For millions of people, posting online is no longer just a hobby. It’s a business.

More than 200 million people considered themselves creators as of 2025. In the U.S. alone, 27 million creators make income through content, according to Salesforce data.

And the money behind this work is also growing fast.

Goldman Sachs estimated the creator economy at about $250 billion and projected it could nearly double to $480 billion by 2027. 

SharkPlatform’s 2026 creator economy report lists the global market at more than $250 billion and projects it could top $500 billion by 2030.

It also lists that there are more than 200 million creators worldwide and more than 2 million six-figure creators. 

The numbers may seem big, but they are not surprising considering the number of influencers and creators you see every time you open a social media platform.

However, this also means that creators are not just competing for likes. This is a serious business, and at stake is income, sponsors, customers, readers, and followers. 

With the sole goal of gaining more digital recognition and discoverability, companies, individuals, and brands alike spend significant money to build a larger digital presence. 

And Google plays a crucial role in this through its search and discovery engine, which is a major source of views and information on a personality.

Now, Google is making this process slightly easier and giving some of the creators a new way to be found.

422737/Pixabay

Google launches new Search profiles

In a June 4 blog post, Google announced the launch of Search profiles, a new feature that gives eligible publishers and creators a dedicated page on Google Search.

The profile lets a creator or publisher show recent articles, videos, social posts, websites, social media accounts, and other official links in one place.

Google said the goal is to help publishers and creators shape their presence on Search and for their audiences to find accurate, up-to-date information about them.

More Tech Stocks:

  • Morgan Stanley sets jaw-dropping Micron price target after event
  • Nvidia’s China chip problem isn’t what most investors think
  • Quantum Computing makes $110 million move nobody saw coming

“Search profiles give publishers and creators a central place to showcase their latest articles, videos, and social posts. People can easily follow sources from their profile, so they’re more likely to see that content on Discover, found on the home screen of the Google app,” read the company statement.

For users, that means it may become easier to find the real account, website, or work of a creator, writer, publisher, or public-facing brand.

For creators, it could become a useful business tool.

A creator may have a YouTube channel, TikTok account, Instagram page, X profile, newsletter, podcast, online store, and personal website. 

A publisher may have its website, Google Discover presence, social accounts, video clips, and newsletters.

Related: Google gives Reddit surprising tailwind

For audiences, that can be messy as they navigate multiple pages trying to find the correct information about a creator.

And for these creators and publishers, this misinformation can quickly become costly.

If someone searches for a creator and lands on an outdated page, a fake account, or a wrong link, that attention can be lost. 

In the growing and competitive creator economy, attention can quickly turn into revenue through sponsorships, subscriptions, affiliate links, ads, merchandise, or product sales.

That is why a more official profile inside Google Search matters.

How do creators make money online?

Creator income comes from several places.

Goldman Sachs said creators earn money primarily through brand deals, platform ad revenue, subscriptions, donations, and other direct payments from followers.

Brand deals are especially important. Goldman Sachs said direct brand deals account for about 70% of creator revenue, and most of these deals depend on the creator’s follower count, engagement, and account activity.

This explains why creators care so much about followers and organic engagement and why businesses are on the lookout for such personalities.

A creator with a loyal audience can influence what people buy, watch, download, subscribe to, or trust. 

For brands, that can be more valuable than a standard digital ad because creator content often feels more personal.

Salesforce said creator-led marketing works because audiences trust creators and because their recommendations can feel more like advice than a sales pitch.

That is the basic money flow: 

  • Creators build audiences;
  • Brands pay to reach those audiences;
  • Platforms take a role in distribution and ad revenue;
  • Followers may pay creators directly through subscriptions, memberships, or products.

Google’s new Search profile fits into that system because discovery is where the money often begins.

A brand may search for a creator before offering a sponsorship. A reader may search for a publisher before deciding whether to follow it. 

A fan may search for a creator’s store, newsletter, or official page. A shopper may look up a person after seeing a product recommendation online.

If Google can organize that information in one place, it gives creators and publishers a better chance to turn search interest into repeat attention.

Why creators may want this profile now

The new feature comes at a time when creators are more dependent on platforms than ever.

Deloitte said the creator economy’s future will partly depend on the relationship between platforms and creators, and that the industry is facing new uncertainty as competition, government policy, and corporate responsibility shape what comes next.

That pressure is easy to understand.

A creator can build a business on one platform, only to see it fall after an algorithm change. A short video can go viral one week and disappear the next. 

Platform payout rules can change. Social media bans or policy fights can create uncertainty. AI tools can change how people search for information.

Publishers face their own version of the same problem.

Google has been adding more AI-powered features to Search, including summaries that can answer some questions directly on the results page. That has raised concerns among publishers that fewer users may click through to original websites.

Search profiles do not solve that problem. They also do not guarantee higher Google Search rankings.

But they give publishers and creators a more stable identity inside one of the most important discovery engines on the internet.

The profile works like a central public business card on Google. It can point users to current work, real accounts, and official links.

Google says people will also be able to follow publishers and creators from their profiles. If users follow a source, they may be more likely to see that source’s content on Google Discover, the personalized feed that appears on the home screen of the Google app.

That could be valuable because Discover can send traffic without users having to type a search query.

How to create a Google Search profile

Google says Search profiles are currently available only in the U.S.

To create one, a creator must meet Google’s minimum follower requirement on at least one major platform. 

That means at least 100,000 YouTube subscribers, 100,000 Instagram followers, 100,000 X followers, or 300,000 TikTok followers.

Creators must also be at least 18 years old and follow Google’s content policies.

Eligible creators can set up a new profile by going to profile.google.com/claim and signing into the Google Account they want to use for the profile.

Google says creators with YouTube channels should use the Google Account connected to that channel. The creator must then sign into at least one content platform account that meets the follower requirement.

After Google confirms eligibility, the creator can create the profile and add details such as a bio, avatar, website, social links, and video platform links.

Some creators may already have a Google-generated profile based on their online presence. 

Google says they can check by going to profile.google.com, signing into the account linked to their creator activity, and searching for their name or creator handle.

Google says creating a Search profile does not directly affect ranking on Google Search. 

However, if someone follows a creator from the profile, that person may see more of the creator’s content on Discover.

Google Search is becoming more than links

The launch shows how Google Search is changing.

Search has long been a place where people look for websites, news, videos, products, and public figures. But Google is increasingly making Search a place where users can follow sources, see AI-generated answers, and interact with content before leaving the results page.

That gives creators and publishers a new opportunity, but also a new challenge.

A better profile can help them look more official, collect their work, and build a stronger relationship with audiences. But it also keeps more of the discovery process inside Google’s own ecosystem.

The feature will not help every creator immediately. Smaller creators are largely left out at launch because of the high follower requirements.

But for larger creators and publishers, the timing is clear.

The creator economy has become a multibillion-dollar business. More people are using content as a source of income, and more companies are using creators to reach customers.

In that world, being easy to find is not just about visibility, but translates into money.

Related: Cathie Wood buys $8.7M of tumbling semiconductor stock