Google removed chat from Business Profiles. Where remodel inquiries go now, and what to set up.
Google shut off chat on Business Profiles, and many remodelers never replaced it. Here is where those inquiries go now and the two things to set up this week.
A homeowner looking at your listing on a Tuesday night is not going to call you at 9pm about a bathroom remodel. A few years ago, some of them would have tapped the chat button instead. Google removed that button from Business Profiles in 2024, and plenty of remodelers never replaced it with anything.
That means a quiet leak. The person who wanted to send a quick message now has two options on your listing: call, or go to your website. If neither works well at night, they move on.
What changed
Google ended the chat and messaging feature on Business Profiles in 2024. Listings that had chat turned on lost the button, and the ways left to reach a business from the listing are mainly the call button and the website link.
You can read Google's own note about it on the Business Profile help center. The short version is that the conversation now has to happen somewhere you control.
Why it matters more for remodelers
Most trades get urgent calls. A burst pipe does not wait for business hours. Remodeling is different.
- The decision is slow. A kitchen or bath project often takes weeks or months to decide on. The first touch is usually research, not an emergency.
- The first touch often happens at night. People browse remodel ideas after work, after the kids are in bed. That is exactly when nobody answers your phone.
- People do not want to call yet. They want to ask a question, send a photo, or find out if you do the kind of work they have in mind. A phone call feels like too much commitment.
Chat used to catch some of those early, low-pressure inquiries. Without a replacement, those people either fill out a long form on your site, call during the day, or pick a contractor whose site made it easy.
Where those inquiries go now
When a homeowner taps your listing today, they see the call button, directions and your website link. So your website now does the job chat used to do. If your site has only a phone number and a long estimate form, you lose most of those night-time browsers.
Across the 116,602 remodeling and contracting listings we track, 23.8% list no website at all. For those contractors, the only way to reach them from Google is now the phone. The benchmark report shows how this varies by state.
The two things to set up this week
1. A short text-or-message option on your website
Add a simple way for someone to send a message without calling. That can be a small form with three fields (name, phone, what you are thinking about) or a text-us button that opens their messaging app.
Keep it short. A form that asks for budget, timeline, square footage and a project description at the first touch scares people away. You can ask those questions later.
Make sure it says what happens next: "We reply by text within one business hour. Messages sent at night get a reply first thing in the morning."
The website essentials guide covers the rest of what a remodeling site needs.
2. A fast reply when someone does reach out
A message that sits for two days is worse than no message at all. When an inquiry comes in, reply quickly, by text if they gave a phone number.
A hypothetical example of a first reply:
"Hi Karen, thanks for reaching out about the bathroom. I am Tom with Stonegate Remodeling. Can you send two or three photos of the space? I will get back to you with next steps and a time for a site visit."
Then follow up if they go quiet. Remodel leads go cold slowly, and the contractor who follows up for weeks usually wins. The missed calls and follow-up guide has the full sequence.
What about missed calls
The same logic applies to the phone. If someone does call at night and gets voicemail, a text-back within a minute or two keeps the conversation alive. "Sorry we missed your call. This is Tom with Stonegate. Text back here and I will reply first thing." That single text catches a lot of people who would otherwise call the next listing.
Put your own numbers in the calculator to see what a few missed calls a month cost at your average project size.
The short version
Google removed chat from Business Profiles, so your website and your phone now carry every inquiry. Add a short message option to your site, reply fast by text, and send a text-back on every missed call. Those three changes catch most of the people chat used to catch.
If you want someone to set up and run any one service for you, there is a free 14-day trial with no card needed. Text or call (385) 899-2246.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, general contractors and remodelers among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor