Google changed what you can promote on your Business Profile: what to fix before Diwali

01What exactly did Google change?

Google updated the advertising and solicitation section of its "Prohibited & restricted content" policy for Maps and Business Profiles. The section now says contributions should reflect "genuine experiences or define a business's permanent identity". Its plain instruction is: "don't post content for advertising or solicitation purposes."

The new part is a section for merchants, meaning business owners. It splits the rule in two:

• In the listing: no "Promotional or commercial content" that contains "Time-bound promotions, pricing, or direct calls-to-action."
• In posts: no email addresses, phone numbers, social media links or links to other websites "that are not related to your business."
• Also in posts: offers and updates that look promotional are "otherwise permitted in posts."

So the line is clear enough. Your listing describes who you are, permanently. Your posts are where the offers live. Search Engine Roundtable credits Hiroko Imai with spotting the change, with before and after screenshots.

02What counts as "the listing"?

Google's page does not define it. That is the honest answer. It does not say whether "the listing" means the name, the description, the photos, or all of them.

In AMS's view, a careful owner treats all three as the listing. The business name, the description and the photos you upload are what people see when they find you. None of them is a post. So none of them should carry a sale, a price or a "call now" line.

This does not mean you hide what you sell. A photo of your sweets counter, your showroom floor or your kitchen is your permanent identity. That is exactly what Google wants. A photo of a flex that says "Diwali offer, today only" is a time-bound promotion. That is what the rule is aimed at.

If you are unsure about one item, ask a simple question. Will this still be true in March? If not, it belongs in a post, not in the listing.

03Why does this matter for a shop before Diwali?

Festive season is when listings get messy. In Rudrapur, Haldwani and the towns around, we see the same habits every year:

• Adding "Sale", "Offer" or "Best Price" to the business name.
• Uploading the festive flex or a WhatsApp poster as a listing photo.
• Writing a discount and "call now" into the description, then forgetting it for a year.
• Putting a different staff number or an Instagram link inside posts.

The first three now clash with the written rule. The last one depends on the details, and the post rules had already tightened in September. We covered that in Google may now remove Business Profile posts that carry an unverified phone number.

Google's page ends with a general warning. It says it may take actions that "range from suspending the account privileges to account termination". Nobody should risk a listing that brings walk-ins and calls for the sake of one Diwali banner.

04What should you do this week?

This takes about fifteen minutes on your phone. Open your Business Profile and go through it in this order:

• Business name: it should match the board outside your shop. Remove any "Sale", "Offer" or extra keywords.
• Description: describe what you sell, who you serve and since when. Remove prices, discounts and "call now".
• Photos: delete any offer flex, poster or price list you uploaded as a listing photo. Add fresh photos of the shop front, counter, team and real products.
• Posts: put your Diwali offer here, with dates, and keep the phone number the same as your verified one.
• Links in posts: point them only to your own website or a page about your business.

Then make one note for 9 November. The day after Diwali, check that no festive photo has crept into the listing, and archive the expired offer post.

05Where should the Diwali offer go instead?

The offer itself is fine. It just needs the right home. For most local businesses that means four places:

If you still need the plan for the next two weeks, see Diwali 2026 marketing plan for shops in Rudrapur and Haldwani: a week-by-week countdown. For the offer creatives themselves, in Hindi and English, our Graphic Designer in Rudrapur for Logos, Menus & Ads page shows how we work.

06What should you not panic about?

A few things stay as they were, at least going by the policy page:

• Offers in posts are allowed. The page says so in plain words.
• Your own website link in a post is fine. The rule is about links "not related to your business".
• Reviews your customers write are covered by a separate rule for users, not by the merchant rule.
• A product photo is not a promotion. A photo with a price stamped on it may be.

Also, this is a policy wording change. Google has not announced a sweep of every listing. In AMS's view, the sensible response is a quiet clean-up now, not a panic. If a listing has carried a sale banner for years, remove it today and move on.

07How does AMS handle offers for clients?

Advance Media Solution does not manage Google Business Profiles. Owners keep control of their own listing. What we do is make the festive content and tell clients where each piece should go.

On a typical Diwali job, we shoot the real stock and the shop floor, then cut one reel for Instagram and ads. We make a clean offer creative for the Business Profile post and a WhatsApp version. The listing photos stay permanent: shop front, interiors, team and products. That split now matches Google's rule as well.

If you want help with festive reels and offer creatives, see Social Media Marketing Agency in Rudrapur or call +91 91059 43909. Either way, spend fifteen minutes on your listing this week.

08Questions people ask