What Google Removed from Business Profiles: Chat and Websites

Images are AI-generated.

If a customer told you they couldn't message you from your profile, or the website Google built for you years ago no longer opens, the reason is that Google has shut down two features. Below we answer "Was Google Business Profile chat removed, and where did the profile-made website go?": what closed when, how it affects you, and what to use instead.

Google Business Profile is your business's card on Google Search and Maps; for the basics, see our article What is Google Business Profile? Google adds or removes features on this card from time to time. The two changes below matter especially because they directly affect communication with customers.

The chat (messaging) feature has closed

The chat feature let customers write to you directly from your profile on Google Search or Maps. According to Google's help page, it closed in two steps:

• July 15, 2024: Customers could no longer start new chats; customers in ongoing conversations were told the feature would close.
• July 31, 2024: The chat feature was removed from Business Profile completely.

Since then, businesses can't message customers through the profile. Customers still find you on Search and Maps, call the number on your profile and visit your website; only the in-Google messaging channel is gone.

For businesses that actively used Google business messaging, this change meant some incoming questions shifting to other channels. For businesses that never turned it on, day-to-day operations didn't noticeably change.

Websites built with Google Business Profile have closed

For a time, Google offered simple websites generated automatically from Business Profile information. They were a practical solution for small businesses without their own site: name, address, hours and photos on a single page. According to the announcement on Google's help page:

• Support for creating new sites this way ended; existing sites were shut down in March 2024.
• After the shutdown, visitors to these sites were redirected to your Business Profile for a while; this redirect worked until June 10, 2024.

So the change people search for as "Google business website shut down" is complete: those addresses no longer even take visitors to your profile. If you printed this address on your business card, brochure, social media account or ads, visitors coming from there may hit an error page instead of reaching you.

How do these changes affect your business?

The impact varies by business. These questions show your situation in a few minutes:

1. What's in the website field on your profile? If the old address Google created is still there or the field is empty, customers can't reach your site from your profile.
2. Is the old address on your printed and digital materials? Business cards, brochures, packaging, QR codes, social media profiles and email signatures should be reviewed.
3. Did customers used to reach you through chat? If so, track whether those questions now come by phone or another channel. Check whether your phone-answering routine can carry this load.
4. Are your phone number and hours correct? With chat gone, the phone number on the profile became the most direct way for customers to reach you. A wrong number or outdated hours means a lost customer.
5. Where do your ad and campaign links go? Point links to the old site address to your own site or the correct page.

As you run these checks, look at your profile through a customer's eyes: call from a phone, click the website link, try the directions. Information that looks right on paper can work differently in real use.

What can you use instead?

Instead of chat

• Phone: Make sure the number on the profile is actually answered during opening hours. Set up a same-day callback routine for busy or missed calls.
• WhatsApp or text message option: According to Google's help page, a WhatsApp or text message option can be added as contact information to verified profiles in some regions. It may not appear in every region or on every profile; check the contact section of the profile editing screen.
• A contact form on your website: Keep a simple form or email address on your site for customers who prefer to write.
• Posts: If one topic comes up often (for example, new hours or how appointments work), announcing it in a profile post can be more efficient than replying one by one.

Instead of the website made with the profile

A simple website on your own domain is the most solid long-term solution, because your site no longer depends on a platform's decision. For a small business, even a one-page site can be enough. Include on the page:

• Your business name, address and phone number, written exactly as on your profile
• Business hours
• The services or products you offer
• Real photos of your business
• Directions and contact information

Once the site is ready, enter its address in your profile's website field. In some business categories, Google also allows an appointment, reservation or order link alongside the website; if your category qualifies, fill in these fields too. Publishing a profile edit depends on Google's review, so no exact time can be given.

Where should you follow announcements?

Both changes were announced before the shutdown; but if an announcement doesn't reach you, you learn about the change from a customer. Make these a habit:

• Google Business Profile help pages: For features that close or change, Google's own help pages are the most reliable source. Before acting on a change you read about in the news, confirm it there.
• The email address linked to the profile: Google may notify profile owners of important changes by email. Read the emails for the account linked to your profile regularly and make sure they don't land in spam.
• Alerts on the profile management screen: Don't dismiss notifications on the screen where you manage your profile; they often tell you that you need to take action.
• Google Business Profile Community: On Google's official forum you can read other business owners' experiences and answers from volunteer experts.
• More than one owner: If only one person has access to the profile and that person doesn't read their email, the announcement gets lost. Make sure at least two people see the notifications.

Google Business Profile changes don't always come with big announcements: a field may be renamed, an option may open only in some regions. So checking your profile through a customer's eyes once a month is a good habit. To see your profile's key fields at once, BadePlus's free Google Maps analysis checks fields such as hours, phone number and website one by one; if you have a site, it also checks for a secure connection and whether it matches your phone number on Google.

Frequently asked questions

Will the chat feature come back?

The old chat feature has closed. Google's help page states that a WhatsApp or text message option can be added to the profile in some regions. If this option doesn't appear on your profile, focus on channels you control, such as your phone and website.

If I leave the website field empty, will my profile disappear?

No, your profile shows without a website too. But customers can't reach your site or get detailed information about your services. If you have your own site, adding its address helps.

Will these changes affect my ranking?

Ranking is Google's decision, and nothing definite can be said about how a change like this affects it. Still, a complete and accurate profile makes it easier for customers to choose you. For the steps to keep your profile in order, see our Google Maps optimization page.

Summary

• The chat feature in Google Business Profile was removed on July 31, 2024; new chats couldn't be started from July 15, 2024.
• Websites made with the profile closed in March 2024; redirects to the profile lasted until June 10, 2024.
• Check your profile's website field, your phone number and old addresses on your printed materials.
• Instead of chat, use your phone, a website form and, where offered in your region, the WhatsApp or text message option.
• Follow changes on Google's help pages and through the email address linked to your profile.