Once again, the holidays are approaching, and so are your customers. Despite your best efforts, the holiday rush seems to never end no matter how much planning you do. Nevertheless, you and your business can get into the holiday spirit and maximise holiday revenue by following the steps below.
This blog will cover:
- Why do businesses need to list their hours online?
- Preparing your Google Business Profile listing for the holidays
- Preparing your Yelp listing for the holidays
- Preparing your Facebook listing for the holidays
- Preparing your Bing listing for the holidays
- Can I set special holiday hours for multiple locations at once?
- Summary and takeaways for your business
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Why do businesses need to list their hours online?
Businesses that provide correct and up-to-date hours of operation online, even during holidays, are appreciated by customers. The additional advantage of listing holiday hours is that it increases the likelihood that your business will show up in filtered search results. It also means that people are more likely to make a dedicated trip to your physical store if they feel confident that your business is going to be open.
Tip: Even if you are opening during normal business hours for a major holiday such as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day, we recommend that you still set your listings as special hours. Otherwise, consumers might assume that you haven’t updated them and that they’re inaccurate.
Preparing your Google Business Profile listing for the holiday
Updating your opening hours on Google Business Profile
You can specify holiday hours to prevent changes to your usual hours when your business hours vary for a short time, such as for a special event. How does it work? If your business temporarily changes its hours of operation or closes for up to six days straight, you can set holiday hours.
You may designate holiday business hours as necessary for:
- Holidays
- Special events
- Additional exceptional circumstances
Even though they are the same as your regular hours, it is a good idea to check your hours for official holidays. Customers will understand that your holiday hours are accurate as a result.
How to add holiday hours on Google Business Profile
1. Sign in to your Google Business Profile account – the one you use to manage your Business Profile.
2. Google your precise business name to find your business profile.
3. Click Edit profile, followed by Business Information, at the top.
4. Select the Hours tab towards the top.
5. Click Holiday hours under Business Hours.
6. Choose a holiday date.
- To confirm suggested holidays: Click Review.
- To set a custom date: Click Add a date. Then, enter the date of the holiday.
- For dates you already set holiday hours: Scroll to the existing date.
7. Update your hours.
- If you’re open for the day: Check the box next to the date. Then, enter times in Opens at and Closes at.
- If you’re closed for the day: Uncheck the box next to the date.
- To add multiple sets of hours for the date: Click more, add hours then, enter the hours.
To delete holiday hours:
- If your business is closed: Next to the holiday, click delete.
- If your business is open: Next to the hours, click more and then delete.
8. Click Save.
After your hours are saved, you can find them in the Hours tab in your Business Information under Holiday Hours.
Preparing your Yelp listing for the holidays
You can also set up special business hours for holidays on Yelp. When you set special hours on Yelp, a notification will appear informing customers that these are temporary hours and not standard hours.
How to change your hours on Yelp:
Set holiday hours on Yelp
- Open theYelp for Business app and log in.
- Select Add Special Hours under Operation Hours.
- Mark your business Closed for the day or Open for a specific period of time.
- Special Hours on Yelp are determined on a day-to-day basis. Add each day when your operation hours will change from the regularly listed hours.
Preparing your Facebook listing for the holidays
Set holiday hours on Facebook
How to adjust your Facebook hours:
- From the Feed, click Pages in the left-hand menu.
- Select Edit Page info.
- Then select the Hours tab – You can then add or modify your business hours from here. If your business is temporarily closed or providing different services, you can also choose Temporary Service Changes.
- To enter your hours, click Open on the chosen hours and then click to add additional hours.
If you don’t see an Hours section, you may need to change your Page’s category.
Preparing your Bing listing for the holidays
It is simple to set holiday hours in Bing. When setting special hours, your listing will be highlighted in green to remind customers of your temporary opening and closing times.
Set holiday hours on Bing
Changing your Bing hours:
- Login to bingplaces.com.
- Click on your Business Name.
- Next to your business name, click the Edit button.
- Continue pressing the Next button until you get to the section that displays your current hours.
- Click the Checkbox next to: “Yes, I want to provide working hours for special days.”
- Add your temporary holiday hours.
- Tick the closed box if your business is Closed.
- To update additional special hours on other dates, click Next.
- Click Submit when you are finished.
Can I set special holiday hours for multiple locations at once?
It can take hours to change the hours for multiple locations. On the other listing sites besides Google, there isn’t a reliable method for updating your special hours in bulk. Although you can upload a spreadsheet to Google to add special hours, the process still takes time and may take up several days for Google to approve your changes. After the initial upload, if those hours need to be altered again, you’ll have to repeat the process.
Remember: All of the information you submit must be accurate. A mistake may cost your business valuable customers and sales, and even worse, may make your listing appear unverified!
Summary and takeaways for your business
Google is a valuable tool for businesses all over the world. You don’t even need a website for your company to benefit from Google and be found there. Utilise all of Google’s tips and tools to help you make your business stand out by making sure your listings on Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and Bing are current.
It doesn’t take much to make your small business stand out in Google’s local rankings and attract local customers who are looking for the products and services you offer.
We hope you found this blog helpful as you prepare for the busy few weeks to come! Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss anything important from us as you prepare.
Related Reading:
Planning Your Seasonal Marketing Campaign
State of Digital Marketing Report 2024
Exclusive insights and data from the marketing strategies of over 500+ UK business
