Websites made with Google Business Profiles will be turned off soon.
Google is shutting down business.site websites - what you need to know:
On March 1, 2024, Google will be shutting down business.site websites. If you have one created, it will be redirected to your Google Business Profile listing that associated with that website.
Local businesses had the option to create a very simple 'website' which would reside on a subdomain at business.site.
The email that was sent out today to all Google Business Profile accounts reads:
Websites made with Google Business Profiles will be turned off soon.
Starting March 1, 2024, customers will be redirected to your Business Profiles when they visit these websites.
In the past you've used a Google feature to make simple websites from the information on your Business Profile.
This feature is going away in the coming months and will no longer be supported, meaning the sites you created with this tool will be removed. To help with the transition, starting March 1, 2024, customers will be redirected to your Business Profile.
On your profiles you can showcase similar information about your business, and also add social media llinks so customers can learn more. Your websites will redirect customers until June 10, 2024, after which it will show as unavailable.
Updating your profiles with a different website
You can update your Business Profiles to link to a different website.
What are the next steps to take?
- We recommend removing the
business.site url from your profile and linking to a professionally built website using your own business domain. If you need to make a website, you can
reach out to PS Digital and get a free consultation on what's best for your business.
- We recommend checking all the information in your Google Business Profile to make sure it is the most up-to-date.
Questions from our clients:
Michael Asks...
Does this Google business profile message in the January newsletter affect our site?
Great question!
A few years ago, Google introduced an option to create a free one-page website from within your Google Business Listing. This tool helped businesses create a simple one-page website that would pull information from your Google Business Profile to create this website.
An example of one of these sites that you may see on the internet is a site like this:
https://pool-pro-inc.business.site/
These are websites typically ending in business.site instead of .com
All our client websites are created in the Duda builder platform and is registered with your own domain name.
So the answer is, no your business will not be affected. You are all good!
