How to Edit Seasonal Business Hours on Google (Christmas Special)

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What if a customer took the time to search for your business; they found you on Google, confirmed your opening hours, looked you up on on Google Maps and drove to your store...

... only to find out that you were closed?

Don't risk losing customers this Christmas. Properly update business hours on your Google My Business page.
Seems obvious, right? You might be surprised how many businesses forget this simple step.

If not done right, this either shows a warning message for users searching, or even worse - leaves customers turning up at your door only to find out that you are closed. 

We cover the essentials below in time for Christmas and New Year.

Don't risk losing customers by showing the wrong hours on your Google My Business page

Your 'Google My Business' Hours

A Google My Business page has become an important point of contact for customers searching your local bricks-and-mortar business. Customers use the info in Google My Business to check reviews, find your store location on Google Maps, get your phone number or see your opening hours.
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Importantly, local users expect local info to be up to date.

Whether it's Christmas, New Year, Diwali, or any other seasonal break, it's easy to keep your opening hours up to date. This can be done easily in Google My Business ahead of time and doesn't require scrambling around on the day to change and change back.

3 Ways to Update Your Seasonal/Special Hours

There are 3 ways you can update your hours depending on your situation:
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1. Online Via Google My Business Admin Section
   Sign in to Google My Business and update the details directly under the 'Special Hours' section.
2. Online via Spreadsheet/CSV file
   The best option if you manage multiple locations -
   Sign in to Google My Business, download all of your listings as a spreadsheet, add special hours by specific date and re-upload the sheet to Google My Business. Your special hours will show on Google only for the days specified.  
3. On Mobile
   A shorter version of point 1 - on the “Edit business info” screen, scroll down and tap Add special hours.​

A few additional notes from Google:

• If you schedule special hours, your regular hours remain in place for all other days.
• If you schedule special hours for an official holiday, users will be told that those hours are scheduled specifically for the holiday. If a location doesn't provide special hours for these days on Google My Business, users on Maps and Search will be warned that the location's hours may differ on designated holidays.
  ​It's a good idea to confirm your hours for official holidays even if those hours are the same as your regular hours. This way, you'll make it clear to customers that your holiday hours are accurate.
• If your special hours extend into the next day, you should break the hours into two sets.

​The full article from Google My Business Support is here

A lot of time and effort is spent on Local SEO these days.
​Don't forget this simple last step and risk losing or frustrating customers this Christmas.