From time to time you may have seen Google My Business (GMB) listings as “temporarily closed”. To date, this has been a function of the support team at Google and not something you have been able to do yourself. I.e. you had to send a manual request through to Google.
Given the current economic climate caused by COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Google is working frantically to assist businesses in a variety of ways. “In the coming days, we’ll (sic Google) make it possible for businesses to easily mark themselves as “temporarily closed” using Google My Business.”
Reading between the lines from this Google blog, at Goop Digital we believe you will be able to mark yourself as “temporarily closed” via Google dashboard and possibly by “edit your information” in the coming days. In the interim, you can adjust opening times in”special hours” in your GMB dashboard. Similar to adjusting your GMB to represent trading hours during the Christmas break.
Another option we have been utilising is “Events” in Google My Business.
We have created an event 6 months in the future then listed appropriate information regarding opening hours, contact information images etc. Events have not yet been impacted by limited functionality in the GMB dashboard. The following example is for Reverse Skin Clinic in Toorak Melbourne. The only downside to this is that it is typically appearing below the fold and users do have to scroll to see this notification.
Given the extraordinary circumstances of the day, if you need help with your Google My Business (GMB) listing or want help with digital marketing navigating these unchartered waters feel free to call the team at Goop Digital.