Short answer
Set your regular weekly hours on your Google Business Profile, then add special hours for every festival, public holiday or one-off closure before the day arrives. Use temporarily closed only for longer breaks. Correct hours stop wasted trips and bad reviews, and help you appear for open-now searches. Keep the same hours on your website and social pages.
Why wrong hours hurt so much
A customer who drives to your shop on Diwali morning and finds it closed, because Google said open, is unlikely to give you a second chance, and may leave a one-star review. Hours are also used in open-now filters, so if your hours are missing or wrong, Google may hide you just when people are ready to come.
Three kinds of hours
- Regular hours: your normal week. Include lunch breaks by setting split hours if you close in the afternoon.
- Special hours: dates when you open or close differently, such as festivals, public holidays, elections, stock-taking or a family function.
- More hours: some categories can show extra hours for things like delivery, takeaway, pharmacy counter or senior hours.
A yearly hours calendar
At the start of each year, list the dates you know you will change hours. In India that may include Holi, Eid, Diwali, Gurpurab, Christmas, Republic Day and Independence Day, plus regional holidays. Abroad, think of bank holidays, Thanksgiving or Boxing Day. Enter special hours a couple of weeks before each date so they are in place in time.
Remember the days around a festival, too. Many shops open late the day after Diwali or close early on Christmas Eve.
Temporary closures and permanent changes
- Short closure of a day or two: use special hours set to closed.
- Longer break, such as renovation or a family emergency: mark the business as temporarily closed and reopen it when you are back.
- Changing your regular hours for good: update regular hours, website, social pages and any signboard on the door, all on the same day.
- Never mark a business permanently closed unless it really has closed; it is hard to undo.
Keep hours the same everywhere
Check that your website footer, contact page, Facebook page, Instagram bio and any booking apps show the same times as Google. If different places disagree, customers do not know which to trust. Google may also take hours from other sources or suggestions by the public, so check your profile after busy periods for edits you did not make.
Help from AI Marketing Master
The 30-day content calendar suggests festivals and occasions from a checked list for your country, which is a handy reminder that hours may need to change. The Local SEO agent can draft a profile post announcing festival hours for your approval. Once connected (with Google's API approval for the platform), the profile completeness audit flags missing information. The hours themselves are set in Google's own Business Profile screens.
What it does not do
- Hours are changed in Google's own Business Profile tools, not inside the app.
- Profile checks need Google's API approval for the platform.
Questions people ask
Do I have to add special hours if I am open as normal on a holiday?
It helps. Adding the date with your normal hours tells customers and Google you are confirmed open, instead of leaving them to guess.
Why did my hours change without me doing anything?
Google sometimes applies suggestions from users or other sources. Check your profile regularly and correct anything wrong.
Can I show 24 hours?
Only if you truly open around the clock. Otherwise customers will arrive at night and find you closed.
Should I show hours for appointment-only work?
Show the hours when you answer calls or take bookings, and say in your description that visits are by appointment. That way nobody arrives expecting to walk in.
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