Announced shortly after the turn of the new year, Google will soon be removing websites that were created from “Google Business Profiles.” The sites affected generally end with “.business.site” and are one-page. This planned deprecation will begin on March 24th, 2024.

Sources:

• Google
• Search Engine Land
• WPBeginner
• Web.com
• techradar
• Reddit

This does not affect sites created with “Google Sites,” which is still listed as a viable alternative on Google’s announcement page. Starting March 24th, people visiting your site will be directed instead to your Google Business Profile.

This news certainly shocked us here at RAD Websites, but it should come as no surprise as Google has also recently handed Google Domains, the domain registration portion of the Google empire, over to Squarespace.

DIY Alternatives

Google is recommending pointing your Google Business Profile’s URL to a new website, and has suggested some viable alternatives:

Create a new website using other tools

To continue having a website for your business, you could consider using a site builder, such as:

• Wix

• Squarespace

• GoDaddy

• Google Sites

• Shopify

• WordPress

Tip: Update your Business Profile with your new website. Learn how to edit your Business Profile on Google.

Source: https://support.google.com/business/answer/1436891

We would like to add Siteground into the list of DIY Alternatives. Our own website was previously hosted there, and though not a content management system on its own, Siteground offers fantastic hosting for WordPress, and was our platform of choice prior to creating our own hosting platform.

Professional Alternatives

For any person or business looking to have a professional website made as a replacement to their Google Business Profile Site, we’ve created a free online Website Design Estimator to help provide a general idea of how much a professional website might cost based on general pricing here in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Feel free to use this estimator to form a basis for a budget, or to get a free second opinion if you’re already talking to a web designer. We don’t even require you to send us your information to get your estimate. 🙂