What happens next?
It might seem like a trivial thing, but updating your business hours on Google can make all the difference to you. But if your business information is not updated, you’ve got a lot to lose: search engines aren’t going to be able to provide your customers with your business hours when they search for it; it will affect your overall local SEO; you’re very likely to lose your customers to your competitors.
Another impactful reason to make sure all your business information – in addition to business hours – is updated on Google is that of the ever-evolving search experience of users. The recent announcements about search experience in Google I/O 2018 suggest that your potential customers are more empowered than ever before in the future. Take the Google Assistant for instance; it is interactive enough to learn a user’s preferences and provide personalized solutions in the search results. And according to a study by Google, 41% of people who own a voice-activated device remarked that it feels like they’re speaking with another person or a friend.
Now imagine if your potential customers didn’t find your business operating hours when they searched for it. Imagine if they’re running a filter for businesses that are ”open now”, and your business doesn’t show up even if it really is open for business. They are most likely to go to your competitors and make a purchase transaction. You’re losing out on sales and potential repeat customers as well. To avoid a situation like this, you must update your business hours on Google.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you do just that.
Login to your Google My Business page.
[In case you don’t have a Google My Business profile, you can learn how to create one in our Google My Business page guide.]
Go to the ‘Info’ section and click on it.
You will find a section on the ‘Info’ page as shown in the image. Update your business hours by clicking on the pencil icon on the right-hand side.
Below the business hours option, you will find the ‘Add special hours’ option. This specific option is to display any change in timings between your normal working schedule. For example, your business usually opens at 9:00 a.m and closes at 10:00 p.m. But due to some unforeseen circumstances, you can operate only between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., you can use the ‘Add special hours’ option to update this information.
Click on “ADD NEW DATE” (in blue), select the days you’re going to have an irregular schedule, and add your timings.
Yes, learning how to update your business hours on Google is this simple, and far more rewarding than it might seem. Although, Google is not the only place where business hours have to be updated. You’ll also need to make sure you update such information on Sites like Yellow Pages, Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare and more. Synup can help you add your business hours to several platforms at a shot, and give you the power to update them when you want from one unified dashboard. Learn about how we can help you.
And, less time obsessing about your local presence