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You cannot import a Google Business Profile website directly into WordPress. The reliable move is to inventory the old business.site or negocio.site content, rebuild the useful pages on WordPress, redirect any URLs you still control, and replace the website address in your Business Profile and every other place it appears.
What happened to Google Business Profile websites
Google discontinued the website builder connected to Business Profiles. Google’s transition notice said that, starting March 1, 2024, visitors to those sites would be redirected to the associated Business Profile. That temporary behavior ended June 10, 2024. After that date, owners needed another website and had to add its address to the profile.
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These were “basic websites powered by the information on your Business Profile,” rather than independently hosted WordPress sites. They did not provide a normal WordPress-style export that would create pages, media, menus, and settings in a new installation. Treat the project as a controlled rebuild, not a one-click migration.
Your Business Profile itself is separate from the discontinued website. Its name, address, phone number, hours, services, photos, reviews, and other details can continue to appear in Google Search and Maps. WordPress supplies the replacement site; the profile remains the local listing that points people to it.
Decide what the new site must preserve
Before choosing a theme or hosting plan, identify what customers used the old site to do. A small profile-generated site may have had only one page, while a business that added custom-domain forwarding or advertising links may have many references to the old address.
Make an inventory while any old material is still available
- Record the complete old business.site or negocio.site address and any custom domain that forwarded to it.
- Save screenshots and copy visible text. Include the business description, service names, prices or service-area wording, opening hours, contact details, calls to action, and social links.
- List every visible section or page, including location information, directions, booking prompts, inquiry forms, menus, galleries, and legally required information.
- Download photographs only when you have the right to use them. Note captions, filenames, and the page where each image appeared.
- Record references to reviews, testimonials, awards, memberships, directory listings, advertisements, email signatures, and printed materials.
- Compare the old content with the live Business Profile. The profile may have changed since the site was generated, so mark which hours, services, phone numbers, and photos are current.
If the old site is already unavailable, use saved screenshots, your profile data, existing marketing files, analytics, social posts, and customer-facing documents. Do not copy outdated hours or an old phone number merely because it appeared on the former page.
Choose a WordPress foundation
You need a domain, WordPress hosting, HTTPS, administrator access, backups, and a theme that works well on phones. You can retain a domain you already own or register a new one. If a custom domain still forwards to the old service, keep control of its DNS and hosting account until redirects and the new site have been tested.
| Decision | Managed WordPress | Self-managed WordPress hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Updates and server work | The host handles more of the WordPress, security, and server maintenance. | You or your administrator handle WordPress updates, server settings, and security choices. |
| Redirect control | Confirm that the host exposes permanent server-side redirects or an equivalent control panel. | You generally have more control over web-server rules, provided your technical setup supports them. |
| Backups and restoration | Check how often backups run, how long they are retained, and whether restoring is self-service. | Choose and monitor your own backup system, off-site copy, and restore procedure. |
| Migration assistance | Some hosts provide setup or migration help; the exact service is provider-specific. | Migration is your responsibility unless you hire a separate administrator. |
| Design flexibility | Usually supports themes and page builders, subject to the host’s limits. | Supports the same WordPress ecosystem with fewer hosting-level restrictions. |
| Performance and HTTPS | Verify caching, PHP resources, uptime practices, and included TLS certificates. | Configure or select these services yourself and test them after changes. |
Compare the complete cost rather than the advertised hosting fee: domain registration or renewal, hosting, backups, premium themes or plugins, maintenance time, and any migration assistance. For a simple local-business site, a lightweight theme and a small plugin set are usually easier to maintain than a heavily animated page builder.
Set up the technical essentials
- Point the domain to the WordPress host only after you know how to restore the previous DNS settings.
- Enable HTTPS and confirm that both the preferred hostname and its alternate HTTP or www version resolve consistently.
- Create a separate administrator account for each person who needs access. Avoid sharing one password.
- Install a lightweight, responsive theme and remove demonstration pages, sample text, and unused plugins.
- Configure automatic updates where appropriate, schedule backups, and document how to restore the site before publishing.
Recreate the site around customer tasks
Do not reproduce every sentence simply because it was on the old page. Preserve the information and actions that help a customer call, visit, book, request a quote, or understand your services.
Recommended page set
- Home: State what the business does, where it serves customers, and the primary action, such as calling, getting directions, booking, or sending an inquiry.
- Services: Give each important service a clear description. Create separate service pages when customers search for or need details about distinct offerings.
- Contact or location: Show the consistent business name, address, phone number, hours, service area, directions, and a working contact method.
- Booking or inquiry: Keep the action prominent and test the complete form or scheduling flow, including confirmation messages and notifications.
- Additional information: Add menus, pricing guidance, accessibility details, policies, privacy information, or other pages that are legally or commercially necessary.
Use the same business name, address, phone number, and service wording in WordPress and the Business Profile unless the business has intentionally changed them. Compress images, use descriptive alternative text, and remove photos that are outdated, unlicensed, or misleading. Keep phone numbers clickable on mobile and make directions easy to open in a maps application.
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Build a URL map before changing anything
A URL map prevents random redirects and gives you a checklist for launch. Create a spreadsheet with one row for every old URL that customers, search engines, ads, or directories might request.
| Old address | Replacement WordPress address | Redirect or action |
|---|---|---|
| Old home or profile-generated page | New home page | Permanent direct redirect if you still control the old host or domain. |
| Old section that has a dedicated replacement | Closest matching service, contact, or information page | Permanent direct redirect to that specific page. |
| Old section with no useful equivalent | None | Do not invent a page merely to create a redirect; provide a relevant alternative only when one exists. |
| Custom domain forwarding address | Preferred WordPress domain and path | Update forwarding or DNS and verify the final destination. |
If the former site consisted of one page, mapping that page to the new home page may be sufficient. If you created separate WordPress service pages, map an old service URL to its closest service page instead of sending every request to the home page.
Use direct permanent redirects
Where the old domain or hosting account still permits control, configure a permanent server-side redirect for each mapped URL. A direct redirect goes from the old address to the final new address in one step. Avoid chains such as old URL to temporary URL to a second URL; each extra hop adds latency and creates another point of failure.
Test redirects with and without a trailing slash, with the old HTTP and HTTPS variants where applicable, and for common legacy paths. Confirm that the response reaches the correct final page, uses HTTPS, and does not loop. If you no longer control the old business.site or negocio.site address, you cannot install a redirect there; concentrate on updating every service, ad, directory, and profile that still displays it.
Publish the WordPress site safely
- Finish the key pages, navigation, contact actions, and legal information on a staging site or protected installation.
- Set the preferred site address in WordPress and confirm that internal links use the final HTTPS domain rather than a temporary host address.
- Review page titles, headings, descriptions, canonical settings, image alternatives, and visible contact information.
- Enable a sitemap and verify that robots.txt does not block the pages you want indexed. Keep staging pages password-protected or noindexed so they are not treated as the public site.
- Connect analytics and any form, booking, call-tracking, or email service. Send test submissions and confirm that the correct person receives them.
- Publish during a period when someone can monitor the site, forms, phone calls, and profile edits.
Change the website address in Google surfaces
After the replacement site works, edit the website field in the Google Business Profile. Then review the profile’s name, address, phone number, hours, services, photos, and other customer-facing information. Google says profile information can be updated or suggested and can appear across Search, Maps, and other services, so open the live listing after saving rather than assuming the edit is immediately correct.
- Open the verified Business Profile account and choose the option to edit profile information.
- Replace the old website address with the final WordPress URL, including the correct HTTPS hostname.
- Save the change and view the profile as a customer would in Search and Maps.
- Check that the website button opens the intended page and that the profile’s phone, hours, services, address, and photos agree with the WordPress site.
- Update Google Ads destination URLs, call or booking assets, and any tracking templates that still reference the former address.
- Change social-profile links, directory listings, email signatures, invoices, QR codes, brochures, and partner websites that point to the old site.
Changing the website field does not delete reviews or replace the Business Profile. It changes where the website action sends visitors. Keep the profile verified and monitor it for unauthorized edits or accidental changes to core business details.
Run a launch and indexing checklist
Customer experience checks
- Open the site on a current phone and a desktop-sized screen. Check menus, text size, spacing, images, and tap targets.
- Test every phone link, email link, directions link, booking flow, inquiry form, and confirmation message.
- Submit forms with realistic data and verify delivery, spam handling, autoresponders, and privacy notices.
- Confirm that maps show the intended location and that service-area wording is accurate.
- Check page speed, image loading, 404 behavior, and HTTPS warnings in a private browser window.
Search and technical checks
- Verify canonical URLs point to the public HTTPS versions and are not left on a staging hostname.
- Check robots.txt, the XML sitemap, indexability settings, and accidental noindex tags.
- Test every row in the URL map and record the final status of each redirect.
- Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console, inspect the home page and important service pages, and request indexing where appropriate.
- Watch crawl errors, 404 reports, coverage changes, analytics, calls, form submissions, and profile edits after launch.
A temporary fluctuation in visits can occur while search systems process the new URLs. A persistent drop is more often associated with a blocked page, a broken redirect, missing content, a slow or unavailable site, or an incorrect profile URL, so use the checks above to isolate the cause.
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The profile still shows the old website
Open the profile editing interface again, confirm the new address was saved, and check the live listing in both Search and Maps. If the old address appears in a third-party directory or advertisement, update that source too; changing the profile does not rewrite independent listings.
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Find the request in the URL map. Add a direct permanent redirect when you control the old domain or hosting account, or create the closest useful replacement page if customers still need that information. Do not redirect every unrelated path to the home page.
Redirects loop or pass through several pages
Inspect domain forwarding, HTTPS enforcement, WordPress address settings, and any redirect plugin or server rule. Leave one rule for each old-to-new pair, point it directly to the final HTTPS URL, clear caches, and retest in a private window.
The old domain is no longer controllable
You cannot configure a redirect on a service you do not control. Update the Business Profile, ads, social accounts, directories, email templates, printed QR destinations, and any custom-domain DNS or forwarding service that you do control. Ask important partners to replace their links.
Forms or bookings stopped working
Send a new test submission, inspect the recipient address and spam folder, verify SMTP or transactional-email settings, and check that the form endpoint is not blocked by a security plugin. Repeat a complete booking from a phone, not only from the WordPress editor.
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Confirm that the site is reachable, indexable, and using the intended canonical domain. Review Search Console coverage and crawl errors, compare the URL map with incoming 404s, check that service pages and local contact details were not omitted, and verify that the Business Profile still has the correct phone, hours, services, and website.
Maintain the replacement site
Set a recurring review rather than treating migration as a one-time task. Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated; test backups by restoring them; renew the domain and HTTPS certificate; remove unused accounts and plugins; and review forms, phone links, hours, services, photos, and booking flows whenever the business changes. Recheck the Business Profile and important directories after major edits so the site and local listing continue to agree.
The completed migration is a connected system: WordPress holds the customer-facing pages, the Business Profile provides the local listing and website link, and redirects and updated external references preserve access to addresses people already saved or published.
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