you can do in about ten minutes:
  • Read your business description and your service descriptions, and remove any time-limited deals, prices or lines like call now.
  • Move offers to your Posts and your website, where they are still allowed, and keep phone numbers and emails out of the Post text.
  • Let the call button and the phone number field on your profile do the work of getting people to call.
  • Only link Posts to your own website or to pages that clearly belong to your business.

The Takeaway

None of this is a reason to stop promoting your business. It is a reason to use the right spot for it. Keep the listing clean and factual, put offers in Posts, and send people to your website for the details.

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Offers and updates are still allowed in Posts, according to reporting on the policy. Time-limited deals and prices are what Google does not want in the listing itself.
The updated policy lists phone numbers among the contact details Google does not want in Posts. A late September change had said phone numbers would be allowed if verified, and Google has not clarified how the two fit together, so the safest choice is to leave the number out and rely on the call button.
Google has not announced an enforcement date.
Related: Google Posts Just Got Stricter About Phone Numbers  |  Google Adds Misuse of Support Channels to Its Business Profile Policies
Source: Search Engine Roundtable  |  Relevant Audience

Want Your Listing Checked Against the New Rules?

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