How to Set Holiday Hours on Google Business Profile

To set your Google Business Profile holiday hours, open your profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours, then Special hours. Pick the date, enter your hours or mark it closed, and save. Do this for every day your schedule changes between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, so the hours customers see on Google match the hours on your door.

It takes about ten minutes. Below are the exact steps, the dates to set for this season, and a few more quick updates that help your profile bring in holiday customers instead of just listing your address.

Why do Google Business Profile holiday hours matter?

Because the holidays are when the most people look you up, and when your hours are most likely to be different.

LocaliQ's 2026 holiday shopping study of more than 1,800 shoppers found:

• Thanksgiving week (69%) and the first half of December (67%) are the busiest shopping periods.
• 41% of shoppers shop equally online and in store, and only 7% shop only online.
• 26% of holiday shoppers buy from local and small businesses. The top reasons are finding unique gifts (63%) and supporting their community (62%).

That means a lot of people will check your profile on their phone right before they get in the car. If Google says you're open and they pull up to a locked door, you don't just lose that sale. You lose their trust in your listing for next time.

How do I set holiday hours on Google?

Here are the steps from Google's own help page on special hours:

1. Sign in and open your Business Profile (search your business name on Google while signed in, or go to business.google.com).
2. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
3. Next to Special hours, select Edit.
4. Pick a date. Google often suggests upcoming holidays, so you can just select Review. For any other day, select Add a date.
5. If you're open, uncheck Closed and enter your hours. If you're closed, leave Closed checked.
6. Select Save.

A few details that trip people up:

• Confirm holidays even if nothing changes. Google recommends confirming your hours for official holidays even when they match your regular hours. It tells customers your hours are accurate for that day.
• Special hours are for short changes. They cover up to six days in a row. If you're closing for seven days or more, Google says to mark the business as temporarily closed instead.
• Use "More hours" for service times. If you have separate pickup, delivery or senior shopping hours, Google suggests adding those under More hours.
• Your main hours need to be set. Special hours only show when your profile is set to open with main hours.

Which holiday dates should you set this season?

Go through this list with your calendar and decide each one now, while it's quiet. Then enter them all in one sitting.

Add any days that are specific to you, like a team holiday party, inventory day or extra Saturday hours in December.

What else should you update on your Google Business Profile for the holidays?

Hours keep you from losing customers. These updates help you win new ones. You can do all of them in one afternoon.

1. Post your holiday offer

Google Business Profile has an Offer post type built for sales and deals. According to Google's help page on posts, an offer needs a title plus start and end dates, and you can add a photo, a coupon code, a link and terms. Google adds a "View offer" button for you. Keep it simple: one clear deal, real dates, and a photo of the actual product or service.

2. Add an event post if you're hosting something

Holiday open house, extended shopping night, a gift wrapping day? Use the Event post type with start and end dates and times. If you leave the times off, Google shows the event as lasting all day.

3. Refresh your photos

Add a few new photos: your storefront with decorations, your team, your best gift ideas, your space on a busy day. Real photos beat stock images. They show people what to expect when they walk in.

4. Reply to every review

Holiday shoppers read reviews before they choose where to go. Reply to new ones within a day or two, use the person's name, and mention something specific. A short, personal reply shows the next reader that a real person runs this business.

5. Check the basics

Make sure your phone number, website link, services and products are current. If you sell gift cards, say so in your description or a post. LocaliQ found gift cards are the most common holiday gift, chosen by 56% of shoppers.

A simple holiday schedule for your profile

• This week: Enter special hours for every date in the table above. Upload new photos.
• Week before Thanksgiving: Publish your offer post for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
• Early December: Post a gift card or last minute gift reminder. Reply to any new reviews.
• Mid December: Double check Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve hours. Post any final shipping or pickup deadlines.
• First week of January: Make sure your regular hours are back, and post a thank you or a new year offer.

If you're still setting next year's budget, our guide on how much a small business should spend on marketing can help you decide what to put toward local visibility in 2027.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

Setting your Google Business Profile holiday hours is one of the easiest wins of the season. It takes ten minutes, it keeps customers from showing up to a closed door, and it tells Google and shoppers that your listing can be trusted. Add an offer post, fresh photos and quick review replies, and your profile does real work for you through the busiest weeks of the year.

If your profile, website and social have been running on their own for a while, that's one of the signs we cover in 5 signs your business has outgrown DIY marketing. You can also see everything we handle for small businesses.