Google is adding Messenger links to some business profiles

Google is adding Facebook Messenger chat links to some Google Business Profiles, and the owner did not add them. Search Engine Roundtable reported it on October 28. If a Messenger link shows up on your profile, make sure someone at your business reads that inbox. Otherwise customers can message you and hear nothing back.

What happened

Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable wrote that Google is emailing businesses to say it added Messenger links to their profiles on its own. Darcy Burk shared one of the emails on X and asked if anyone else was getting a wave of them. Barry wrote that he does not think he has seen Google add these links before.

The email says the profile changed "either through user feedback or our automated systems". Under that, it lists a new chat option: Messenger, with an m.me link.

What an m.me link does

Meta runs m.me links. Its developer page says a person who taps one lands in a Messenger chat with your Facebook Page. If they wrote to you before, it opens that old chat.

So a customer on Google can tap the chat option and end up in your Facebook Page inbox. If nobody checks that inbox, the message just sits there. From the customer side, it looks like you ignored them.

What Google's help pages say

Google's help page on chat lists two options an owner can add: WhatsApp and text message. It does not name Messenger. It also says chat options are only in select regions, so your profile may not have one at all.

Google's help page on social links says some profiles may show social media links on their own if they meet certain requirements. If Google adds a social link, you can swap it for a different one. To remove it, the page says to contact Google.

Earlier this month we wrote about the WhatsApp button Google shows on some local panels. Owners add that button themselves under Contact, Chat. Google can add a Messenger link without the owner.

What I would do this week

Open your Business Profile. Select Edit profile, then Contact. Look at the Chat line and the social profiles line. If you see a Messenger or other link you did not add, open it and check that it goes to your real Facebook Page.

Then decide who reads that inbox. If nobody will, change the chat option to a WhatsApp link or a text line your team answers every day.

After that, read your whole profile once a month the way a customer would. Check the name, the hours, the links and the chat option.

What to do next

Get Seen is how Gman Creations helps a business set up its website and Google presence. That includes a Business Profile that sends customers to the right place. No one can promise you rankings. If you want a person to look at your profile and site, book a discovery call: cal.com/shohgman/discovery.

FAQ

Is Google adding Messenger links to every profile?

No. Search Engine Roundtable reported emails to some businesses. Google has not said how many profiles get one.

Where do I see the chat option?

Go to your Business Profile, select Edit profile, then Contact. The Chat line is there. Google says chat is only in select regions.

What chat options can I add myself?

Google's chat help page lists WhatsApp and text message. If you add both, Google says only the text message option shows to customers.

Can I remove a link Google added?

For social links, Google says you can replace a link it added. To remove it, the page says to contact Google.

What happens when a customer taps an m.me link?

Meta says it opens a Messenger chat with your Facebook Page. If the customer messaged you before, it opens that same chat.