In January 2024, Google announced that it would be shutting down websites built with Google Business Profiles.
The announcement stated that Google would shut these sites down on March 5, 2024. Google was a few days late, but they indeed kept their word.
Attorneys whose free Google Business Page (GBP) website was shut down will see their old URL redirected to their Google Business Profile. According to Google, after June 2024, these redirects are supposed to turn into 404 errors (404 – Page Not Found).
What did GBP websites look like?
The URL for these sites was typically something like this https://orangecountyaccidentinjurylawyer.business.site/.
It is estimated that there were around 26 million people using these sites. The vast majority of the business owners using these sites were outside of the USA. Not many attorneys in the USA used these sites. In fact, most attorneys using them either set them up on accident, or, they were hoping to have another landing page on the Internet for prospective clients.
Here’s what the pages looked like, with a screenshot courtesy of Napolin Accident Injury Lawyer:
Replacement website options:
All of our clients who are heavily marketing their firms rely on WordPress. Contact us if you need a custom WordPress solution.
Attorneys who simply need a small website should check out Squarespace.
Regardless of where you move your website to, don’t forget, if you do not own the platform, your content is in jeopardy and could go missing at any time.
