Google Business Profile Holiday Hours Modification

Purpose

This SOP documents the process of modifying special/holiday hours directly in Google Business Profile. GHL's Reputation module does not support holiday hours management, so these changes must be made in the Google Business Profile dashboard.

Scope

Covers:

• Adding special hours for holidays
• Modifying existing holiday hours
• Removing outdated holiday hours
• Setting temporary extended or reduced hours for specific dates

Does Not Cover:

• Regular weekly business hours (see: GHL GBP Hours Modification SOP)
• Temporarily closing a business
• Creating or verifying a Google Business Profile
• Managing multiple locations in bulk

Prerequisites

• Access to setup@symphonycore.com Google account (or client's GBP owner account)
• The business profile must be verified and active
• List of holidays and hours to set (approved by client)

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1: Access Google Business Profile

1. Go to business.google.com
2. Sign in with setup@symphonycore.com (or appropriate account with access)
3. If managing multiple businesses, select the correct business from the list

Step 2: Navigate to Business Information

1. In the left navigation menu, click Edit profile
2. Select the Business information tab
3. Scroll to find the Hours section

Step 3: Access Special Hours

1. Within the Hours section, locate Special hours or Add special hours
2. Click to expand or open the special hours editor
3. You will see a list of upcoming holidays Google has identified, plus any previously set special hours

Step 4: Add or Modify Holiday Hours

To add hours for a specific date:

1. Click Add new date or Confirm hours next to a suggested holiday

2. Select the date from the calendar picker (or confirm the suggested date)

3. Choose one of the following:

   • Closed - Business will be closed all day
   • Open - Set custom opening and closing times
   • Open 24 hours - Business operates continuously

4. If selecting "Open," enter:

   • Opening time (e.g., 10:00 AM)
   • Closing time (e.g., 2:00 PM)

5. For split hours on a holiday (e.g., open morning, closed afternoon):

   • Click Add hours to add a second time range
   • Enter the additional opening and closing times

To modify existing holiday hours:

1. Find the holiday in the list
2. Click the pencil/edit icon
3. Update the hours or change to Closed/Open
4. Save changes

To remove holiday hours:

1. Find the holiday in the list
2. Click the delete/remove icon (trash can or X)
3. Confirm removal

Step 5: Save and Confirm

1. Click Save to apply all changes
2. Review the confirmation message
3. Special hours should appear immediately in the list

Step 6: Verify Changes

1. Search for the business on Google Maps or Google Search
2. Click on the business listing
3. Check the hours section - holiday hours should show with the specific date noted
4. Verify the correct hours display for upcoming holidays

Common US Holidays Reference

Use this table as a reference when setting holiday hours. Confirm specific dates with client each year.

Holiday	Typical Date	Common Hours
New Year's Day	January 1	Closed
Martin Luther King Jr. Day	3rd Monday, January	Varies
Presidents' Day	3rd Monday, February	Varies
Memorial Day	Last Monday, May	Closed
Independence Day	July 4	Closed
Labor Day	1st Monday, September	Closed
Columbus Day	2nd Monday, October	Varies
Veterans Day	November 11	Varies
Thanksgiving	4th Thursday, November	Closed
Day After Thanksgiving	4th Friday, November	Reduced hours
Christmas Eve	December 24	Reduced hours
Christmas Day	December 25	Closed
New Year's Eve	December 31	Reduced hours

Note: Always confirm with client - hours vary by industry and business preference.

Required Inputs

• Google account credentials with GBP access
• Client-approved list of holidays and hours
• Specific dates for variable holidays (e.g., Thanksgiving date for current year)

Expected Outputs

• Special hours visible in Google Business Profile dashboard
• Holiday hours displaying on Google Maps and Search
• Customers see accurate hours for upcoming holidays

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Cannot find Special Hours option Solution:

1. Ensure you're in the correct section: Edit profile > Business information > Hours
2. Click on the Hours section to expand it
3. Look for "Special hours" link below regular hours
4. If not visible, try accessing via the "Info" tab in the older GBP interface

Issue: Google suggesting incorrect holidays Solution:

1. Google auto-detects holidays based on location
2. Simply ignore suggestions that don't apply
3. Add custom dates for holidays Google doesn't suggest
4. Remove any auto-added holidays that don't apply to the business

Issue: Changes not appearing on Google Search/Maps Solution:

1. Allow 15-30 minutes for changes to propagate
2. Clear browser cache and search again
3. Try searching from an incognito/private window
4. If still not showing after 1 hour, verify changes saved in GBP dashboard

Issue: Cannot edit hours (greyed out or locked) Solution:

1. Verify account has Owner or Manager access to the profile
2. Check if Google has the profile under review
3. Ensure the business is not marked as permanently closed
4. Contact Google Business Profile support if access issues persist

Issue: Need to set hours for a date far in the future Solution:

1. Google typically allows setting special hours up to 6 months in advance
2. For dates further out, set a reminder to add hours closer to the date
3. Document future holiday hours in client profile for reference

Best Practices

1. Set holidays in advance - Add holiday hours at least 2 weeks before the holiday
2. Annual review - At the start of each year, set all major holiday hours
3. Document in client profile - Note standard holiday closures in client documentation
4. Verify after saving - Always check Google Search/Maps to confirm hours display correctly
5. Remove past holidays - Periodically clean up old holiday entries (Google usually handles this automatically)

Exceptions and Edge Cases

• Case A: 24/7 Business - May still close or have reduced staffing on holidays; set special hours accordingly
• Case B: Religious Holidays - Some businesses observe religious holidays not in standard list; add as custom dates
• Case C: Local Holidays - State or local holidays may apply; check client location requirements
• Case D: Extended Holiday Hours - Retail businesses may have extended hours during holiday shopping season; set as special hours

Related Documents

• GHL GBP Hours Modification SOP (for regular weekly hours)
• Manual Google Review Request Configuration SOP
• Client Onboarding Procedure

Revision History

Date	Version	Change Description	Author
2025-12-19	1.0	Initial version	Symphony Core Systems Team