Google announced that its URL shortener service will stop working completely on August 25, 2024. Some may not be aware of the service as they have never intentionally typed a goo.gl address into a browser, but these shortened URLs actually serve common business purposes. When businesses generate QR codes, request reviews, or provide a restaurant menu, these shortened goo.gl URLs were commonly used to ease the user experience. They were so successful, in fact, that many businesses set these URLs for their kiosk review requests and have left them unchanged for years.

Billions of goo.gl addresses still see traffic, but they will all result in a 404 error come late August. There will be a temporary interstitial page that will warn users that the URLs will be obsolete, but this warning will only appear on a small percentage of active URLs and only between August 23rd and 24th. That page will not be a useful warning for most businesses, and those who have been using these shortened URLs will need to make adjustments well before the planned shutdown date.

Google also states: “Note that goo.gl links generated via Google apps (such as Maps sharing) will continue to function.” It is unclear if this means that links produced via GBP for review solicitation will continue to work or not. We will have to wait and see.