Why Google’s "What's Happening" Feature Makes Google Posts More Important Than Ever
Google’s "What’s Happening" feature gives your Google Posts more prominent placement in search — and early data shows it drives real clicks. Here’s how to use it.
Key takeaways
- The "What's Happening" feature surfaces both first-party GBP posts and linked social content more prominently in local search — making regularly updated profiles far more discoverable than before
- Uberall's consumer survey found that nearly 30% of consumers choose a business based on special events and promotions, and almost half will return for a discount — exactly the kind of content this feature is designed to highlight
- Search engines and LLMs prioritize businesses that actively post, so brands neglecting Google Posts risk falling behind competitors who keep their profiles current with timely, local content
We've long championed the power of Google Posts at Uberall as a direct way for businesses to communicate with local customers. But let's be honest — the visibility and impact of those posts have sometimes been limited, especially compared to the reach of social media platforms. That's changing.
Google rolled out the "What's Happening" feature for Google Business Profiles, covering both first-party (Google Business Profile posts) and third-party social content. Initially available only to single-location food and drink businesses, the feature has since expanded to multi-location restaurants and bars in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Our Uberall Consumer Survey found that nearly 30% of consumers say they choose a business based on special events and promotions and 47.5% will revisit that business if there is a special promotion or discount. That's exactly where this Google update shines.
What's the "What's Happening" Update?
The "What's Happening" feature introduces a refreshed way for consumers to discover and engage with a business' real-time content:
- First-party posts: Updates, offers, and events you publish directly to your Google Business Profile now appear more prominently in local search.
- Third-party social posts: If you've linked your social profiles (like Instagram or Facebook) to your Google Business Profile, content from those channels may also be highlighted.
These posts appear in new carousels and modules when users search for relevant businesses — especially in verticals like food and beverage, retail, and hospitality.
The goal behind all of this is to make it easier for searchers to see what's happening at your location right now.
The feature is already live for multi-location restaurants and bars, and we expect Google to continue expanding it to additional verticals and markets.
Why Does This Update Matter?
This is Google leaning into real-time discovery and rewarding businesses that actively update their profiles and stay engaged with their customers. For brands, it's a major opportunity to:
- drive more traffic from search to store, since search engines and LLMs look for updated businesses first and prioritize these in their results
- showcase special events, offers, and news where consumers are already looking, since data tells us this is what drives consumers to visit and revisit businesses
- differentiate from competitors who aren't leveraging Google Posts or social integration
And the impact is measurable. According to Google's data, when a "What's Happening" module is triggered for an event, deal, or special happening tonight — meaning the post has an explicit start time of 6 PM or later on the current day — there's an approximate 9% increase in navigation and call clicks (8.1% for directions and 9.6% for calls). Results vary based on business type and post quality, but what is clear is that timeliness drives action.
In short: If you've been neglecting your Google Posts, it's time to rethink your strategy.
The Uberall platform luckily makes it seamless to manage this at scale. From our platform, you can schedule and polish Google Posts across all your locations, link your social media profiles to your Google Business Profiles, as well as monitor your performance and optimize your profile based on engagement data.
What Should You Post About?
If you're wondering what type of content performs well, Uberall Academy has you covered.
Some examples include:
- Seasonal specials and promotions
- Upcoming events or in-store experiences
- Product launches or limited-time offerings
- Community involvement or brand stories
And we recommend you include keywords and/or visuals with each of the examples listed above to maximize your visibility further.
The key takeaway here is that you should keep your content fresh, timely, and local. That's what the "What's Happening" feature is designed to highlight.
Tell Customers What's Happening in Your Business
We expect this feature to continue expanding across more industries and markets. Now is the time to get your local content strategy in place and attract attention and customers to your locations. If you're an Uberall customer, your Account Manager is ready to help you take full advantage of these capabilities.
If you want to learn more, check out Uberall Academy or get in touch with our expert team for a personalized walkthrough.
1,800 brands trust us to stay visible
— not just show up once or twice in local search.
Frequently asked questions
The "What’s Happening" feature initially launched for single-location food and drink businesses in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Google has since expanded it to multi-location restaurants and bars in those same markets. Google has signaled that more industries will follow, it’s still limited to food and drink businesses.
The "What’s Happening" section appears as a carousel or module near the top of your Google Business Profile in Search, showing your most recent Google Posts and linked social media content. On mobile, it’s especially prominent — updates like daily specials, events, and offers are surfaced right where customers are making decisions about where to go.
First-party posts are updates, offers, and events you publish directly through your Google Business Profile. Third-party local social posts are content from linked platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or X that Google automatically surfaces on your profile. Both can appear in the "What’s Happening" section, but first-party posts give you more control over formatting and calls to action.
Go to your Google Business Profile, select "Edit profile," then "Business information," then "Contact." Under "Social profiles," add one link per platform — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, X, or YouTube. Once linked, Google can automatically surface your social posts in the "What’s Happening" section and in a "Social Media Updates" carousel on your profile.
Google hasn’t confirmed that posting frequency is a direct ranking factor, but regular posts signal that your business is active — and activity is something both search engines and AI answer engines prioritize when surfacing results. For multi-location businesses, aim for at least one post per location per week. The "What’s Happening" section gives those posts a more prominent placement than before.
Yes, a local social management platform lets you create, schedule, and publish Google Posts across all your locations from one dashboard. Uberall’s platform can schedule Google Posts, link social profiles to each Business Profile, and monitor performance based on engagement data. This is especially valuable now that "What’s Happening" gives those posts more visibility.
Google has indicated that expansion is planned, but hasn’t confirmed a timeline or which industries are next. For non-food-and-beverage businesses, it’s still critical to regularly publish Google Posts and link your social profiles keeps your profile active and ready for when the feature reaches your category.
Focus on timely, location-specific content: seasonal promotions, upcoming events, limited-time menu items, or community happenings. The article recommends including keywords and visuals with every post to maximize visibility. Google’s feature is designed to highlight what’s happening at your business right now, so freshness matters more than polish — a quick update about tonight’s live music is more valuable than a generic brand post from last month.
The "What’s Happening" feature initially launched for single-location food and drink businesses in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Google has since expanded it to multi-location restaurants and bars in those same markets. Google has signaled that more industries will follow, it’s still limited to food and drink businesses.
The "What’s Happening" section appears as a carousel or module near the top of your Google Business Profile in Search, showing your most recent Google Posts and linked social media content. On mobile, it’s especially prominent — updates like daily specials, events, and offers are surfaced right where customers are making decisions about where to go.
First-party posts are updates, offers, and events you publish directly through your Google Business Profile. Third-party local social posts are content from linked platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or X that Google automatically surfaces on your profile. Both can appear in the "What’s Happening" section, but first-party posts give you more control over formatting and calls to action.
Go to your Google Business Profile, select "Edit profile," then "Business information," then "Contact." Under "Social profiles," add one link per platform — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, X, or YouTube. Once linked, Google can automatically surface your social posts in the "What’s Happening" section and in a "Social Media Updates" carousel on your profile.
Google hasn’t confirmed that posting frequency is a direct ranking factor, but regular posts signal that your business is active — and activity is something both search engines and AI answer engines prioritize when surfacing results. For multi-location businesses, aim for at least one post per location per week. The "What’s Happening" section gives those posts a more prominent placement than before.
Yes, a local social management platform lets you create, schedule, and publish Google Posts across all your locations from one dashboard. Uberall’s platform can schedule Google Posts, link social profiles to each Business Profile, and monitor performance based on engagement data. This is especially valuable now that "What’s Happening" gives those posts more visibility.
Google has indicated that expansion is planned, but hasn’t confirmed a timeline or which industries are next. For non-food-and-beverage businesses, it’s still critical to regularly publish Google Posts and link your social profiles keeps your profile active and ready for when the feature reaches your category.
Focus on timely, location-specific content: seasonal promotions, upcoming events, limited-time menu items, or community happenings. The article recommends including keywords and visuals with every post to maximize visibility. Google’s feature is designed to highlight what’s happening at your business right now, so freshness matters more than polish — a quick update about tonight’s live music is more valuable than a generic brand post from last month.