Google Business Profiles Disabling Third-Party Ordering Providers
In a recent update, Google has mandated that all third-party food providers such as UberEats, Skipthedishes, and Grubhub, include a dedicated opt-out landing page within the Google Business Profile (GBP) dashboard. This page must clearly outline the steps a merchant can follow to disconnect their GBP from any booking, waitlist, or food ordering application. Google documents have been updated with the following: “Providers need to remove third-party links from your profile within 5 days of receiving removal request. If a provider doesn’t process your request, report a violation.”
Before this mandate, third-party service food providers had significant control over Google Business Profiles, often leaving business owners unable to remove these integrations. Even when restaurants did not consent to having themselves listed on UberEats or other third-party vendors, these websites would automatically add businesses to their distribution service and thereby Google adding their links to that business’s GBP. This often took leads away from a restaurant’s own preferred first-party delivery service, forcing them to pay a fee to these alternative delivery providers, ones that did not generate new customers but added a tax towards serving those they already held. Business owners once had to contact these delivery services independently to get delisted, but the new mandate now makes this process far simpler.
Every third-party delivery service on a Google Business Profile must now also contain a “Remove provider” link. Each provider must have a landing page that informs users on how to disable the integration. Some providers outline a step-by-step guide on disconnecting within their applications, while others have forms or direct business managers to a support representative.
For example, in light of the mandate, DoorDash launched a Google Form, allowing brands to tailor their offerings for all or some stores, with options to opt out of DoorDash, Caviar, or both.
