How to Add Events to Google My Business

Announcing your next big thing directly on Google gives you a powerful, free way to reach people who are actively looking for local happenings. Whether you’re a cafe hosting a live music night, a bookstore running a signing, or a gym holding an open house, listing your event on your Google Business Profile puts you right in front of a searching audience. This guide walks you through the exact steps to add events to your Google Business Profile, shares best practices for making them stand out, and answers common questions that trip people up.

Why Google Business Profile Events Are Worth Your Time

In a world of crowded social media feeds, promoting your event directly on Google Search and Maps is one of the most direct ways to connect with potential attendees. When you add an event to what was formerly called Google My Business, it doesn’t just sit on your profile, it actively works for you.

Here’s what makes this feature so valuable:

• Prime Visibility: Your event can appear directly in local search results when someone searches for terms like "live music near me" or "workshops this weekend." It gets featured alongside your business information in the local map pack and knowledge panel, areas with incredibly high engagement.
• Zero Cost, High Impact: This is a completely free marketing channel. You don’t have to pay for ad space or boost a post to reach your local community. You’re simply giving Google more information, and it rewards you by showing it to relevant searchers.
• Drives Direct Action: Google event listings aren't just informational, they're built for conversions. You can add a button with a direct link to your ticketing page, registration form, or event landing page, making it easy for interested people to take the next step immediately.
• Builds Trust and Excitement: An active profile with upcoming events signals that your business is vibrant and engaged with its community. It shows there are things happening, which makes your business more interesting and worth visiting than a static, lifeless profile. It gives customers a reason to choose you right now.

Getting Prepared: What You'll Need Before You Start

Before you jump into your Google Business Profile, gathering everything you need will make the process smooth and quick. It’s like gathering your ingredients before you start cooking - you spend less time scrambling and more time getting it right. Have these details ready to go:

• Catchy Event Title: Be clear and exciting. Instead of "Workshop," try "Beginner's Pottery Wheel Workshop." A good title should be no more than 58 characters to avoid getting cut off.
• Start & End Dates and Times: Double-check these! You’ll need a start date and time, and if it's a multi-day event or lasts several hours, you can set an end date and time, too.
• An Engaging Description: This is your space to sell the event. What is it? Who is it for? What will attendees gain from it? Give the key details and add a little personality. You have up to 1,500 characters, so use them to detail the value and get people excited.
• High-Quality Photo or Video: Visuals are everything. A boring stock image won't get noticed. Use a vibrant photo or even a short video (up to 30 seconds) that captures the energy of the event. Aim for an image that is at least 400px wide by 300px tall with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
• Call-to-Action (CTA) Button & Link: Google gives you a choice of buttons like "Book," "Order Online," "Buy," "Learn More," "Sign up," or "Call." Pick the one that makes the most sense and have the direct URL for that action ready to paste. This is your most important conversion tool, so make sure the link works!

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Adding an Event in Google Business Profile

Ready to get your event listed? The process lives inside the "Posts" feature of your GBP dashboard. Here’s how to do it, step by step.

Step 1: Access Your Google Business Profile

The easiest way to manage your profile is directly from Google Search. As long as you are logged into the Google account that manages the business, just search for your exact business name on Google or type "my business" into the search bar. You’ll see a management panel appear at the top of the search results that’s just for you.

Step 2: Navigate to Add a Post

In the management panel, you’ll see several buttons like "Edit Profile," "Read reviews," and "Messages." Look for the button that says "Add update" or sometimes "Create a post." In some profile views, this button may say "Promote." Click on it. A new window will pop up with different post types at the top.

Step 3: Select the "Add event" Post Type

In the pop-up window, you'll see a few options: "Add update," "Add offer," and "Add event." Some businesses may not see all of these options depending on their primary business category. Click on "Add event." This will bring up the specific template for creating an event listing, with all the necessary fields.

Step 4: Fill in Your Event Information

This is where your preparation pays off. Go through each field and add the details you gathered earlier:

• Event title: Enter the catchy, descriptive title for your event. Use key terms people might search for if it makes sense, like "Free Yoga Class" or "Weekend Coffee Tasting."
• Start date / End date: Choose the start and end dates. Use the calendar to select them.
• Time: You can add a specific start and end time. If your event runs all day, you can skip this, but being specific is usually better for attendees.
• Description: Paste or type your engaging description. Lay out the most important information first, followed by compelling details. Think about what a potential attendee needs to know to make a decision.

Step 5: Add a Call-to-Action Button

Just below the description, you’ll see the "Add a button (optional)" toggle. Turn this on to reveal a dropdown menu of button text options ("Book," "Learn More," etc.). Choose the button that best fits your goal and paste the destination URL into the "Link for your button" field. Don’t skip this step! It’s the bridge between getting someone’s attention and getting them to sign up or buy a ticket.

Step 6: Add Your Visuals

Next, click the "Select photos or videos" area. You can upload an image or short video directly from your computer. Choose visuals that are clear, well-lit, and genuinely represent your event. An authentic photo of a previous, similar event is often more powerful than a generic graphic. The photo you add here becomes the thumbnail that people see in search results, so make it count.

Step 7: Preview and Publish Your Event

Before you hit publish, take a moment to look at the preview. Read through your title and description to check for typos. Test your link by copying and pasting it into a new tab. Does everything look right? If so, click the "Post" button. Your event will typically go live within a few minutes after a quick review by Google.

Best Practices: What to Do After Your Event is Live

Publishing the event is a great first step, but a little extra effort can significantly boost its reach and effectiveness.

Promote Your Google Event Listing Elsewhere

Once your event is live, you can get a direct link to it. Share this link on your social media channels, in your email newsletter or even in a text message. It sends a strong signal to Google when people click from other sources to view your event, and it gives your customers another handy way to see the details.

Post Updates Leading Up to the Event

Use the standard "Update" post type in your Google Business Profile to build hype. A week before, you could post about a featured speaker. A few days before, post a "last chance for tickets" reminder. This keeps your profile active and keeps your event top-of-mind for your local followers.

Keep Your Event Information Current

If any details change - time, location, a speaker cancels - edit your event post immediately. The last thing you want is for customers to show up based on outdated information. You can edit a post by finding it in your profile’s management section and clicking the three little dots on the post to find the "Edit" option.

Use for All Kinds of Promotions

Get creative with what counts as an "event." It doesn't have to be a ticketed festival. It can be:

• A weekend sale or special promotion
• A free product demo or tasting
• A live webinar or online course launch
• A community fundraiser your business is hosting
• A featured "Taco Tuesday" special that runs every week
• An artist's reception at your gallery

Framing these activities as events creates a sense of timeliness and makes them more visible.

Final Thoughts

Using Google Business Profile to publish your events is one of the simplest and most effective local marketing moves you can make. It leverages the world's biggest search engine to put your happenings directly in the path of people who are looking for things to do, all without costing you a dime in ad spend.

Of course, after promoting your event on Google, your next move is getting the word out on all your other channels. We’ve seen firsthand how managing announcements across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more can feel like a full-time job in itself. That's why we built Postbase with a clean, visual calendar that lets you plan, schedule, and see all your event promotions across all your platforms in one view, helping you stay consistent and save hours.