Quick answer: When your location has to shut for a while, update Google My Business right away. Mark the business as temporarily closed (not permanently closed), adjust hours if you still offer limited service, and post a short update that says what is open, what is paused and how customers can reach you. Keep your name, address and phone consistent. A clear listing reduces confused calls, bad reviews and people driving to a locked door.
Why the listing matters more when you are closed
Search and Maps are how many people find you on short notice. If the listing still shows open hours during a temporary shutdown, customers arrive expecting service, leave frustrated and sometimes leave a review that hurts you for months. Local search already rewards accurate listings. In a period of sudden closures and stay-at-home orders, accuracy is the difference between looking organised and looking abandoned.
Google My Business is still the right name for the product in 2020. Owners can mark a business temporarily closed and publish posts that show on the listing. Use those tools. Do not wait for a staff member to “get around to it.”
Temporary closed vs permanently closed
These options are not interchangeable.
Temporarily closed means you plan to reopen. The listing stays in Maps and Search with a clear closed status. People can still find you, read reviews and see your updates.
Permanently closed tells Google the location is done. That is the right choice when you have shut for good or moved without keeping the same listing. It is the wrong choice for a pause you expect to end.
If you pick permanently closed by mistake, recovery is slower and more painful than flipping a temporary status. Double-check before you save.
Step-by-step: mark a temporary closure
- Sign in to Google My Business with the account that owns the location.
- Select the correct location if you manage more than one.
- Open the info or business status controls for that listing.
- Choose temporarily closed (wording in the interface can vary slightly by account).
- Save and confirm the status shows on the public listing in an incognito or logged-out Maps view.
- Review hours. If you offer phone support, delivery or curbside only, update hours to match what is real rather than leaving yesterday’s retail schedule.
Do the same for every location if you run a multi-location business. A downtown store may be shut while a warehouse still ships. Each listing should reflect that location alone.
Write a post customers can act on
A status flag is not enough. People want plain answers. Publish a Google My Business post that covers:
- Whether the physical location is closed to walk-in traffic
- What you still offer (phone orders, delivery, pickup, remote appointments)
- How to order or book (website link, phone number, email)
- When you will next update the notice
Keep it short. Avoid vague promises. “We are closed to the public. Order online for pickup between 11am and 3pm. Call 555-0100 for help.” beats a long apology with no next step.
Refresh the post when something changes. Old posts that still talk about last week’s plan create more confusion than silence.
Our earlier guide to Google My Business posts covers tone and timing for regular updates. The same habits apply here: one clear message, one action, no fluff.
Hours, special hours and attributes
Hours are one of the first things people check. Options that help during a temporary shutdown:
- Set special hours for the closed period when the product allows it
- Remove “open now” expectations by aligning listed hours with real service windows
- Turn off attributes that no longer apply (for example dine-in) if those controls are available for your category
- Leave attributes that still apply (delivery, takeout, appointments) accurate
If you only answer the phone a few hours a day, say so. Customers prefer a narrow true window over broad hours that nobody staffs.
Keep NAP details stable
Name, address and phone should stay consistent with your website and directories unless you truly changed them. Temporary closure is not a reason to rename the business or invent a new phone line without updating everywhere else.
Inconsistent NAP data was already a local SEO problem. Our NAP consistency guide still applies: one canonical name and contact pattern across the site, listings and citations. If you add a temporary hotline, put it in the GMB post and on the website homepage banner, and keep the primary listing phone as the main number unless you are permanently replacing it.
Website and listing should say the same thing
Searchers often open your site and your Maps listing in the same session. If the listing says closed and the homepage still promotes walk-in specials, trust drops.
Add a short banner or notice on the homepage and contact page that matches the GMB post. Link to ordering, booking or contact options. If you have location pages, update each one. A single blog post buried in news is easy to miss.
For a broader local setup checklist beyond closures, see our local SEO checklist.
Reviews during a closure
Some reviews will mention the closure. Reply calmly:
- Thank them for checking
- Restate what is available now
- Point to the ordering or contact method
- Avoid arguing about public health rules or other businesses
Also watch for fake or malicious reviews that show up when emotions run high. Our note on fake Google reviews outlines how to flag clear abuse without overreacting to honest frustration.
Do not buy reviews or ask customers to post identical five-star copy. That creates a separate risk for the listing.
Multi-location and franchise notes
If brand HQ controls listings, agree who can change status. A franchisee who marks permanently closed while the brand plans to reopen creates a mess. Write a one-page internal rule:
- Who can change business status
- What temporary closed means for your brand
- Required text for customer posts
- How often to re-check listings during the shutdown
Verify ownership and managers before a crisis if you have not already. Locked-out listings are a poor surprise.
Common mistakes
- Marking permanently closed for a pause
- Leaving old hours that show “open” when the door is locked
- No post and no website notice, so phone staff field the same question all day
- Changing the business name to include “CLOSED” or crisis keywords in the title (avoid gimmick names; use status and posts instead, and never stuff keywords into the name field)
- Forgetting secondary locations, service-area settings or duplicate listings
- Posting a reopen date you cannot defend, then going silent when plans change
FAQ
Will marking temporarily closed hurt my local rankings forever?
A temporary closed status is meant for pauses. Keeping the listing accurate helps customers and reduces bounce behaviour from Maps. Rankings depend on many factors. Accuracy and engagement over time matter more than pretending you are open.
Should I delete the listing until we reopen?
No. Deleting or marking permanently closed makes recovery harder. Keep the listing, mark it temporary, and communicate.
Can I keep showing up for local searches while closed?
Often yes, with a closed status visible. People may still research you for later. That is better than disappearing or misleading them.
What if we offer curbside or delivery only?
Say so in the post and on the site. Adjust hours and categories or attributes to match. Do not leave a full retail schedule if nobody can come inside.
Keep the listing honest day by day
Temporary closures are stressful enough without a misleading Maps profile. Mark the status correctly, post a clear update, align hours and the website, and revisit the listing whenever your offer changes. If you need help aligning local search, listings and on-site messaging, see our Get found service.
