GOOGLE ADDED A SEARCH PROFILE BADGE. MOST LOCAL BUSINESSES CAN'T USE IT YET.
Google now shows site owners how to put a "Find us on Google Search" badge on their website that links to a Search profile. The name sounds a lot like Google Business Profile, so it is easy to assume it applies to every local business. It doesn't. Here is what Google's documentation says, and who should care.
AT A GLANCE
By Conqueror Capital · Published
The change: On September 16, 2026, Google added a guide on adding a Search profile badge to your website.1
WHAT CHANGED
On September 16, 2026, Google added a new guide to its Search Central documentation on how to add a Search profile badge to your website. Google's stated reason: to help site owners point their audience to their Search profile.3
The guide says that if you are a website owner, publisher or creator with a Search profile, you can add a badge to your site to help your audience find that profile.1 It gives a link pattern (profile.google.com/@ followed by your handle), downloadable badge assets, and a short HTML snippet. It also offers a plain text link, "Find us on Google Search", for bylines, newsletters or bio links.1
WHAT A SEARCH PROFILE IS
Google describes a Search profile as something that brings together your content from across the web and social platforms into a single destination on Google. When people follow your Search profile, Google says your linked content (such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Facebook and your website) becomes more likely to appear for them in Google Discover.1
That is a different product from Google Business Profile, the listing that shows your hours, reviews and directions in Maps and the local pack. Nothing in the Search profile documentation says it replaces or changes your Business Profile.12 If you run a plumbing company or a salon, your Business Profile is still the listing that matters for nearby searches. Our Business Profile guide covers that.
WHO QUALIFIES
Google's help page for creating a Search profile sets clear requirements:2
- United States only. Google says Search profiles are currently only available in the United States.
- A large following on at least one platform. You need at least 10,000 subscribers or followers on YouTube, Instagram, X or TikTok.
- Age and policy. You must be at least 18, and your content must meet Google's policy guidelines.
Google also says that if you already have a knowledge panel and meet these requirements, a Search profile may have been generated automatically, and you can claim it.2 One Google account can manage up to 10 Search profiles for separate eligible brands or identities.2
In practice, that rules out most small local businesses today. It is most relevant to owners who are also creators: a chef with a big TikTok, a trainer with a YouTube channel, a realtor with a large Instagram following.
DOES IT HELP RANKINGS?
No, according to Google. Its help page says creating a Search profile doesn't directly affect your content's ranking on Google Search. If someone follows you from the profile, they may see more of your content in Discover.2
Google also says the profile is designed to show when people are specifically searching for you, and that people with common names may not see it right away.2 So the badge is an audience tool, not an SEO shortcut. Be wary of anyone selling it as one.
WHAT TO DO NOW
- If you don't meet the follower requirement, skip it for now. Put the time into your Business Profile, reviews and website instead.
- If you do qualify, check profile.google.com while signed in to the Google account linked to your content, or search your name and look for "View Search Profile" under your knowledge panel. Google says to check for an existing profile before creating a new one.2
- Adding the badge, use Google's official assets and follow its rules: keep the clickable area at least 44 × 44 px on the web, don't stretch, rotate or recolor the "Super G" icon, and don't mix monochrome and color badges.1
- If you also use a preferred sources badge, Google says to use the higher-emphasis Search profile button with its label, and not to pair the "Super G" icon with the preferred sources badge.1
- Don't confuse your team or vendors. A "Google profile" request could mean either product. Name which one you mean.
If your business depends on social content and you are building toward a following that qualifies, that is the kind of work our social media service supports.
SOURCES
- Google Search Central, Add a Search profile badge to your website, last updated September 16, 2026.
- Google Search Help, Create a new Search profile.
- Google Search Central, Latest documentation updates, entries dated May 8, June 5, June 15 and September 16, 2026.
Platforms change often. Check the sources for the current version before acting.
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