Google Shutting Down GMB Business.Sites

Having a digital presence in today's business world should be standard practice. If you're not online and cannot be found on popular search engines or social media platforms, you're invisible to most of your customer base, and you're leaving leads on the table, leads that your competitors will happily gobble up.

Hosting a website has never been cheaper or easier, so setting up your starting point should be relatively easy, but for some, the divide is still too much to ask of them, which is understandable. As a business owner, you have so many things to consider, and sometimes the website has to take a back seat.

The single page service by Google

Google launched a free, single-page website builder designed for small businesses to help get businesses online faster than ever and provide local consumers with more options. All users needed was a Gmail or a Google account, and they could sign up for Google My Business for free.

Once you set up your Googe My Business, you can access the Website builder tool to create and edit websites in minutes on either desktop or mobile. These websites were easy to build with preset templates while information and photos from your Google Business Profile are pulled in automatically to create a basic site. An added bonus was whenever you update your Google Business Profile, the changes are applied to your website as well.

Once you push your website, it will live in a domain-like niche market. business.site. This trimmed-down on-page website could be used to link to your Google My Business (GMB) Profile under the website section, along with your social media accounts.

For those who didn't want to deal with the complexities of buying a domain or hosting a site using a CMS like Squarespace, Wix or WordPress, these GMB websites were the perfect product and many a small business gravitated to using the business.site as their preferred online presence.

Suited for small businesses around the world

The product worked great, and many small business owners took advantage of it, having their website and GMB listing as options for users searching for them. GMB listings are only open to Google, so your business website can be indexed across search engines and easily shared on social media.

That was the real appeal of the service, but it didn't appeal to the powers that be.

As is the case with Google, products tend to die when you least expect it; in the past year alone, Google has shut off several products from Google Optimize, Google Analytics 3, Google Podcasts and now Business Websites Via GMB.

It is a decision out of your control, but it leaves you stranded looking for alternatives for something that might have served your purpose for advertising your business online.

Heads Up, Businesses! Google Business Profile Websites are Taking a Sunset Stroll

If you've made GMB websites your home for the past few years and got value out of the free service, I am sorry to break the news to you, but here goes!

Attention all business owners! Are you rocking a website created through your Google Business Profile (GBP)? If so, don't panic, but you still need to buckle up because it's time for a change in scenery.

Starting March 1st, 2024, these websites will begin their graceful exit, eventually disappearing into the digital horizon by June 10th, 2024.

Don't fret, though! This isn't a sudden disappearance act. Google's giving you ample time to prepare for the farewell.

Here's what you need to know:

What's happening?

Google is discontinuing its website creation feature within GBP. Basically, those simple, basic websites you could whip up through your profile? They're getting retired.

• Domains that end with business.site and negocio.site will be removed from the website field on your GMB profile if left unchanged.
• Other than that, your Business Profile won't be affected. When customers visit your website made with Google Business Profile, they'll be redirected to your Business Profile instead.
• If you don't have a website made with a Google Business Profile, the changes discussed in this article won't affect you.

Why the change?

Google wants you to focus on your core business, not juggling website maintenance and hosting multiple subdomains that aren't exactly driving much value for their bottom line. They encourage building a full-fledged website on a dedicated platform, offering you greater control and customization.

What happens to my existing website?

No need to panic! Until March 1st, your website will function as usual. After that, when someone clicks on your website link, they'll be redirected to your GMB listing. This temporary redirect will last until June 10th, when your website becomes "unavailable."

So, what do I do?

Here are your options:

Embrace the migration

This is Google's preferred path. Start building your own website on a platform like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. You'll have more flexibility, SEO potential, and brand control, but it will require a little effort on your part to create and cost in registering a domain.

If you're set on having the one-page site on your own domain, one of the easiest options is using GoDaddy, registering a domain and using their hosted site builder to spin up a one-page site.

If websites are not your thing, it might be time to reach out to a digital marketing agency, spend a few bucks and have this sorted as soon as possible.

Double down on Google

Optimise your GBP listing to the max. Make sure your information is accurate, your services are highlighted, and your photos are enticing. Remember, this will be your main online presence post-website.

Clean up your NAP

If you've set up multiple citations or had an agency set it up for you, you might want to give all these listings a review, update them to point to your new site location, along with map listings on other services like Bing Places and Apple Maps.

Clean up redirects

If you own a domain but all you did was redirect it to your Google Business Site, its time to update your redirect, if you're not planning to build a website for yourself. Instead, you can point the domain to a link tree or one of your more popular/active social media accounts or use a nichemarket listing as your base of operations and point your redirect to the URL on our domain.

Seek out alternatives

Consider alternative online platforms like social media pages or online directories like nichemarket. We offer business owners and agencies a free listing on our website, and all you need is an email address or Gmail account.

Once signed up, you can publish your profile listing and use this as your replacement, linking it to your Google My Business or social media accounts.

Manage Ads campaign connected to your website.

If you use a website made with a Google Business Profile for your Ads campaign, update your ads to link to a different website before March 1, 2024, to keep them running; again, this is where a niche market landing page can come in handy.

You can use it in conjunction with your existing Google Ads or Social media ads account and replace the Google Business Site link with your nichemarket listing.

If you need help with the migration, we are happy to help, or if you're looking to run ads in search and would like to start from scratch, we can build a campaign for you.

If you don't own it, plan for the unexpected.

Google giveth and Google taketh away, so while we all had the benefit of this free service for some time, you have to realise if you don't own it, it will be taken from you eventually.

Another great example of why you should own and not rent. The platform you rent from could turn off your site, page, or profile, whenever they want. Not sure how much this was being used, but GBP sites are being turned off soon. https://t.co/fDazfr0mKQ

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) January 8, 2024

Remember: This change isn't a setback; it's an opportunity! Taking control of your online presence can open doors to greater brand visibility, customer engagement, and, ultimately, business success.

So, roll up your sleeves, dust off your digital marketing hat, and get ready to navigate this change with confidence. There's a whole digital world waiting to be explored, and your unique business deserves a prime spot on the map!

Tell us your Google My Business story.

Have you been frustrated with Google rankings for your site or click-through rates? How did you or the company overcome it? Are there any tips you would like to share on improving your reports? Share it with us in the comments.

Contact us

If you would like us to set up your Google My Business Page or want to know more about digital marketing for your business, then don’t be shy. We’re happy to assist. Simply contact us

Are you looking to promote your business?

Business owners can create their free business listing on nichemarket. The more information you provide about your business, the easier it will be for your customers to find you online. Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign-up form and follow the instructions.

If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles. 

• How to create a nichemarketer profile 
• How to create a nichemarket business listing 

Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have a little extra time to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, why not check out the following posts on Google My Business?

• How to manage User Roles in Google My Business Listings
• Google My Business Could Become A Paid Service
• Add A Booking Service To Your Google Knowledge Graph

Tags: Google, SEO, Search Engine Optimisation