Sauce · Google Business Profile
“Are you open?” 8 places your hours have to match, now that Ask Maps answers for you.
Quick answer
Ask Maps answers questions like “who is open tonight?” for your customers, and it reads your hours to do it. Google asks for your real customer-facing hours plus special hours for holidays. A 2026 survey of local SEO experts ranks being open at the time of the search fifth among map factors. In the U.S., people can now suggest new hours by snapping a photo of your sign. Keep the same hours in all eight places on this list.
Is your trade still open in your city?We take one client per trade, per city. The call starts with that check, not a pitch.
Book a free assessmentIt is 6:40 on a Tuesday. A pipe just burst.
The homeowner opens Google Maps and asks, “Which plumber near me is open right now?” Your profile says you close at 5. Your website says 7. Your van says 24/7. Ask Maps has to pick one. So does the homeowner.
Mixed hours do not just look sloppy. They can cost you the call. Here is why, and the eight places to check.
Why hours matter more now
Google asks you to list your regular customer-facing hours, and to set special hours for holidays. Its help page lists your hours as part of the complete info that helps you show up.
Then came Ask Maps. In August 2026, Google said people can suggest edits by chatting with it. They can even take a photo of a sign, and Maps will read the hours off it and ask them to confirm. Google checks each edit before it goes live. It started in the U.S. If your sign says one thing and your profile says another, you have invited a correction you did not write.
1. Your profile’s regular hours
The hours a customer can reach you. Not the hours the crew is on the road. If you answer the phone 7 to 6, say 7 to 6.
2. Your special hours
Holidays, closures and storm days. Google lets you set special hours for particular days. Set them before each holiday, not after the first angry call.
3. Your “more hours”
Some profiles let you add extra sets of hours. Google says these should sit inside your main hours. Do not use them to sneak in a fake 24/7.
4. Your website’s contact page and footer
Ask Maps reads web content too. Your footer is often the most-read line on your site. It must say exactly what your profile says.
5. The code behind your website
Many sites carry hidden labels in their code that tell machines your hours. Your web person may call it schema. If it still says the hours from three years ago, it is telling Google the wrong thing in a language you cannot see. Ask them to check it.
Want us to check all of this for you?The free Map Pack audit checks your profile against our 12-point checklist and your name, address and phone across major directories.
Get the free Map Pack audit6. Your door, your sign and your trucks
This is the new one. A photo of your sign can now become a suggested edit, at least in the U.S. If you change your hours, change the sign the same day.
7. Your other map listings
Apple Maps, Bing and the directories you are listed in. Different apps, same customers. Keep the hours the same everywhere your name appears.
8. Your phone and your booking calendar
If your profile says open, someone must answer. If your booking link shows open slots at 8 p.m., your hours should allow it. Hours are a promise. Ask Maps passes it on.
Two hard cases
Get these right
Only list 24 hours if a real person answers at 3 a.m. If you offer emergency calls but not full hours, say so on your site and in your description.
Google’s guidelines say some businesses that work only by appointment should not list hours at all. Most trades answer the phone at set times. Those are your customer-facing hours.
The 15-minute hours check
Write down the truth
When does a person actually answer the phone, each day of the week?
Check all eight places
Profile, special hours, more hours, footer, site code, sign, other maps, phone and calendar.
Fix the odd one out
Change every place that does not match. Do the sign the same day.
Set a reminder
Check again before every long weekend.
Your hours are a promise. Ask Maps repeats it to strangers.
Go deeper
Pick the piece you need next
Each one goes deeper on one part of this list.
Want a second pair of eyes? The free Map Pack audit checks all of this before you pay anyone anything.
Do business hours affect Google Maps rankings?
Google lists accurate hours, including special hours, as part of the complete business info that helps you show up in local results. In Whitespark’s 2026 survey of local SEO experts, being open at the time of the search ranks fifth among map factors. It is a survey, so treat it as a strong sign, not a rule.
Can other people change my hours on Google?
People can suggest edits to a business on Google Maps, and Google reviews them before they go live. Since August 2026, people in the U.S. can suggest edits by chatting with Ask Maps, including hours read from a photo of a sign. Keep your sign, site and profile matched.
Should I list 24 hours if I offer emergency service?
Only if a real person answers the phone at any hour. Google asks for your customer-facing hours. If you take emergency calls but are not open around the clock, list your real hours and explain the emergency line on your site.
What hours should I list if I only work by appointment?
Google’s guidelines say some businesses that operate only by appointment should not list hours. Most trades answer the phone at set times, and those are the customer-facing hours to list.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google: customer-facing hours, special hours, the business description, and businesses that should not list hours.
- Google Business Profile Help, Set special hours for holidays and events.
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google: “Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results”; relevance, distance and prominence; replying to reviews.
- Google, The Keyword, Ask Maps gets more helpful with food ordering and more (August 6, 2026): rollout to Canada and 150+ countries in English; food ordering with partners such as Square and Toast; remembered conversations; conversational edits, including hours read from a photo of a sign, rolling out first in the U.S.
- Whitespark, Local Search Ranking Factors 2026: 47 local SEO practitioners scored 187 factors. Primary category first, proximity second, open at the time of search fifth, review rating sixth, review count ninth, review recency eleventh; geotagged photos top the myths list. Expert survey, directional.
- Google India, The Keyword, Ask anything about any place on Maps with Gemini (March 12, 2026): Ask Maps highlights “insider tips from real people and web content.”
Next step
See your map before you change anything
The free Map Pack audit scans your coverage and scores your profile. One client per trade, per city. No guaranteed rankings.