Festival and Holiday Season Checklist for Your Google Business Profile

Why festival season needs its own profile update

Customers do not read your website before they travel. They look at the opening hours Google shows on Search and Maps. If those hours still show a normal working day while your shop is closed for the festival, you get a wasted trip and often a bad review. If your hours are shorter or longer than usual, the same applies.

Step 1: Set special hours for each festival day

Special hours override your regular hours on the dates you choose, so customers see the right timing on those days only.

1. 1Open your Business Profile and select Edit profile, then Hours.
2. 2Click the pencil icon next to Special hours.
3. 3Pick the date, either from the dates Google suggests or with Add a date.
4. 4Untick Closed to enter opening and closing times, or leave it ticked if you are shut that day.
5. 5Select Save.

Rules about special hours that people miss

• Your main hours must be set to "Open with main hours" for special hours to show on your profile.
• Special hours cover temporary changes or closures of up to 6 days in a row. For 7 days or more, or if you do not know how long, mark the business as Temporarily closed instead.
• On a day with special hours, your regular hours for that day are ignored. If you want to stay open in the evening too, add that second set of hours.
• A single set of hours cannot run longer than 24 hours. If you are open past midnight, split it into one set ending at 00:00 and another starting at 00:00 the next day.
• Google suggests confirming hours for official holidays even when they match your regular hours, so customers know the timing is accurate.
• If delivery, pickup or other services follow different timings, use More hours for them instead of changing your main hours.

Step 2: Publish a festival post

Google Business Profile posts come in three types. Pick the one that fits what you are announcing.

• Update: general news, such as festival timings or a new seasonal product. It can include a photo, video and a button linking to your website.
• Offer: a sale or deal. It needs a title, dates and times, and it shows a View Offer button. You can add a coupon code, a link and terms.
• Event: something with a start and end date, such as a festival evening or a special menu. If you leave out the times, it shows as lasting 24 hours on the event dates.

Give an offer or event a date range. Google archives posts older than six months unless a date range is set, and only Live posts appear on Search and Maps. Posts that are Pending or Not approved are not shown.

What to write in the post

• Say exactly what is on offer and until when, in plain words.
• Mention the festival timings if they differ from normal.
• Add a real photo of your shop, product or dish instead of a stock graphic.
• Link the button to a page that matches the post, such as an order or enquiry page, not just the homepage.
• Avoid spelling mistakes, extra symbols and repeated keywords. Google asks for good quality, non-distracting posts.

Do not put phone numbers in the post text

Google says a post with a phone number in its description may be rejected if it cannot verify that the number belongs to your business. Your number already shows on your profile with a call button. If you need to add another number, add it by editing your Business Profile rather than writing it into the post.

A note for regulated businesses

Businesses in regulated industries, such as alcohol, tobacco, gambling, weapons or financial services, can post but should not include content about their products. If that is you, keep festival posts to timings and general updates.

Step 3: Prepare for the rush

• Check your phone number, address and website link on the profile.
• Add a few fresh photos of your shop or products.
• Reply to any pending reviews and questions before the busy days.
• Make sure someone is assigned to reply to new reviews during the festival week.

Step 4: Reset after the festival

Remove special hours you no longer need and let your festival offer end on its date. Then check that your regular hours are showing correctly again. Add the next festival to a calendar now, so you set the hours a few days ahead next time instead of on the day.

This checklist follows Google's Business Profile Help pages on setting special hours and creating posts. Google can change its rules, so check the current help pages if something looks different in your dashboard.