Countdown To The Removal Of Google Business Sites
In March 2024, Google will be pulling the plug on all websites created with Google Business Profile. For around three months afterwards, the link to those websites will redirect users to the Google Business Profile (GBP) associated with that site. However, after the 10th of June 2024, the link will no longer work or redirect to your GBP. If you don’t have a Google Business Profile website, this will not affect you. However, if you do, the time to act is now.
What Is A Google Business Profile Website?
Any website with a domain that ends with business.site or negocio.site is associated with the GBP feature. Because this feature will disappear in a matter of weeks, we’ll be referring to it in the past tense.
Google business websites were a free feature provided by Google that allowed users to create simple websites for free. Anyone with an existing Google Business Profile was able to use the tool to create their own site. The information from the profile was pulled into the site, making the set-up process quick and easy. It also automatically updated the information on the website when any changes were made to the GBP, so it was a nifty way to maintain a basic business website.
What’s Happening To Existing Google Business Websites?
In March, both GBP domains will be automatically removed from business profiles. This means that you’ll need to replace that link with a link to a new, non-GBP website if you still want to bring users to a website. If you choose to keep links to a GBP website anywhere else, these will return a ‘page not found’ error after the 10th of June. Therefore, it’s important to have a plan now.
What Happens To Google Ads When Google Business Websites Deactivate?
Google business websites that are connected to Google Ads campaigns will need to be updated before the 1st of March. If you don’t change the website to a new one, the ads will no longer be eligible to run. To ensure your ads still work and make your business visible to users, you’ll need to put together a plan.
Making A Plan For The Demise Of GBP Websites
In the grand scheme of things, there is not much time left to act if your online presence currently relies on a GBP website. New websites take a few weeks to build, so you should consult a trusted web design agency as soon as possible. Thankfully, if you need to find an affordable web designer that delivers outstanding results, you’re in the right place! At Search4Local, we pride ourselves on our hugely successful digital advertising products that allow small business to compete with much larger competitors online.
Search4Local's Top Ranking Web Development Blog
We’re very excited to announce that Search4Local’s blog has been featured on Feedspot’s list of the top 35 best UK Web Development blogs, in position 18. Our team work really hard to produce regular, high-quality content and we’re really pleased to have been recognised. Thank you, Feedspot!
