Adam Hafez
Key takeaways
- Search profiles now show enhanced article views with optimized image thumbnails and longer headlines, which Google says help users dive deeper into your content.
- The follower requirement started at 100,000, was cut to 35,000, and is now 10,000 on YouTube, Instagram, X or TikTok.
- One Google account can now manage up to 10 separate Search profiles, aimed at media organizations that run many publications.
- Google has also added an editable handle, plus website badges and buttons that let visitors follow you from your own site.
- Badge rules forbid stretching, distorting, rotating or recoloring the Super G icon and the Search profile button.
Google has updated Search profiles again. According to Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable, the changes published on 16 September 2026 cover how articles look, who qualifies, and how many profiles one login can hold.
What changed
Articles get a richer card. Google introduced enhanced article views with optimized image thumbnails and increased headline length, to help users “discover and dive deeper into your content.” Thumbnail choice and headline wording now matter on a surface beyond the blue links.
The follower bar keeps dropping. The requirement began at 100,000 followers, was lowered to 35,000 last month, and is now 10,000 on YouTube, Instagram, X or TikTok. Smaller publishers can now qualify.
One login, up to 10 profiles. Publishers can manage up to 10 separate Search profiles for different brands from a single Google account. Google explains that “some media organizations manage the digital presence of many different publications.”
Handles and website badges
Handles are editable. Google recently added the ability to edit your handle.
Badges bring followers from your own site. A companion report says the Search profile badge lets visitors follow you directly from your website after you claim your profile. Google’s rules say not to stretch, distort, rotate or alter the colors of the “Super G” icon and Search profile button, and to avoid mixing monochrome and colorful versions. Touch targets must be at least 48 x 48 dp on Android and 44 x 44 px on iOS and web.
Support is by email. Users who cannot transfer a previously claimed profile to their main account were directed to contact support.
Why we care
The 10,000 threshold turns Search profiles from a large-publisher feature into something a mid-size publication can plan for, so check whether your follower counts on the four named platforms clear it. The single-login change matters most to anyone running several brands: fold them into one account rather than juggling logins. Google published no traffic or ranking data for profiles, so treat this as a distribution channel to test, not a proven lever.
The evidence
- Type
- announcement
- Impact
- low
- Affects
- Search profiles, publisher branding, follower growth
Sources
- 1.Google Search profiles updates - Search Engine Roundtable, September 16, 2026Primary
- 2.Google Search profile badge for websites - Search Engine Roundtable
Frequently asked questions
How many followers does a Search profile need now?
Search Engine Roundtable reports the requirement is now 10,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, X or TikTok. It began at 100,000 and was lowered to 35,000 before this latest cut.
Can one account run several Search profiles?
Yes. Google says one account can now manage up to 10 separate Search profiles for different brands, because some media organizations manage the digital presence of many different publications.
What is the Search profile badge?
It is a website badge that lets visitors follow you directly from your site once you have claimed your Search profile. Google's rules forbid stretching, distorting, rotating or recoloring the official assets.
About the author
Founder
Founder, UpgradIQ, Inc.
Adam Hafez works on technical SEO and search measurement: how pages get crawled, indexed, ranked and now quoted by answer engines. He founded UpgradIQ, which reads Google Search Console and GA4 to tie ranking movement back to the changes that caused it. He publishes what the data supports and states the limits of it.
- Technical SEO
- Search Console and GA4 measurement
- Answer engine optimization
- Structured data
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