Online information about your business should always be accurate and up to date. In modern times, many people will quickly do an online search and rely on your Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) for real-time information when in need of a therapist or psychologist nearby.
In this post, we will explain why it is important to keep your Google Business Profile up to date with accurate practice hours as well as how to add more hours or special hours for holidays or specific dates.
Why is it important to keep your Google Business Profile up to date?
Your online presence is often the first thing people see when trying to find you. In this way, your Google Business Profile can be a great way to reach potential clients. This can help people find your practice as they can search for therapists and psychologists that are open near them.
This is where the information you provide can be used to direct customers to your practice. Keeping your profile accurate can help prevent customers from getting incorrect information that could lead to bad reviews or even losing them as a potential client in the future. Google will also indicate if you have updated your profile, helping prospective clients trust the information they are receiving to be accurate and up to date.
Where do your practice hours show up?
The opening hours for your practice will show up as part of your Google Business Profile (GBP) as it is listed on the search engine results page (SERP). In addition to just indicating your opening hours, the result will indicate whether your practice is open or closed at the time the search was made.
There is also an option to select ‘more hours’ if your practice has multiple types of hours as well as the hours for the rest of the week. Within the Google Local Finder or Google Maps, your profile will indicate if you are open or closed with open businesses also indicating their closing times.
If you have recently edited your hours, this will be indicated as well. This helps potential customers trust that your times are accurate and up to date.
Editing your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) is a powerful tool that you can use to attract and inform potential clients. When integrated with Google’s amazing search capabilities, the information on your Google Business Profile can be used to help filter searches to put your practice in front of the potential clients that may need you the most.
To edit any of the information on your profile, simply head to https://business.google.com and sign in. Once signed in you should be able to see your Google Business Profile Dashboard with all the information on your practice for you to edit.
How to update your practice hours
Changing or updating your opening hours on your Google Business Profile is a quick and seamless process that should take no longer than five minutes.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to update your practice hours:
Step 1: Log into your Google Business Profile
Step 2: Select the ‘Info’ tab on the left-hand side of the screen
Step 3: Review the hours that are set under your profile
Step 4: Edit your hours by clicking the pencil ‘edit’ icon on the right-hand side of the hours
Step 5: Change, edit, remove or add hours as you please
Step 6: Click ‘Apply’ to change and save your hours Step 7: Review your updates
As a precaution, these updates should be double-checked to ensure they are correct and that you see the ‘Under Review’ note under your hours. This indicates that your updates have successfully been submitted to Google for them to review and publish within 12 – 24 hours. Since 2017, Google has also made editing your Business Profile available directly from Google Search.
This allows you to edit your Google Business Profile quickly without the GBP app or the traditional web interface. To edit your hours this way, click on ‘Edit profile’ followed by clicking on the ‘Hours’ row to view and edit your hours accordingly. Clicking ‘Apply’ will then submit your edits for review and should be published in 12 – 24 hours.
Adding more hours
Some businesses may want to add a subset of hours for specific services, this is where adding ‘More hours’ can be beneficial. This can be seen within your Google Business Profile and can help potential customers determine if certain services will be available when they may need them.
Your regular hours should be set first in order to set ‘More hours’ as follows:
Step 1: Log into your Google Business Profile
Step 2: Select the ‘Info’ tab on the left-hand side of the screen
Step 3: Review the ‘More hours’ that are set under your profile
Step 4: Edit your ‘More hours’ by clicking the ‘edit’ icon on the right-hand side
Step 5: Change, edit, remove or add hours as you please
Step 6: Click ‘Apply’ to change and save your hours
Step 7: Review your updates
You can also add ‘More hours’ in the direct edit by navigating to the ‘Hours’ section and selecting the type of hours that you would like to add to your profile. As with updating your regular hours, this may take a bit of time for Google to review and publish.
How to set special hours for holidays or specific dates
In addition to setting and updating the opening hours of your practice, you can also set special hours for your business on holidays or special events. You can only add special hours if you have already set regular opening hours. Special hours should only be used for functions or events lasting up to six days in a row. If your business plans to close for seven days or more in a row, you will need to indicate your business as temporarily closed.
Special hours will automatically kick in according to the dates in view on your Google Business Profile. To update or add special hours,
Step 1: Go to your Google Business Page Dashboard
Step 2: Once on the dashboard, click on the ‘Info’ tab
Step 3: Click on the ‘Add special hours’ button
Step 4: Click the ‘Add new date’ button
Step 5: Add in your special hours and click ‘Apply’
Google may have a few holidays listed for you to easily add special hours for those dates. To add your own, simply clicking the ‘Add new date’ button will allow you to customize your own special hours on any specific date.
Get notified of any changes to your Google Business Profile
Google can be great at pulling information from across the web to help form a profile for your practice or business. Although this is great at helping people find you from the information you may have listed on other web pages or platforms, it can also allow third parties to edit your Google Business Profile.
Google users can edit a variety of information on your profile including your practice hours. It is important to put your notifications on so that you will get notified if Google ever accepts any of these edits. You will get an email from Google saying exactly what has been edited so that you can go in and update it if it is not correct. If there is anything to correct, do so as soon as possible as it can sometimes take a few days for Google to review and publish your edits.
Summary
Keeping your Google Business Profile up to date is important to allow people searching for a therapist or psychologist to know that your practice is open for them. As we mentioned above, Google specifically points out practices and businesses that are open near the people who search for them. This proves the importance of regularly updating your practice hours to let those who are looking for you, know when you’re open for them.
