The shutdown of Google’s Business Profile website service, from 5 March 2024 brings major changes for small businesses worldwide.

For years, Google’s Business Profile website service was the top choice for SMEs seeking a cheap and easy way to create their own business website. The service pulled information and photos from your Google Business Profile to create a personalised website with a chosen theme, photos and text.

Your Google Business Profile will remain unchanged and your customers will be able to find information about your business on Google Search and Maps. This profile is essential for attracting customers, as 78% of Google searches result in visits within a week. Now is a great time to update your profile and ensure your opening hours, address, phone number, reviews and website links are up to date.

Google’s announcement only affects websites made using Google Business Profile. Check if your business has a website with URLs containing 'business.site' or 'negocio.site'.

If your website is impacted by the change you have until Monday 10 June 2024 to create a new website and update your online presence, including any Google Ad campaigns to direct to your new site.

Until this time, visitors will automatically be redirected to your Google Business Profile when attempting to visit your website. Once Google deactivates the redirect service after Monday 10 June, your customers will see an error message, which will impact their overall experience of engaging with your business.

To create a new website, you must register a domain and find a new hosting platform.

Fortunately, plenty of user-friendly website builders are available, some of which are free and many are affordable. Take your time to explore your options.

For more information on websites made with Google Business Profiles, visit the Google Support website.

To learn more about Google Business Profiles, visit the Google Support website.