Google is shutting down the Business.Site websites on March 1, 2024. When local businesses created a Google Business Profile (formerly called “Google My Business”), the local business had an option of having Google make a “website” for them, which was on a subdomain at business.site. For example, localbizname.business.site. However, in an email sent today, Google has decided to completely shut down the business.site websites. Starting March 1, 2024, if you have a business.site website, it will be redirected to the Google Business Profile listing that’s associated with that website. Then, on June 10, 2024, the website will no longer be available. This is kind of expected, considering the fact that Google sold Google Domains to Squarespace recently.
Here is the email that was sent out today to Google Business Profile accounts:
“Websites made with Google Business Profiles will be turned off soon
Starting from March 1, 2024, customers will be redirected to your Business Profile when they visit these websites
In the past you’ve used a Google feature to make a simple website from the information on your Business Profile.
This feature is going away in the coming months and will no longer be supported, meaning the site you created with this tool will be removed. To help with the transition, starting March 1, 2024, customers visiting sample site.?business.?site will be redirected to your Google Business Profile.
On your profile you can showcase similar information about your business, and also add social media links so customers can learn more. Your website will redirect customers until June 10, 2024, after which it will show as unavailable.
Updating your profile with a different website
You can update your Business Profile to link to a different website. If you need to make a website, you can use a site builder such as Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Google Sites, Shopify, or WordPress.”
There’s more information about websites created with Google Business Profiles, and how they will be turned off on the Google Support page:
- Domains that end with business.site and negocio.site will be removed from the website field on your Business Profile in March. We recommend that you update your Google Business Profile to point to a new website.
- 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.
What I recommend is that if your Google Business Profile is linking to your Business.Site address, then go ahead and set up a Wix or Squarespace website if you haven’t already. Most businesses have already been linking to a website on their own domain name, so it’s really not going to be an issue. However, if you’ve done link building in the past to your business.site “website”, you may want to use Majestic.com to check the links to that address–and update the links if you can.
