How to update Google Business Profile holiday hours

Customers might turn up when you’re closed, call outside trading hours, or assume your business isn’t being managed properly.

That’s why updating your Google Business Profile holiday hours matters. It’s a small task that ensures customers get the right information at the right time and makes it easier for them to find your business with accurate opening hours.

What are Google Business Profile holiday hours?

Google Business Profile holiday hours are the temporary hours you set for public holidays or short-term changes.

Google calls these special hours. They let you show different hours for specific dates without changing your normal weekly schedule. This is useful if you are closed on a public holiday, opening or closing later, or trading with reduced hours.

It is a simple way to keep your profile accurate while leaving your regular business hours unchanged.

Why holiday hours matter

Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing customers see when they search for your business. If the hours are wrong, the customer experience starts badly.

Keeping your holiday hours updated can help you:

• Build trust with customers
• Avoid unnecessary calls or visits
• Give people clear expectations
• Keep your business information accurate

Even if your hours are staying the same, it is still worth checking them before a holiday period. It shows that your business information is current and cared for.

How to update Google Business Profile holiday hours

Updating holiday hours on your Google Business Profile is straightforward. You can follow Google’s guide to setting special hours or update them directly through your profile on Google Search or Google Maps.

1. Sign in to the Google account linked to your profile.
2. Open your Business Profile.
3. Click Edit profile.
4. Go to Hours.
5. Open Special hours.
6. Add the holiday date.
7. Enter your trading hours for that day, or mark the business as closed.
8. Save your changes.
9. Check the live profile to make sure the update is showing correctly.

If you manage more than one location, make sure you update each profile separately.

What else should you check?

Holiday hours are the main thing to update, but they are not the only detail worth reviewing.

Before a holiday period, it is a good idea to check your:

• Phone number
• Website link
• Address
• Booking link
• Service area
• Location details for each profile

You should also make sure your website and any holiday notices on social media match the same hours. If your Google profile says one thing and your website says another, customers can still get confused.

Common mistakes to avoid

A common error is changing your regular business hours instead of using special hours, which can create extra work and leave your profile showing incorrect hours after the holiday. Another is forgetting to update all locations, especially for multi-location businesses.

Other issues include:

• Not checking your profile after saving changes
• Leaving old holiday information unreviewed
• Forgetting to update your website as well
• Using the wrong setting for the situation

If your business is only changing hours for a short period, special hours are usually the right option. For longer closures, a different setting may be needed. See below for a quick breakdown.

Special hours, more hours, or temporarily closed?

Choosing the right setting helps keep your profile accurate and avoids confusion for customers.

• Special hours – for short-term changes like public holidays and seasonal periods, special events, or closures of 6 days or less.
• More hours – for specific service times such as delivery hours, drive-through hours, or breakfast and lunch service blocks.
• Temporarily closed – for closures of 7 or more consecutive days, off-season closures, renovations, or periods with an unknown reopening date. 

We strongly recommend not marking your business as temporarily closed for public holidays or seasonal periods, as this can negatively affect your local search ranking.

Keep your profile ready for holiday periods

Google Business Profile holiday hours are easy to overlook, but they can make a big difference. When customers search during public or seasonal holidays, they want clear and accurate information. If your profile shows the right hours, you make their experience easier and help build trust in your business.

A quick update before each holiday period can save time, reduce confusion, and keep your profile in better shape. It also supports stronger local search visibility by keeping your public business information clear and up to date.

Need help keeping your profile up to date?

Your Google Business Profile is one of the first places customers look before they call, visit, or book. If your hours or business details are out of date, it can create confusion and affect trust.

For our clients, AI Format can help review and update your Google Business Profile details as part of ongoing support, where we have the right access in place.

For businesses managing their own profile, this guide will help you understand what to check and how to update your holiday hours.If you are already working with AI Format and would like help keeping your profile up to date before the next holiday period, please get in touch.