Google’s New Business Profile Link Rules: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Google has officially rolled out new Google Business Profile (GBP) rules, this time focused heavily on links, landing pages, and user experience. These updates are not small. If your links do not meet the new requirements, Google may remove them, which can directly impact your visibility, ranking, and conversions.

At Quicke Marketing, we help small businesses stay ahead of changes like this so you can stay compliant, competitive, and visible. Here’s a clear breakdown of what’s new, why it matters, and what your business needs to do to stay in alignment with Google’s updated standards.

1. Google Wants Each Location Needs Its Own Dedicated Landing Page

What’s New

Every business location must now link to a unique landing page. Google no longer allows businesses to send multiple locations to the same homepage or a shared generic page.

Why It Matters

When a customer clicks “Order,” “Reserve,” “Book,” or “Learn More,” Google wants them to land exactly where they expect, no confusion, no redirects, no friction. Clean link paths create stronger trust signals and lead to higher conversions.

What You Should Do

Businesses with multiple offices, service areas, or departments should create location-specific landing pages immediately. Quicke Marketing can build these pages, ensure proper tracking, and connect them to your GBP the right way.

2. Action Links Must Actually Work

What’s New

Buttons that trigger actions, like “Book,” “Order,” “Reserve,” or “Schedule”, must take users directly to the page where they can complete that action.

Banned destinations include:

• Social media pages

• Messaging platforms

• App store links

• URL shorteners

• General pages that don’t complete the action

Why It Matters

Google is removing links that slow users down, mislead them, or fail to complete the promised task. If your action link doesn't perform the exact action it claims, it will be removed.

What You Should Do

Audit every “Order,” “Book,” or “Reserve” link. If you use online booking, scheduling, or ordering, make sure each button goes directly to the correct page, not your homepage or Facebook page.

3. Google Must Be Able to Crawl Your Links

What’s New

Google now checks every linked page to ensure it is:

• Crawlable

• Not blocked by robots.txt

• Not behind login pages

• Not restricted by CAPTCHA

• Not returning errors (404, 500)

Why It Matters

If Google cannot access your page, it will not trust your page. And if Google cannot trust your page, your link will be removed.

What You Should Do

If your site has custom software, membership gates, booking portals, or firewall restrictions, you need to ensure Googlebot can crawl those pages. Quicke Marketing can run a full technical audit to confirm everything passes.

4. Google Is Limiting the Number of Links You Can Add

What’s New

Google now allows 20 links per action type. For example:

• 20 “Order” links

• 20 “Booking” links

• 20 “Reservation” links

Why It Matters

Quality now outweighs quantity. Google wants a cleaner experience, and profiles using excessive or repetitive links risk removal.

What You Should Do

Review your link strategy. If you manage multiple service pages, appointment types, or product categories, ensure only the most relevant and functional links are added.

Who Needs to Take Action Now

Local Businesses

Check every link in your Google Business Profile. Make sure each location has its own landing page and all action links lead exactly where they say they do.

Multi-Location Brands

You must now build a location page for each office, city, or region. Generic pages will no longer pass.

Agencies & SEO Providers

Even one bad link can hurt visibility. Quicke Marketing is already updating client profiles to meet these new standards.

Web Developers & IT Teams

Ensure all customer-facing pages are fully accessible to Googlebot. No blocked pages. No rate-limited crawlers.

What This Means for Small Business Marketing in 2025

Google’s message is clear: Links must be direct, functional, and trustworthy. No shortcuts. No irrelevant pages. No broken workflows.

These updates are designed to protect consumers, and reward businesses with clean, optimized digital experiences.

At Quicke Marketing, we help small businesses stay ahead of every update so you can avoid penalties, maximize visibility, and build long-term trust with customers.

If your Google Business Profile needs optimization, link cleanup, or new landing pages, we can help.

We are here to help you!

Phone: 850-565-9343

Email: info@quickemarketing.com 

Website: Quickemarketing.com

If you have questions or need guidance on improving your small business, reach out to Quicke Marketing.