Google is launching Search profiles, giving creators a page to pull their content together from different platforms.
The profiles show articles, videos, and social posts in one place. People can follow their favorite websites and creators to see more of their content in Google Discover.
What Search Profiles Include
Creators can customize their profile with an avatar, bio, website link, and linked social and video accounts.
Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s creator liaison, explained the feature in a video:
Ritchie added that creators can pin their latest work and add links to merch stores.
The profile also includes a “Follow on Google” button, Google’s blog post notes:
“People can easily follow sources from their profile, so they’re more likely to see that content on Discover, found on the home screen of the Google app.”
Where Search Profiles Appear
On mobile, profiles show up in three places. You can tap “View Search Profile” at the bottom of a knowledge panel in Search results. You can also tap a publisher or creator’s name above a Discover card, and each profile gets a direct URL that can be shared anywhere.
Eligibility Requirements
Not everyone can create a profile at launch. Google’s help documentation lists the minimum follower counts you need on at least one platform.
- YouTube: 100,000
- Instagram: 100,000
- X: 100,000
- TikTok: 300,000
Ritchie confirmed these thresholds in his video:
“To be eligible, we have to have a public account with at least 100,000 followers on a single supported platform, Instagram, YouTube, or X. If we only have a public account on TikTok, we have to have at least 300,000 followers.”
Creators must also be at least 18 years old. Google does allow someone 18 or older to create and manage a profile on behalf of a minor.
How To Set Up A Profile
If you meet the follower thresholds, you can get started at profile.google.com/claim.
Profile handles are automatically set to match the your most-followed linked account. If that handle is already taken, Google assigns the next most-followed option.
After linking at least one qualifying social account, click “Create Profile.”
Any changes to a profile’s name, social links, or bio require Google approval. Suggested changes stay in “Pending” status until reviewed.
New content from linked platforms typically goes live within 24 hours, according to Google’s help page.
Knowledge Panel Connection
Claiming a Search profile could also get you a knowledge panel. Google’s blog post stated:
“Claiming a profile may trigger the creation of a knowledge panel for eligible publishers and creators. If you already have a knowledge panel, it will be enhanced with your updated avatar, latest content, and a direct profile link.”
That’s a new way for creators to get a knowledge panel without going through Google’s existing claim process.
Does A Profile Affect Search Ranking?
No. Google’s help documentation says creating a Search profile doesn’t affect ranking.
Any visibility benefit is in Discover, not Search. When someone follows a publisher, they may see more of that publisher’s content in their Discover feed.
Broader Context
Google has been adding publisher-facing tools to Discover over the past year.
In September, Google launched the Follow button for websites and creators on Discover. That update also brought posts from X, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts into the Discover feed alongside traditional articles.
Google later expanded its Preferred Sources feature to all languages in April. That feature lets people choose which websites they want to see more often in Top Stories and Discover.
Google’s February Discover core update also changed which websites appeared in the feed. Google said the update prioritized locally relevant content and reduced sensational material.
Search profiles provide something creators didn’t have before. They now get a Google-hosted page tied to Discover’s Follow button that they can customize themselves.
Why This Matters
Those who qualify can now shape how they show up across Search and Discover from one page.
The Follow button is the most important feature of the whole update, in terms of visibility. When someone follows your profile, they’re more likely to see your content in Discover.
Looking Ahead
Search profiles are launching in the U.S. only. Google said it plans to expand to more publishers and creators worldwide and add more capabilities.
Featured Image: Google
