Google Search Profiles Open in India and Canada

On October 6, 2026 Google opened Search profiles to creators and publishers in India and Canada. Until then they existed only in the United States. Brazil is next, with no date. If you publish from one of the three listed countries you can claim a profile today; everywhere else, you can only get ready.

What we know

  • What Google announced: Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, posted on X on October 6, 2026 that creators and publishers in India and Canada could set up a profile starting that day. He added that Brazil is "rolling out soon", with no date.
  • What Google's help page says: the English help page, read on October 8, lists three countries: Canada, India and the United States. The Spanish version of the same page still said that day that profiles are only available in the United States.
  • What a Search profile is: according to Google's blog, which introduced it on June 4, 2026, it is a dedicated, shareable space where a publisher or creator gathers their articles, videos and social posts.
  • Where it shows up: that post says people reach a profile from the knowledge panel in Search, by tapping the source's name in Discover, or through a direct URL.
  • Requirements: the help page asks for at least 10,000 subscribers or followers on one of these platforms: YouTube, Instagram, X or TikTok. You must also be 18 or older and meet Google's content policies. It gives a single list of requirements, with no differences by country.
  • How the threshold moved: according to Search Engine Journal, it was 100,000 followers at launch (300,000 on TikTok) and Google set it at 10,000 on September 16.
  • Effect on rankings: the help page says creating a profile does not directly affect ranking in Google Search. People who follow a profile may see more of that source's content in Discover.
  • Several brands: per the help page, one Google account can create up to 10 profiles, one for each brand or identity.
  • What Google did not say: when Brazil gets it, or which countries come after.

What changes and what doesn't

The reach changes: from one country to three. Until now Google's help page named only the United States.

Nothing changes yet for anyone publishing from a country outside that list: a profile cannot be created there.

The requirements stay the same: 10,000 followers on one platform, legal age and the content policies.

What Google says about ranking stays the same too. A profile is not a ranking lever. Its effect runs through Discover and depends on people choosing to follow the source.

And it does not replace a Google Maps business listing. Google presents the profile for publishers and creators and requires a social audience. For a local business, the listing remains the tool. That is this article's reading, not a statement from Google.

What to do now

If you are in India, Canada or the United States

  1. Check the threshold. You need 10,000 followers on a single one of the four platforms. The help page asks for the minimum on "at least one content platform": it says nothing about adding networks together.
  2. Look for an existing profile first. If you already have a knowledge panel, the help page says Google may have generated a profile automatically. Search your name or handle and claim that one instead of creating a second.
  3. Pick the Google account. If you have a YouTube channel, Google recommends using that channel's account. Changes to name, social links and bio go through Google's review, so decide who manages it.
  4. Claim it at the official address. Google documents one route: profile.google.com/claim. Your handle is taken from your most-followed linked account, or the next one if that handle is taken.
  5. Link only what is yours. The help page warns that accounts unrelated to the profile's brand may be denied.
  6. Add the badge to your site. Google has documented a Search profile badge since September 16. The URL follows the pattern profile.google.com/@handle. The guide asks for a tap target of at least 44 × 44 px on the web.

If your country is not on the list

  1. Prepare the same pieces. Check the threshold, search for your knowledge panel, use the same username across networks and decide which Google account will own the profile.
  2. Leave room on your site. The footer, the About page or the author byline are natural places for the badge once you have a profile.
  3. Don't file it under SEO. Claiming a profile does not move rankings. If Discover matters to you, what counts is that your audience follows you.
  4. Watch the English help page. That is where the country list changed first. This article did not test the claim page from a country outside the list.

Related: Google Maps: What Your Business Can't Post on Its Listing

Sources

Updates: if Google opens Search profiles in Brazil or in more countries, or updates the other language versions of its help page, it will be added here with its link.