Google People Card: Why It Ended and What Works in 2026
The Google People Card, launched as “Add Me to Search,” was a free virtual visiting card people could create to appear in Google Search for their own name. Google discontinued it on April 7, 2024, and deleted the remaining card data after May 7, 2024. You can no longer create, edit, or display one.
What Was Google’s “Add Me to Search” / People Card?
Google’s People Card was a self-made profile box that appeared in mobile search results when someone searched your name. It worked like a virtual business card. You wrote it yourself, linked it to your Google Account, and verified it with your phone number.
Google launched the feature in India in August 2020. It later expanded to Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Those were the only officially supported countries, although some users outside them accessed it through a VPN.
The idea was simple. Many freelancers, creators, and small business owners had no website and no knowledge panel. The People Card gave them a way to show up for their own name without needing either.
| Feature | Google People Card | Knowledge Panel |
| Who created it | The user | Google, from trusted sources |
| Data source | Self-reported | Google Knowledge Graph |
| Eligibility | Anyone in supported countries | Notable people and entities |
| Verification | Phone number | Official sites or profiles |
| Status in 2026 | Discontinued | Active |
That self-reported design is the key difference. A knowledge panel reflects what the web says about you. A People Card reflected what you said about yourself.
How the People Card Used to Work (Steps, for Reference)
The People Card worked through a short mobile flow. You searched “add me to search,” signed in to your Google Account, verified your phone number, filled in profile details, and submitted the card for review. These steps no longer work and are listed only for reference.
- Search “add me to search” on a mobile browser or the Google app.
- Tap “Get started” and sign in to your Google Account.
- Verify your phone number with a one-time code.
- Add your name, location, and job title.
- Write an About section describing your work.
- Add a website link, social media links, and your LinkedIn profile.
- Optionally add work history, education, email, or phone number.
- Preview and submit the card for Google’s review.
The profile photo came from your Google Account, not a separate upload. Google limited each account to one card and reviewed cards against content policies before showing them. Users could later edit people card details or remove people card listings from the same flow.
If a guide you find still walks you through these steps as current advice, treat that page as outdated.
Why Google Discontinued People Cards
Google discontinued People Cards because the feature wasn’t as helpful as it hoped. Google said the cards worked as intended, but in the years after launch it learned the feature didn’t help people enough to keep it.
Google gave no further detail. Industry observers point to a few likely factors, though none are confirmed by Google:
- Low trust signals. Self-reported data is easy to inflate. Anyone could call themselves an expert.
- Spam and impersonation risk. Phone verification proved a phone number, not an identity.
- Limited reach. The cards showed only on mobile and only in four countries.
- Overlap with better systems. Knowledge panels and Business Profiles already cover people and businesses using verified or corroborated data.
The practical lesson for SEO professionals is clear. Google keeps moving toward entity information it can corroborate. A self-written card sat outside that model.
What Happened to Existing People Cards?
Existing People Cards stopped appearing in Google Search after April 7, 2024. From that date, no one could create or update a card. Google let users download or save their card content until May 7, 2024. After that, Google deleted the information.
If you had a card, it’s gone. There’s no archive to restore and no way to reactivate it. The shutdown affected only this feature. It didn’t change other Google products, your Google Account, or anything else tied to it.
Some articles give conflicting shutdown dates, including 2022 and August 2024. Google’s announcement and major coverage from the time confirm April 7, 2024 as the end date, with data deletion after May 7, 2024.
How to Add Yourself to Google Search in 2026 (What Still Works)
To add yourself to Google Search in 2026, build assets Google can crawl and trust. A personal website with Person schema, consistent social profiles, and real third-party mentions all feed Google’s picture of who you are. A claimed knowledge panel and an eligible Business Profile add to it.
None of these is a one-click way to create people card style visibility. Together they build a stronger digital identity and online presence than a People Card ever could. They work across Google, Bing, and AI search tools, and you control most of them.
Build a Personal Website with Person Schema
For personal branding, a personal website is the strongest replacement for a People Card. It’s an asset you own, it ranks for your name, and it gives Google one clear source to connect your other profiles. Add Person schema so search engines can read your identity details directly.
Use your name as the domain where possible. A simple site with a homepage, an About page, and a contact page is enough to start. Put your full name, job title, and a short bio in plain text near the top.
Then add structured data. Person schema should include your name, job title, image, employer if relevant, and a sameAs list pointing to your official profiles. For a dedicated profile page, Google also supports ProfilePage markup. Keep the markup matched to what’s visible on the page.
Costs are low. A domain typically costs under $20 per year, and basic hosting or website builders run from free to a modest monthly fee. Pricing varies by provider. Expect your name to start ranking within a few weeks to a few months, depending on how common your name is.
Make Your Social Profiles Consistent
Consistent social profiles help Google recognize that several accounts belong to one person. Use the same name, photo, job title, and short bio across LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube, and any industry platforms. Link each profile back to your website.
LinkedIn profiles often rank on page one for personal names, so treat yours as a priority. Complete the headline, About section, and experience fields. Add your website link.
Consistency is an entity SEO signal, not a style choice. If one profile says “SEO consultant,” another says “digital marketer,” and a third uses a nickname, Google has a harder time tying them together. Pick one version of your identity and use it everywhere.
Claim Your Google Knowledge Panel
If a knowledge panel already appears when you search your name, you can claim it. Search your name while signed in, click “Claim this knowledge panel,” and verify through an official site or profile listed, such as YouTube or Search Console.
Claiming lets you suggest edits, update the featured image, and correct social links. Google still reviews every change and decides what appears. Not every panel is claimable yet.
You can’t create a knowledge panel directly. Google generates one when it has enough corroborated information about you in the Google Knowledge Graph. That usually means coverage from independent, reliable sources. Be wary of agencies that promise a guaranteed knowledge panel for a fixed fee. Google offers no paid path, and results depend on real notability.
Set Up a Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile works for you only if you run a qualifying business that serves customers in person. Individual practitioners such as doctors, lawyers, and real estate agents can often qualify. Personal brands without a real customer-facing business usually don’t.
This is where many guides give risky advice. Creating a Business Profile just to appear for your name can breach Google’s guidelines. Profiles that don’t meet eligibility rules can be suspended, and suspended profiles are slow to recover.
If you do qualify, complete every field. Add categories, service areas, hours, photos, and your website link. Keep the name, address, and phone number identical to what appears on your site.
Earn Mentions, Press, and Guest Content
Mentions on other trusted websites tell Google that you’re real and relevant. Interviews, podcast appearances, guest articles, conference speaker pages, and industry roundups all create independent pages that mention your name.
These third-party sources matter more than anything you publish about yourself. They also feed knowledge panels and AI search answers. Brand mentions from credible outlets carry weight even without a link.
Build them steadily. A realistic pace for most professionals is one or two new mentions per month through podcasts, guest posts, and expert quotes. Avoid paid “as featured in” packages that place you on low-quality sites. They add little value and can look manipulative.
Clean Up Incorrect or Unwanted Info
Cleaning up your search results means correcting wrong details and removing sensitive personal information. Google’s “Results about you” tool lets you find and request removal of results that show your phone number, home address, or email. Other fixes happen at the source.
Start by searching your name in a private browsing window and noting every result on page one. Update outdated profiles you control. Ask site owners to correct wrong details. Close or redirect old accounts you no longer use.
For deeper problems, such as negative articles or impersonation, see our guide to personal online reputation management. Removal isn’t always possible, so building strong positive pages that outrank old results is often the more reliable route.
A 30-Day Action Plan to Build Your Search Presence
A 30-day plan can set up the core assets that replace a People Card. Week one covers your baseline and website, week two your profiles, week three your structured data and verification, and week four your first third-party mentions.
| Week | Tasks | Outcome |
| Week 1 | Search your name, record page-one results, register a domain, publish a basic site | Baseline and an owned asset |
| Week 2 | Update LinkedIn and social profiles with one consistent name, photo, and bio | Linked, consistent profiles |
| Week 3 | Add Person schema with sameAs links, verify the site in Google Search Console, submit a sitemap | Crawlable, verified identity source |
| Week 4 | Pitch two podcasts or publications, claim a knowledge panel if one exists, set up a Business Profile only if eligible | First independent mentions |
Results won’t be complete in 30 days. Your website and LinkedIn profile often begin ranking for your name within the first month or two. Knowledge panels, if they appear at all, usually take much longer and depend on coverage you can’t fully control.
Keep going after day 30. Add one piece of content or one new mention each month, and recheck your name in search every quarter.
Conclusion
The Google People Card is gone, and no workaround brings it back. That’s not a loss for anyone serious about search visibility. A self-written card never carried the trust of a personal website, consistent profiles, and independent mentions. Start with the 30-day plan above, beginning with a domain in your name and Person schema, and recheck your name in search each quarter.
FAQs
No. Google discontinued People Cards on April 7, 2024. Users could save their card content until May 7, 2024, after which Google deleted it. You can’t create or edit a card anywhere.
Because the feature no longer exists. Searching “add me to search” now returns normal results, not the card creation flow. Guides showing the old steps are outdated.
No. The VPN trick once helped users outside India, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa reach the feature. Since the shutdown, it’s unavailable in every country.
Build a personal website with Person schema, keep your social profiles consistent, and earn mentions on other trusted sites. Claim a knowledge panel if one appears, and use a Business Profile only if you run a qualifying business.
You can’t request one directly. Google creates knowledge panels when it has enough corroborated information about you. Build independent coverage, a clear personal website, and consistent profiles to improve your chances.
Yes. Creating a People Card was free. It required a Google Account and phone number verification.
No direct replacement launched. Knowledge panels, Google Business Profiles, and ordinary search results for your website and profiles now fill that role.
It varies with how common your name is. A personal website and LinkedIn profile often appear within weeks to a few months. Knowledge panels, if they appear, usually take much longer.
Use Google’s “Results about you” tool to request removal of results showing your phone number, address, or email. For other content, contact the site owner or update the source page.
