In August the qualifying audience for a public Google profile fell to 35,000 followers. Around 16 September Google cut it again, to 10,000, and added three features on top.
When we covered Google Search profiles in August, the story was a follower bar coming down to 35,000 on a single platform, with the feature still limited to the United States. Google has moved the line again. Its own eligibility page now sets the bar at 10,000 followers or subscribers on any one supported platform, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or X, counted per platform rather than added together. That is down from 35,000 a month ago and from 100,000 at launch. A Search profile is the Google-hosted page that gathers a brand's or creator's accounts, links and posts under their name, so people can find and follow them straight from search results.
Three changes shipped alongside the lower bar, reported by Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Journal and dated to mid-September. You can now create and manage up to 10 profiles from a single Google login, which suits anyone running several brands or identities. Google also redesigned the article layout that profiles surface, calling it enhanced article views, with better image thumbnails and longer headlines so readers see more before they click. And there is a new website badge you can embed on your own pages to invite follows.
For Australian and UK firms, still one to watch
The catch from August has eased but not for your market. Search profiles are now available in the United States, Canada and India, with Google saying it plans to expand to more countries later in the year. Firms in Australia and the UK still cannot claim one. And even at 10,000, the bar rewards a social following that most accounting and advisory firms are not building for its own sake.
What has changed is the trajectory. Google keeps widening a branded, followable surface inside its own results, and each drop in the threshold brings it closer to the audiences a professional-services firm actually has. That surface now sits next to Google's broader move toward answer-style results, where being named and followable matters more than a blue link alone.
There is nothing to action in Australia or the UK today. The measured step is to keep your public profiles accurate and your business name consistent across platforms, the same groundwork that supports being found on Google generally, so you are ready the moment eligibility opens where you work.
Frequently asked questions
What changed with Google Search profiles in September 2026?
In September 2026 Google lowered the follower requirement for a public Google Search profile from 35,000 to 10,000 on a single supported platform, and added three features: managing up to 10 profiles from one login, a redesigned article layout it calls enhanced article views, and an embeddable follow badge for your own website.
Which social platforms count toward the 10,000-follower Google Search profile threshold?
For a Google Search profile, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or X each count toward the 10,000-follower threshold. The count is per platform, not a total across all of them, and you need to clear 10,000 on just one of them.
Can a firm in Australia or the UK claim a Google Search profile now?
Not yet. Google lists Search profiles as available in the United States, Canada and India, with expansion to more countries planned later in 2026. Firms outside those countries, including in Australia and the UK, cannot claim one for the moment.
Should my firm do anything about Google's lower Search-profile threshold?
For most firms there is nothing to set up today outside the United States, Canada and India where Google Search profiles are available. The practical step is to keep your public profiles and business name consistent across platforms, so you qualify quickly if the feature reaches your market.
