If you’re managing a business profile on Google, there’s a new update you need to know about—and fast. Google has started automatically adding social media links to Business Profiles without user input. While this may sound like a helpful update at first glance, it raises some important questions around accuracy, control, and brand representation—especially for marketers and small business owners who carefully curate their online presence.
What’s Happening?
As of mid-2025, Google has been pulling data from various third-party sources and matching it with your business details to attach relevant social media profiles (like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others) to your Google Business Profile. The catch? You don’t get a prompt or an alert. These links appear in your profile automatically, and unless you’re regularly checking, you might not even notice them.
Why This Matters
- Loss of Control: Many businesses manage multiple pages—some of which are outdated or no longer active. If Google connects the wrong social profile to your listing, customers could be redirected to inactive or incorrect pages.
- Inaccurate Branding: Brand consistency is essential in digital marketing. If Google links to an old or unofficial profile (like a franchise page or a location-specific subpage), it can confuse potential customers.
- Reputation Risk: Imagine your inactive Twitter page with outdated info (or worse, unanswered complaints) showing up alongside your profile. Not a good look.
What You Can Do About It
While Google hasn’t offered a toggle to disable this feature completely, you can manually manage the social links associated with your Business Profile. Here’s how:
- Sign in to your Google Business Profile Manager.
- Navigate to your business listing.
- Go to the “Edit Profile” section.
- Look for the “Social Profiles” section (not available to all users yet—this is rolling out in stages).
- You can add, remove, or edit social links.
Also, make sure your official business website includes accurate links to your social media. Google often scrapes your site and associated structured data to verify and auto-fill profile information.
Pro Tips
- Use structured data (Schema.org markup) on your website to identify your official social profiles.
- Monitor your profile regularly. Set a monthly reminder to review what’s been changed or auto-
added.
Encourage your team or clients to use only one unified brand identity across platforms to help Google make the right matches.
Final Thoughts
While Google’s intention may be to streamline the user experience and improve business discoverability, the implementation can cause headaches if you’re not paying attention. As with many algorithmic”shortcuts,” automation without oversight can create confusion instead of clarity.
Keeping your digital footprint accurate is not just good practice—it’s essential in an era where your online presence is often your first impression.