I am always looking for ways to automate my business process to save time and money. In this post I’ll show you how to automatically create posts on your Google business profile using Google Sheets and Pabbly Connect. If you automate Google Business Profile posts, you will save time and ensure your profile is always up to date! The video below will walk you through the process in video format. The steps are also outlines below in this blog post!
Before we get started, here are a few data items to keep in mind:
- Date/Time inside Google Sheets inside Google Sheets is formatted as YYYY-MM-DD XX:XX in 24-hour time. While you can use AM/PM in your Google Sheet, you must convert it to 24-hour time later in Pabbly Connect for proper automation.
- Pabbly Connect wants date time to be in UTC+0 time, so you will need to convert the time from your sheet over to UTC+0 time.
- The Action Type and Media Format must be formatted per Google’s requirements. This is described in the section below where we cover setting up the Google Sheet.
Why Google Business Profile Posts Matter for Local SEO
Google Business Profile is a powerful marketing tool that helps you advertise your business’s services and products to customers in your local community. By creating social media-style posts, you can showcase what you offer and engage directly with your community.
Enhance Business Visibility For Local Customers
When you regularly update your Google business profile with relevant content, Google recognizes your business as active and engaging. This activity helps you rank higher in local search results and on Google Maps, making it easier for potential customers to find you. I recommend to publish at least once a day to your business profile.
Posting frequently allows you to communicate directly with your local audience. When you’re running a business, you have to get the word out and market your services or else nobody’s going to know you exist.
Why Automate Google Business Profile Posts
You may wonder why you should consider setting up automations for your business. The answer is short and sweet – automation saves you time. Saving time will lead to:
- increased productivity
- lower operating expenses
- increased business revenue
Let’s break down the time it takes to manually post on your Google Business Profile:
- Starting Up: Turning on your computer and logging in to your Google Business Profile takes about 5 minutes.
- Content Planning: Thinking about what to post takes another 3 minutes.
- Writing and Posting: Composing the content and posting it takes around 7 minutes.
So, each manual post takes approximately 15 minutes.
Automating this process and planning your content for a month using Google Sheets can significantly reduce the time spent on posting. While automation won’t eliminate all the time required, it can save you at least 5 minutes per post.
Time Savings Calculation
Assume you post twice a day every business day (20 days per month). That’s 40 posts per month!
Manual Posting Time:
- 40 posts x 15 minutes per post = 600 minutes per month (10 hours).
Automated Posting Time:
- Saving 5 minutes per post through automation:
- 40 posts x 10 minutes per post = 400 minutes per month (6 hours and 40 minutes).
Total Time Saved:
- 600 minutes (manual) – 400 minutes (automated) = 200 minutes saved per month.
- 200 minutes = 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Imagine what you could accomplish with an extra 3 hours and 20 minutes each month! Automation not only saves time but also allows you to focus on other important aspects of your business (Like accounting!).
Automate Google Business Profile Posts – Setting Up A Pabbly Connect Workflow
First, setup a new workflow in Pabbly Connect. We will need to generate a webhook URL inside Pabbly Connect to use with our Google Sheet in the next step.
You will only need 1 trigger and 3 actions to setup a robust automation that will schedule your posts to Google Business Profile. This image shows the general workflow to automatically post to your business profile.
The Trigger
The trigger will be the Google Sheets: New or Updated Spreadsheet Row trigger. Make note of the webhook URL that is gnerated. We will need to add this inside Google Sheets later.
The Actions
You need these three action steps:
- Date/Time formatter
- Delay
- Google Business Profile: Create Call To Action Post
Please note – Pabbly connect delay action expects datetime in UTC+0 format. So make sure you plan accordingly and setup your datetime field in a way that you can easily format the date into UTC+0 time using the Pabbly Date/Time formatter.
Automate Google Business Profile Posts – Setting Up Google Sheets
In this section, I will cover the high-level steps on how to automate Google Business Profile posts. Here is the columns you must setup in Google Sheets:
| Summary | Landing Page URL | Media Source | Action Type | Photo Status | Date (Trigger) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post Content About 1000 characters long | https://example.com | https://img.url/img1 | Learn More | Yes | Triggered |
Preparing Your Google Sheet
Start by setting up your Google Sheet with the following columns:
- Summary: The content of your post
- Landing Page URL: The URL for your call-to-action button
- Media Source: Link to an image to include in your post
- Action Type: Type of button (e.g., Learn More, Book a Consultation)
- Photo Status: Indicate if a photo is included or not
- Trigger Column (F): When data is entered here, the automation is triggered
With this spreadsheet setup:
- Add the content of your post in the Summary column.
- Enter the URL for your call-to-action button in the Landing Page URL column.
- Provide a link to an image in the Media Source column. Ensure this image is accessible online (you can upload the image to your website and use the link here).
- Specify the type of call-to-action button (e.g., Learn More, Book a Consultation) in the Action Type column.
- Use the Photo Status column to indicate whether to include the photo (Yes) or skip it (No).
- Enter the date and time in the Trigger Column (F) to initiate the automation process.
Please note, the data for Action Type and Photo Status must be set up with the proper values. Use the values in the two lists below.
For the Action Type column, you need to use these values exactly because this is what Google will expect when you post automatically:
- LEARN_MORE
- BOOK
- CALL
- ORDER
- SIGN_UP
- SHOP
For the Photo Status column, you need to use these values exactly because this is what Google will expect when you post automatically:
- PHOTO (if you have an image in the Media Source column)
- {{pc_skip_field_with_parent}} (if you want to not post an image and don’t have an image source)
Install Pabbly Connect Add-on In your Google Sheet
Pabbly connect has a nifty little add-on that will allow your sheet to send data out to Pabbly Connect via a webhook.
Step 1: Add Pabbly Connect Add-on
- Open Google Sheets
- In the upper taskbar, click on Add-ons.
- Select Get add-ons from the drop-down menu.
- Install Pabbly Connect Webhooks
- In the G Suite Marketplace search bar, type Pabbly Connect Webhooks.
- Click on the add-on and then click Install.
- Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
Step 2: Set Up Pabbly Connect Webhooks
- Initial Setup
- After installation, Find the Extensions menu.
- Click on Pabbly Connect Webhooks and select Initial Setup.
- If you don’t see the Initial Setup option, refresh your Google Sheet.
- Configure the Webhook
- After your find the Extensions menu and select Pabbly Connect Webhooks.
- Click Initial Setup
- A window will appear with two fields: Webhook URL and Trigger Column.
- Enter the Webhook URL provided by Pabbly Connect.
- Set the Trigger Column to the column where your last data entry is. For our scenario, use column F.
Testing The Automation
Inside Google Sheets, we can perform tests to see what data is sent over to Pabbly. Data must be entered inside row 2 only for sending test data. Data in all other rows is ignored.
- Open the initial setup interface in Google Sheets by finding the Extensions menu and select Pabbly Connect Webhooks
- Click Send Test to send a webhook to Pabbly with data from row 2.
- In Pabbly Connect, set it to listen for the incoming webhook request.
- Click Send Test in Google Sheets to verify that data flows correctly into Pabbly.
FAQs About Automatically Posting to Google Business Profile
How complicated is it to set up the automation between Google Sheets and Pabbly Connect?
Setting up the automation involves several steps, including configuring Google Sheets, installing the Pabbly Connect add-on, and setting up workflows within Pabbly Connect. While the process is straightforward, it does require a basic understanding of webhooks and date-time formatting. If you’re not familiar with these concepts, it might be beneficial to get some help to ensure everything is set up correctly and runs smoothly.
What are the benefits of automating Google Business Profile posts?
Automating your posts can save you a significant amount of time each month, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks. It ensures your profile is consistently updated, improving your local SEO and keeping your audience engaged. By planning and automating your content, you can maintain a regular posting schedule without the daily effort.
What challenges might I face while setting up this automation?
You might encounter challenges such as correctly formatting date and time values, ensuring webhooks are properly configured, and dealing with potential integration issues between Google Sheets and Pabbly Connect. These technical details can be tricky, especially if you’re new to automation tools and webhooks.
Can I customize the types of posts and content I automate?
Yes, you can customize your posts to include different types of content, action buttons, and media. The setup in Google Sheets allows you to define these elements for each post, giving you flexibility in how you present your business. However, ensuring that each element adheres to Google’s requirements and is correctly formatted is crucial for the automation to work flawlessly.
How do I know if the automation is working correctly?
After setting up the automation, you can test it by sending sample data from Google Sheets to Pabbly Connect and observing if the posts are created as expected on your Google Business Profile. Monitoring and occasionally checking your automated posts will help you ensure that everything is functioning correctly. If you notice any issues, troubleshooting might be necessary to address specific errors or misconfigurations.
Conclusion
Automating your Google Business Profile posts using Google Sheets and Pabbly Connect is a powerful way to streamline your workflow, save time, and increase productivity. By reducing the manual effort required to maintain an active online presence, you can focus on other critical aspects of your business, such as engaging with customers, improving your services, and driving growth. With the step-by-step guide provided, you can easily set up this automation and start reaping the benefits of a more efficient and effective marketing strategy. If you have any questions or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out. Embrace automation and watch your business thrive!
