Why your Google event post isn’t showing and how to fix it

You’ve crafted the perfect Google Business Profile event post – happy hour, brunch, wine night – but it’s not showing up in search. What gives? Let’s break it down.

Who’s eligible for featured event posts?

This feature isn’t available to everyone. It’s currently limited, and there are a few key requirements you need to meet:

• Must be in a restaurant or bar category.
• Doesn’t apply to chain restaurants: If you’re part of a chain, even a small one, you won’t see your post featured. Google is only surfacing event posts from single-location or independent restaurants right now.
• Shows up for branded queries only: That means someone has to search for your business name, not a generic term like “pizza near me.”
• Not available on Maps or desktop: Event post previews currently show only on mobile.
• Limited to English-speaking regions, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand – for now.

Why your post isn’t being featured

Even if you meet all the eligibility requirements, your post content still needs to be written in a way Google understands.

Here’s what doesn’t work:

• “Happy Hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.”

There’s no day’s context. Google doesn’t know when to show it, so it won’t feature it.

Here’s what does work:

• “Happy Hour every Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.”

Now Google has enough context to display the event on the right days.

If this event runs consistently, just set the start and end dates for the entire month and leave it alone. 

There is no need to repost weekly. As long as your post content clearly states the days and times, Google will do the rest.

What events can you highlight?

This isn’t just about happy hour. 

There are plenty of recurring or special events you can promote using the event post format, as long as you select Event when creating the post in your Google Business dashboard. 

Don’t skip this step if you post it as an update instead of an event, it won’t trigger the featured display.

Here are a few examples that work well:

• Weekend brunch: “Brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.”
• Wine night: “Wine Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a curated flight menu.”
• Live music: “Acoustic Thursdays every week from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.”
• Chef’s table: “Limited-seating tasting menu every last Friday of the month at 7 p.m.”
• Taco Tuesday: “Taco Tuesday every Tuesday in July from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.”

Even if you forget to post directly to your GBP, Google may still feature your event if the same details appear clearly on your social platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram. 

Final thoughts

Treat it like a mini schema snippet so Google can parse it accurately. One clear, well-phrased sentence like:

• “Live jazz every Thursday in June from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.”

…can be the difference between your event post getting featured in mobile search or being completely missed.

If your event isn’t appearing, revisit the basics:

• Did you choose the Event post type in your GBP dashboard?
• Is your business category eligible?
• Are your days and times clearly stated in the post text?
• Did you set the start and end dates for the full event duration?
• Don’t set the event for longer than a month. Google typically ignores events that run for extended periods.

Google typically rolls out new features to one vertical, like restaurants, starting with mobile and limited regions. 

This one’s no different. I’m sure it’s still evolving, so check back here for updates as it expands.