Google Business Profile website alternative: what to use now they're gone

Nov 9, 2026 · Taylor

If your only website was the free one Google made from your Business Profile, you may have noticed it stopped working. You didn't do anything wrong. Google switched that feature off.

If you're looking for a Google Business Profile website alternative, this post explains what happened, what still works, and the sensible options if you now need a real website. It's written for owners who never planned to think about web design.

What happened to Google Business Profile websites?

For a while, Google let businesses create a simple website from the details in their Business Profile. These sites used addresses ending in business.site or negocio.site.

Google told owners it was ending them. Search Engine Roundtable, an industry news site, reported Google's email in January 2024: customers would be redirected to your Business Profile from 1 March 2024, and the websites would show as unavailable after 10 June 2024.

On 5 March 2024 the same site reported that "as of this morning, March 5, 2024, these websites no longer work," and quoted Google's help page: "As of March 5, 2024, websites made with Google Business Profiles are no longer available." It repeated that customers would only be sent to your Business Profile until 10 June 2024. After that date, visitors to the old address see a "page not found" error.

Google's help page, as quoted by Search Engine Roundtable, also said that addresses ending in business.site and negocio.site would be removed from the website field on your Business Profile in March.

What still works?

Your Business Profile itself wasn't switched off. Google's help page, as quoted, said "Other than that, your Business Profile won't be affected," and a Google spokesperson said small business owners "will continue to have access to Business Profiles."

That's the listing people see when they look you up on Google. It's still worth keeping up to date: your hours, phone number, address and photos.

What you lost is the little website that came with it. Google's help page recommends that you update your Business Profile to point to a new website.

What to do this week

1. Check your Business Profile. Is the website field blank or showing an old address? If so, customers who want to read more have nowhere to go.
2. Check any old links. If you printed the old business.site address on a flyer, a van or a menu, it no longer works.
3. Decide on a real website. Then add its address to your Business Profile once it's live.

What are my options for a real website?

There's no single best answer. It depends on your time, budget and how much you want to fiddle with it.

A free Google Sites page. CRM.org's review says Google Sites is free and that you can use your own web address, which you buy separately, at around $10 a year. Check what it can and can't do before you commit, but if you want something close to what Google took away, it's the obvious place to start.

Another website builder. Wix, WordPress.com, Square, Carrd and others let you build your own. Most have free plans that put their name in your address and show ads, and paid plans for your own address. We compare the main ones, with sources, in our list of the 10 best free website builders for Australian small businesses. You do the work, which suits owners who enjoy it.

A web designer or agency. Good for a custom site and for having a person to talk to. Prices vary a lot, so ask for a written quote that says what's included and what happens after launch.

A done-for-you service, including ours. Yes Boss Websites is our own service, so we're not neutral. You describe your business in a sentence, we build and write a site, and you see it before you pay. It's A$9 a month or A$89 a year, with no setup fee, hosting, a free web address and up to two changes a month included. It suits simple sites of a few pages. It isn't built for large shops or membership sites.

A few things to get right whichever you choose

• Your own web address. A web address like yourbusiness.com.au is yours to take with you if you ever change providers. Business.gov.au says you can register one through a registrar listed on the .auDA website. Need one? We suggest Hover, which sells .com.au addresses too. Any seller works.
• Works on a phone. Visitors may well be on their phone, so test yours there before you go live.
• Tap-to-call. Make your phone number tappable.
• Keep your Business Profile and website matching. Same hours, same phone number, same address.

Don't wait for a perfect website

If you've been without a website since the shutdown, a simple site that's correct beats a fancy one that's still "coming soon". Get the basics right (what you do, where you are, your hours, how to reach you), and improve it from there. Our simple checklist for small business websites walks through it item by item, and 7 signs your website needs updating helps you check an existing one.

Frequently asked questions

Are Google Business Profile websites still available?

No. Search Engine Roundtable, quoting Google's help page, reported that as of 5 March 2024 websites made with Google Business Profiles were no longer available, and that customers would only be sent to your Business Profile until 10 June 2024.

Do I still need a website if I have a Business Profile?

Your profile is a short summary. A website gives you room for your services, your prices, photos of your work and your story. Business.gov.au says a website makes it easy for customers to find and contact you.

What can I use instead of a Google Business Profile website?

You can use a free Google Sites page, another website builder, a web designer or agency, or a done-for-you service like ours. The options and their trade-offs are above.

Will a new website get me to the top of Google?

We can't promise that, and nobody honest can. What a clear, fast, phone-friendly website does is give Google, and your customers, a fair chance to understand what you do and where. Keep your Business Profile and your website saying the same things.

Sources

Facts quoted from the pages below, checked 9 November 2026.

• Google Shutting Down Google Business Profiles Websites, Search Engine Roundtable (9 January 2024)
• Google Shut Down Google Business Profiles Websites This Morning, Search Engine Roundtable (5 March 2024)
• Google Sites review, CRM.org
• Register a domain name, business.gov.au
• Yes Boss Websites pricing (our own site)