Hours, attributes and contact details: the complete checklist for your listing

Hours, attributes and contact details look like the simplest fields on the profile, and they are exactly the ones most often left incomplete. This checklist covers what Google expects to see in each.

Opening hours

• Regular hours for every day of the week, with no days left blank.
• Special hours for public holidays and out-of-the-ordinary dates.
• An immediate update if you close temporarily or change your hours.

Out-of-date hours are one of the most common reasons a customer leaves disappointed: they arrive, it is closed, and they probably do not try again.

Attributes

Google has significantly expanded the available attributes: accessibility, free wifi, parking, accepted payment methods, delivery options, certifications and staff languages. They appear as filters in search, so marking them correctly makes you visible in more specific searches.

Contact details

• A direct phone number, not a generic switchboard if you can avoid it.
• Your website, if you have one; if not, consider whether it is worth having one.
• The exact address, identical to the one on your website and in any directory you are listed in.

Why consistency matters this much

These details are known as NAP: name, address and phone. They have to be identical across your Google profile, your website and any local directory. An address written two different ways confuses Google and can suppress your position without it ever being clear why.

How often to review

Every time something operational changes (hours, phone, services) update it in the profile the same day. A full review every three months helps catch fields that went stale without anyone noticing.