You have two months to update your Google Business Profile Google is pushing business owners to update their profiles by March 2024, as they put an end to their official website hosting systems. Written by Stephanie Lennox Updated on 12 January 2024 Our experts We are a team of writers, experimenters and researchers providing you with the best advice with zero bias or partiality. Written and reviewed by: Stephanie Lennox Writer Direct to your inbox Sign up to the Startups Weekly Newsletter Stay informed on the top business stories with Startups.co.uk’s weekly email newsletter SUBSCRIBE In a recent announcement, Google has revealed its plans to shutter basic websites created through Google Business Profiles. The affected sites, specifically those ending in business.site and negocio.site, will face closure in March 2024, with Google redirecting customers to their respective Google Business Profiles.Google advises users to update their Google Business Profile as soon as possible, and to change to a new website domain.Act now or face the “Page not found”After June 10, pages will no longer even be redirected. Visitors attempting to access your Google Business Profile website will be met with a discouraging “page not found” error, as the website will have been inactive for around three months.Google emphasises: “If you’d like to continue having a website for your business, consider creating a new website using other tools and updating your Business Profile with the new website address” to avoid inconvenience.The quest for new website buildersIn their official statement, Google also recommended exploring alternative website builders, emphasising the importance of a seamless transition for maintaining an active online presence.Google sold its Domains business to Squarespace in 2023, and has been redirecting Google Domains customers to Squarespace ever since. But interestingly, in its list of the six website builders they officially recommend, Squarespace only snags second place, behind Wix. The list also features GoDaddy, Google Sites, Shopify, and WordPress.The clock is ticking – update your Google Business Profile by March to fight the 404 and keep your online presence intact. 4.8 out of 5 Website Features 4.6 Design Functionality 4.2 Value for Money 3.7 Help and Support 4.5 Customer Score 4.0 User Experience 3.9 Visit Wix Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags News and Features Written by: Stephanie Lennox Writer Stephanie Lennox is the resident funding & finance expert at Startups: A successful startup founder in her own right, 2x bestselling author and business strategist, she covers everything from business grants and loans to venture capital and angel investing. With over 14 years of hands-on experience in the startup industry, Stephanie is passionate about how business owners can not only survive but thrive in the face of turbulent financial times and economic crises. With a background in media, publishing, finance and sales psychology, and an education at Oxford University, Stephanie has been featured on all things 'entrepreneur' in such prominent media outlets as The Bookseller, The Guardian, TimeOut, The Southbank Centre and ITV News, as well as several other national publications.