How Should We Be Updating GMB Hours Related to COVID-19?

[Ellen]

I have a feeling this may be a moving target, but here is what I'm seeing as the two current options. Please let me know what you're doing, seeing working or is the best recommendation at present.

Reach out to GMB to have listing marked Temporarily Closed - (Joy's article: How to Temporarily Close a Google My Business Listing

1. Biggest concern with this is having to rely on GMB Support to do this. GMB Support has limited staffing, understandably, and they're overwhelmed.
2. Potential ranking loss (some commenters have indicated such)
3. No more ability for customers to leave a review
4. Saw in Mike Blumenthal's Tweet about the push feature based on government shutdowns. Wondering if that's still going to happen
   
   

Special Hours
We just did this for a business for the next seven days so we can weigh out what is the best foot forward for temporary closures, but in Whitespark's article: Keeping Your GMB Listing Accurate & Updated During COVID-19 Pandemic

1. This triggers
   
   
   
   
   

Thanks all! Hope everyone is doing well out there in the world, all things considered.

 

[JoyHawkins]

My recommendation for now would be to use special hours. It's easier to control.

 

[HRobinson]

I understand but those of us managing over 100 locations that will take days to update and keep track of every 7 days or so. As you have to add the new hours one day at a time. For 100 locations that is over 700 changes each week.

Why not change the hours permanently for now if they will be changed for many weeks?

 

[JoyHawkins]

In that case it might make sense to take advantage of the temporarily closed label. You have to reach out to GMB support to get it added.

 

[sarmcl]

Dont change your hours or just remove them. IT WONT WORK. You have to add special hours only. We attempted to remove hours Friday and they all went into "PEnding" status. They have sat there like that since then and hours still appear on listng. You must show them as CLOSED in Special Hours.

 

[HRobinson]

I did change them and it worked out fine. Not sure why mine was different.

I notice my local Home Depot did the same thing as well as my local Publix. We manage over 100 locations for large chains and it worked great. We will change hours when we need to change back. I don't see the problem.

 

[Peter Hill]

On a related note, has anyone else noticed major delays in getting hours and temporarily closed status verified? I'm bulk verified so typically my changes are more or less instantaneous. I marked some locations as temporarily closed 2 days ago and they still aren't approved...ugh...