In November 2023, a new factor in Google's algorithm affecting the visibility of businesses was noticed: the opening hours of the business. Open businesses are now more likely to have higher positions and better online visibility than closed ones. Therefore, businesses that were previously highly visible on Google even when closed may now see a change in their ranking.
In other words, Google now focuses more on the opening hours of businesses. If your business is open, there is a greater chance that it will be higher in Google's search results, especially when competitors are closed. It's important for business owners to adjust their strategy and perhaps update the opening hours in their business profile on Google to better respond to customer needs and Google's new rules.
What's the best way to refresh your Localo position map in light of these changes? It is best to check the position of your business when it is open. These results are the most representative and reflect the true visibility of your profile to potential customers searching online for the products or services you offer.
Please note that visibility results on Localo and online may differ depending on whether you check the visibility of your business during or outside its operating hours.
Important:
This is a new development and may still evolve: Google often tests different approaches, so this change may evolve. This means that Google may adapt it, develop it or even partially withdraw it in the future.
Possible exclusions for certain industries: In certain sectors, such as lawyers, this new ranking factor may not be the best solution. Google may decide to exclude certain industries from this criterion, taking into account the specifics of their business.
Timeliness of Opening Hours: Make sure your business' opening hours are up-to-date to maximise the potential of your business.
Tailoring to Reality: Make sure your company's opening hours and days match reality.
Holiday updates: Keep your business opening hours up to date on holidays and public holidays. Google gives special options for setting days on holidays and you can hit them in editing your business profile on Google.
Stay up to date with updates: It's important to keep up to date with changes. If something changes, we will let you know about it and adapt Localo immediately to the changing rules in the market and its needs.
Google is constantly improving its search engine to deliver the best possible results, so you will increasingly notice that the position in the search results is heavily dependent on the hours that a search is done.
Depending on the opening hours set - the results of businesses checked by Localo (and therefore on Google Maps) will vary - depending on whether the position was checked when the business was operating (open) or outside opening hours.
Remember that these changes can affect your business differently, depending on your industry and how you operate.
Example:
Same company - Same keyword - Same area - Different hours to check the position.
During opening hours
Outside opening hours
INFO:
The Localo app checks the visibility of your Google My Business profile in real time - the Localo user sees the results that Google presents in Maps at the time of the profile visibility check. In other words: the results represent the visibility of the profile in Google Maps at the moment the check-in is performed.
Do you have more questions?
Contact us via chat in the app.