Google Posts is a new platform that recently became available for most business categories across the globe. Creating a post on Google using Google My Business permits you to publish information pertinent to your business. You can place events, products and services directly in Google searches and maps.

 

Google Posts Events

Google posts allows a business to post an upcoming event. A post Event follows the same format as a regular Google Posts with Image and Body Copy, but has the added addition of Event Title and Calendar Date and Start / End times.

 

 

Events posted via Google Posts will stay live until the end of the event date settings unlike regular posts which are live for 7 days. However if the business adds more then two Google Posts in a seven day period then the event moves out of visibility and the user has to scroll through the Google Posts.

 

 

Event Markup

A business can take advantage of having their Events (multiple) displaying in the knowledge panel over and above their Google Posts.

1) This provides Event visibility all the time.
2) The business does not have to worry about adding Google Posts for fear of lack of visibility in search.

 

 

In order for Google to use your event information in the knowledge panel, you need to provide Google with event details in a structured format using Event Schema / structured data markup.

 

What Types of Events Can Be Marked Up?

Event Schema is then broken down into more specific event types. Keep an eye on these as Schema is always being updated and added to:

Event Structured Data (JSON-LD)

Basic Event Markup:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "http://schema.org",
  "@type": "Event",
  "name": "Peterborough Festival of Antiques Sept 2017",
  "image": "http://www.festivalofantiques.co.uk/wp-content/themes/alt-fruity/dist/images/logo.png", 
  "url": "http://www.festivalofantiques.co.uk/",
  "description": "One of the largest Antiques Fairs in the UK",
  "startDate": "2017-09-29T10:00",
  "endDate": "2017-09-29T16:30",
  "location": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "name": "Peterborough Festival of Antiques",
      "address": {
      "@type": "PostalAddress",
      "streetAddress": "Newcombe Way",
      "addressLocality": "Peterborough",
      "addressRegion": "Camebridgeshire",
      "postalCode": "PE2 6SE"
    }
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "url": "http://www.festivalofantiques.co.uk/fairs/friday-29th-september-saturday-30th-september-2017/"
  }
}
 </script>

 

See more on Event Structured Data

By utilizing Event Markup you add an additional layer to your businesses visibility in search.