Google opens up Search Profiles to smaller creators

Google has lowered the follower thresholds for Search Profiles, meaning creators who were previously locked out can now qualify for the feature that lets them shape how they appear in search results.

The tech giant has reduced the requirement from 100,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram or X to 35,000, and from 300,000 to 100,000 on TikTok.

The change addresses criticism that greeted the feature's original launch, when the high thresholds meant most creators couldn't access it at all.

"We're lowering the follower thresholds so more creators and publishers can set them up," Robby Stein, Google's VP of Product for Search, wrote on X.

While the new thresholds remain well above what most creators have, the change brings far more of the industry within reach. Google's own eligibility page states that creators must still be at least 18 years old and have content that meets its policy guidelines.

The profile remains available only in the US for now, with Stein adding that Google intends to "expand to more countries soon."

Google initially launched Search Profiles in June, giving creators a dedicated space to showcase their latest videos and social posts, and allowing audiences to follow them directly from search results.

At the time, industry insiders told The Daily Influence the high thresholds excluded the vast majority of creators. According to the American Influencer Council, fewer than one percent of the more than 39 million creators in the US have audiences exceeding 500,000 followers.

More broadly, Google has been expanding its investment in creator-facing tools throughout the year.

In July, it introduced Platform Properties within its Search Console, allowing creators to see which search terms lead audiences to their content across Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube, as well as which individual posts are generating the most traffic from Google.