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Google Is Removing Business Profile Short Names — Here's What Local Businesses Need to Update
News | | 5 min read | By Joshua Wendt

Google Is Removing Business Profile Short Names — Here's What Local Businesses Need to Update

If you’ve been using a short name link to collect Google reviews — something like g.page/yourbusiness — that link still works, but Google has stopped displaying short names on your Business Profile and blocked businesses from creating or editing them. For local businesses that built review request systems around these links, it’s time to make some updates.

What Google Short Names Were

Google introduced short names in 2019 to give local businesses a simple, memorable URL for their Business Profile. Instead of the long, unwieldy Google Maps link that goes to your profile, you could claim a short name and share g.page/yourbusiness with customers — in email signatures, on receipts, in follow-up texts, on table tents, and in QR codes.

The primary use case was review generation: short names made it dramatically easier to ask customers for Google reviews because the link was short enough to fit in a text message or on a business card.

What Changed

Google has made two changes:

Short names are no longer displayed on Business Profiles. When customers view your profile on Google Maps or in search, they no longer see your short name or the g.page link. The feature has been quietly deprecated from the customer-facing interface.

New short names can no longer be created or edited. If you don’t already have a short name set up, you can’t create one. If you have one but want to change it, that option is gone too.

According to SE Roundtable, which first documented the change, Google described this as “simplifying the product experience.” The short URL format (g.page/name) was also the mechanism behind Google’s “Share” button on Business Profiles — that workflow has been updated to use direct Maps URLs instead.

If you already have a short name and have been sending customers to g.page/yourbusiness, those links will still redirect to your Business Profile. Google has confirmed that existing short names and URLs will continue to function — they’re just no longer being surfaced on the profile itself.

What this means practically: you don’t need to do anything immediately, but you should plan to update any materials that use the short name link, because the underlying feature is clearly being phased out.

What to Use Instead

Google’s preferred replacement is the direct review link from your Business Profile. Here’s how to find it:

  1. Go to business.google.com and open your profile
  2. Click Ask for reviews (on the overview or Home tab)
  3. Copy the link Google provides — it’s a g.co/kgs/ or Maps URL that goes directly to the review submission form

This link is functionally equivalent to what the short name link did. It’s longer and not as shareable verbally, but it works reliably and won’t be deprecated.

For physical materials — QR codes, table tents, business cards, receipts — update the QR code destination to this new link. A free QR code generator like QR Code Generator or Canva can create a new code in under a minute.

Getting more Google reviews is step one — but capturing every review request opportunity requires a system. SMBcrm automates review request timing after a job is completed or a sale closes, so your best customers get asked at exactly the right moment.

Where to Audit Your Short Name Usage

Think through every place you’ve shared a g.page link and update it to the new review URL:

  • Email signatures — search your email client for g.page and update
  • Email templates — review request emails, post-purchase follow-ups, appointment confirmations
  • Text message templates — any SMS-based review request that uses the short link
  • QR codes — printed materials, table displays, packaging, window clings
  • Website — “Leave us a review” buttons or links anywhere on your site
  • Social media bios — Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn profile links
  • Google My Business posts — any older posts that link to your short name

Does This Affect Your Google Reviews or Ranking?

No. Your existing Google reviews stay exactly where they are. Your Business Profile, your review count, your star rating — none of that changes. Short names were just a URL shortcut for sharing your profile, not a structural part of it.

Your local SEO rankings are also unaffected. The removal of short names is a UI simplification, not an algorithm change.

What to Watch for Next

Google has been steadily streamlining the Business Profile feature set over the past two years — removing some legacy features, improving others. The Google Posts feature has also seen reduced visibility in the local pack, and appointment booking integrations have been consolidated.

If you’re not already using the core features that do drive local rankings — consistent review generation, Q&A responses, updated photos, and accurate service/product listings — those are where to focus your attention. Short names were a convenience feature; the fundamentals of local SEO haven’t changed.

The takeaway: update your review request links this week, regenerate any QR codes, and don’t wait until customers report broken links to make the switch.

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