For Australian service businesses
Google listing website link not working? How to check it — and fix it
If the Website button on your Google listing goes nowhere, every customer who taps it is one you lose without ever knowing. Here's why it happens, how to check yours in two minutes, and what to point it at instead.
In short
- A dead Website button on your listing quietly sends ready-to-book customers to your competitors.
- A frequent cause: Google retired the free profile-built websites, so listings pointing at those now lead nowhere.
- Check it in two minutes on your phone; fix it by pointing the link at a page that actually takes bookings.
Why the link breaks
There are a handful of usual culprits, and most listings that have a problem have one of these:
- The old profile website was switched off. Google used to let businesses spin up a free website from their profile. It retired those, so a listing still pointing at that address now opens nothing.
- The link is wrong or expired. A typo, a domain that lapsed, or a page that was taken down — the button's still there, but the destination isn't.
- It points at a Facebook page. That's not broken exactly, but a customer who wanted to book can't, so it drops them the same way a dead link does.
- It was never set. Plenty of listings simply have no link at all, so there's nothing to tap through to.
Check yours in two minutes
Find your own listing
On your phone, search your business name (and suburb) on Google, or find your pin on Maps — exactly the path a customer takes.
Tap the Website button
Does a real page load? Does it show an error, a blank, or something from years ago? Note what happens — that's what your customers are seeing too.
Try to book from it
Even if a page loads, can a customer actually book a time from there? If not, the button is technically alive but still losing you the booking.
Prefer we check it for you? Tell us your business and we'll build a working booking page from your listing and email you a free preview — you'll see exactly what that button could open instead.
How to fix it
The fix is the same whatever the cause: point the Website (and appointment) link at a page that leads somewhere worth landing. The best destination isn't a brochure — it's a page where the customer can book you on the spot. Do that and every tap that used to die at a dead end now has a shot at becoming a job.
You can set the link yourself once you have a page to point it at, or have the whole thing built and connected for you. Either way, the goal is one working page that takes bookings — not another website to babysit.
Turn that dead link into bookings
We build a bookable page from your Google listing, so the button that goes nowhere today opens a real booking page tomorrow. See a free preview first.
See my free booking page →Common questions
Why did the website on my Google listing stop working?
A common reason is that Google retired the free websites it used to build from Business Profiles — those addresses were switched off, so a listing still pointing at one now leads nowhere. Other causes are a mistyped or expired link, or a link to a page that has since come down.
How do I check if my Google listing's link works?
Open your listing the way a customer would — search your business on Google or Maps — and tap the Website button. If it fails to load, shows an error, or lands on something that can't take a booking, that's the leak. Do it on a phone, since that's how most customers arrive.
What should I point my Google listing at instead?
A page that actually does something for the customer — ideally one where they can book you. Replacing a dead link with a bookable page means every tap that used to hit a dead end now has the chance to become a booking.
Will a broken website link hurt how I rank on Google?
The bigger, more immediate cost is lost customers: people tap through, hit nothing, and go elsewhere. Whatever the ranking effect, a working link that leads somewhere useful is plainly better than one that leads nowhere — so it's worth fixing either way.