So you got an email from Google saying your business website is going away. Or worse – a customer just told you your website shows "Page Not Found." Don't panic. And definitely don't let anyone sell you a $2,000 replacement site before you read this.
Here's what's actually happening and what you can do about it for about $15.
What Google Actually Did
Back in January, Google announced they were shutting down the free websites that came with Google Business Profiles. You know – the simple one-page sites that ended in business.site or negocio.site.
As of this month (March 2024), those sites are offline. More than 21 million websites just disappeared.
If someone visits your old site right now, they'll be redirected to your Google Business Profile – which is fine, temporarily. But that redirect only works until June 10, 2024. After that? "Page not found."
How to Check If This Affects You
If your website URL ended in business.site or negocio.site, this is about you.
Examples:
- yourbusiness.business.site
- joes-plumbing-slo.business.site
- mi-negocio.negocio.site
If your website was something like yourbusiness.com or yourbusiness.net, you're fine. This doesn't affect you.
Not sure? Go to your Google Business Profile, look at the website field. If it's blank or redirects to your profile page, you were probably using the free Google site.
The $15 Fix (Not the $2,000 One)
Here's what some people are going to try to sell you: a brand new website for $2,000-$5,000. Maybe they'll throw in "hosting" for $200/month.
Before you do that, let's talk about what you actually need.
Step 1: Get a domain name.
A domain is just your address on the internet – like yourbusiness.com. Here's what it actually costs:
- Cloudflare: ~$9.15/year (they sell at cost, no markup)
- Porkbun: ~$9.17/year (great for beginners)
- Namecheap: ~$6.49 first year ($14.98/year after)
That's it. Around $10-15/year for your own domain name. Not monthly. Yearly.
Wait, What About Google Domains?
Here's the other thing nobody told you: Google sold off Google Domains too. The whole thing got bought by Squarespace last year.
So if you were planning to just buy a domain from Google... you can't anymore. Squarespace runs it now, and honestly, their pricing isn't as good as the options I mentioned above.
If you already had a domain through Google Domains, it was automatically transferred to Squarespace. Your domain still works – they just handle the billing now.
Step 2: What to Do With Your New Domain
Once you have a domain, you have options:
Option A: Point it to your Google Business Profile
The simplest fix. Your domain redirects visitors straight to your Google Business Profile. Takes 10 minutes to set up, costs nothing extra, and at least people can find your hours and phone number.
Option B: Set up a simple one-page site
Services like Carrd ($19/year) or Google Sites (free) let you build a basic page with your info. Not fancy, but functional.
Option C: Get a real website
If you actually need a proper website – multiple pages, contact forms, a blog – then yes, you'll need to invest more. But "more" doesn't mean $5,000. Plenty of good options in the $500-$1,500 range for a small business site.
What Not to Do
Don't panic-buy an expensive website. Especially if someone cold-calls you offering to "save" your business. The fact that your Google site went away doesn't mean you need a $3,000 emergency website this week.
Don't ignore it either. That redirect stops working in June. After that, anyone who bookmarked your old site or clicks an old link will hit a dead end.
Don't assume you need everything immediately. A $15 domain that redirects to your Google Business Profile is 1000% better than a dead link. You can always upgrade later.
The Bottom Line
Google killed 21 million free websites. Yours might have been one of them.
Here's the quick fix:
- Check if you were affected – Did your site end in business.site?
- Buy a domain – $9-15/year from Cloudflare, Porkbun, or Namecheap
- Decide what you need – Redirect to Google Business Profile, simple one-pager, or full website
- Do it before June 10 – That's when the automatic redirect dies
Don't let anyone convince you this is an emergency that requires writing a big check. A domain costs less than lunch. Start there.
What YouGrow Does Differently
Look, I'm not going to pretend this post isn't partly about what I do. If you decide you actually need a real website — not just a redirect — that's what YouGrow is for.
$79/month, no upfront cost, includes hosting, free SSL, and unlimited reasonable updates. Month-to-month, so you can leave whenever.
But honestly? If all you need is a domain that redirects to your Google Business Profile, I'll tell you that. I'd rather you spend $15 and solve your problem than spend $1,000 on something you don't need.
Questions about any of this? Give me a call. Happy to walk you through it — no sales pitch required.