Retailers: How to Enter Modified Opening Hours into Your Google Profile

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During Christmas and many other days, there are special opening hours. What many retailers and shops don't know: You can enter these special opening hours in your Google profile.

 

During Christmas, many stores have extended opening hours on Advent Saturdays or may be open or closed on Christmas Eve. Until now, it was not possible to enter this information in the Google profile.

 

Now this can be relatively easily changed:

Click on your saved profile at http://www.google.com/mybusiness/ and scroll to the section "Special Opening Hours". There, you can now enter special opening hours for each date of the year.

Typically, this information is available in Google Maps within an hour. Sometimes it may take a little longer.

If you don't just want your opening hours replicated in Google, I recommend our Local SEO program, where we can replicate your special opening hours in currently >35 apps and directories (subject to execution by the operators of these sites, apps, etc.).

For more detailed information, you can find it here: Check: Is my business listed in important apps and directories?

 

The opening hours will then be taken into account in the Google search here:

 

When you look at the opening hours, you will see:

 

Implementation of opening hours takes place within a few hours.

 

This is the latest change that Google has made so far.

 

Overview of the changes:

  • February 2015: Primary category. The old categorization could be deleted because the new classification into a primary category and additional categories became possible. This makes it much easier to position a business that did not have a 100% fitting category before.
  • May 2015: New design at Google MyBusiness.
  • June 2015: Additional phone numbers. The old classification into fixed predefined numbers (e.g., "mobile number") is eliminated. Instead, any additional phone numbers can now be integrated.
  • September 2015: Simplified, improved navigation.
  • November 2015: Special opening hours (https://support.google.com/business/answer/6303076)
     

Special opening hours were initially tested in the USA and India.

It should be noted that special opening hours can also be replicated on the website, ideally classified with a corresponding Schema.org markup.

 

https://developers.google.com/structured-data/local-businesses/ describes the corresponding opening hours.
 

Link: OpeningHoursSpecification
 

openingHoursSpecification(Recommended) OpeningHoursSpecification Hours during which the business location is open.
openingHoursSpecification.opens Time The time the business location opens, in hh:mm:ss format.
openingHoursSpecification.closes Time The time the business location closes, in hh:mm:ss format.
openingHoursSpecification.dayOfWeek Text One or more of the following: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
openingHoursSpecification.validFrom Date The start date of a seasonal business closure, in YYYY-MM-DD format.
openingHoursSpecification.validThrough Date The end date of a seasonal business closure, in YYYY-MM-DD format.