Does Google show your shop closed when it is open? Get your opening hours right

Many people check Google before they leave home. If your listing says you are closed, they go to a shop that shows open. Check the hours on your Google listing, fix them, and add holiday hours before each festival. It takes a few minutes.

Ramesh runs a kirana shop in a busy colony. He opens at 7 in the morning and closes at 10 at night.

One evening a regular customer came in at 9. "I nearly did not come," she said. "Google says you close at 8."

Ramesh had set his hours on Google years ago, when he closed early. He never changed them.

The general store down the road showed "Open until 11 pm".

This is an example, with a made up shop and name.

Do not trust your memory. Look at your listing the way a customer does.

1. Open Google Maps on your phone.
2. Search for your shop's name.
3. Look at the hours under the name. Tap them to see each day.

Check every day of the week, not only today. It is easy to have one day set wrong, like Sunday.

To see the rest of your listing the same way, read what people see when they search for your shop.

If the hours are wrong, change them in your Google Business Profile (Google).

1. Open your Business Profile. You can search for your shop's name on Google while signed in.
2. Tap Edit profile, then Hours.
3. Set the open and close time for each day.
4. Mark the days you are closed.
5. Save.

If you take a break in the afternoon, add two time slots for that day, like 7 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 10 pm.

Changes may take some time to show.

Diwali, Eid, Christmas and local festivals change your hours. Do not change your regular hours for this. Set special hours for those dates instead (Google).

1. Go to Edit profile, then Hours.
2. Find Special hours.
3. Pick the date. Set your hours, or mark it closed.
4. Save.

Special hours are for short changes. If you will be closed for 7 days or more, Google asks you to mark the business temporarily closed instead (Google). If your listing already says closed by mistake, see how to fix a shop Google shows as closed.

After the festival, your regular hours come back on their own.

Open Google Maps and search for shops like yours nearby. Look at the hours they show.

• Do they show open later than you? Then late customers see them first. If you are really open late too, make sure Google says so.
• Are they open on a day you are closed? That day, customers nearby have only them to pick.

You do not need to stay open longer. But the hours on Google should match the hours you really keep.

Hours are one part of your listing. While you are there, check these:

• Your phone number. Call it once yourself. See our guide on your phone number on Google and apps.
• Your map pin. It should sit on your shop's door. If not, fix a wrong map pin.
• A recent post or photo, so people can see you are open and active. See how to post on your Google listing.

• Every day on Google shows the hours you really keep.
• Your closed days are marked.
• Festival dates have special hours before the festival starts.
• You check your hours as part of a ten minute weekly routine.

Can I change my hours from my phone?

Yes. Search for your shop on Google or open Google Maps while signed in to the account that manages your profile. Then tap Edit profile and Hours.

Someone else changed my hours. What do I do?

Google sometimes shows changes suggested by other users. Check your profile often. If something is wrong, edit it back.

Will correct hours bring more customers?

Nobody can promise that. But wrong hours can send away people who wanted to come.

What if my hours change every season?

Change your regular hours when the season changes. Use special hours for single days.

Do shops near you show later hours on Google? Viabe Pulse compares the hours on your Google listing with similar businesses near you, day by day. It also checks Google Maps, Google search, your website, your reviews and AI apps, then gives you three fixes. Check your business. Full check ₹499 + GST. More guides on our blog.