Google announced at the beginning of this year that it would drop support for the webpages it automatically generates from Google Business Profiles (GBPs). As of March 5th, 2024, these websites now redirect back to the GBP and on June 10th, these links will instead lead to “page not found” errors.

For small businesses with little additional information to post online, these free websites were all they needed to tick the mandatory box of simply having an online presence. Dry cleaners and mall kiosks don’t need elaborate online storefronts and these auto-generated pages made it even more convenient for businesses to list themselves online. Without them, businesses will have to resort to Wix, Square Space, or some other website building property.

Some small business owners will start paying for website hosting but it is highly likely that most of these mom and pop shops using auto-generated websites will simply not have one at all. Businesses used Google Business Profile websites because it was so effortless. When there is the added friction of learning how web hosting works, learning how to design pages, and then also paying for it, many of these businesses simply won’t bother.