Google My Business Optimization – Marketing a Business That’s Marked as Closed

For small businesses, digital marketing is a must. And of course, a huge part of digital marketing is ensuring that a website is optimized so that search engines–especially Google–can find it. One way to optimize digital marketing efforts is to start a Google My Business account. Google My Business is free, improves businesses’ visibility, provides information about your business’s hours and location, improves your SEO, and more. 

During the pandemic, which has resulted in an unprecedented number of business closures, how to most effectively use Google My Business has been confusing for some business owners, particularly those who have temporarily closed up shop but still want to connect with customers. Here’s an overview of what you should know about Google My Business optimization and marketing a business that’s marked as (temporarily) closed–

Google Adds a “Temporarily Closed” Option for Business Owners

Early on in the pandemic, Google added a feature to its Google My Business content designed to help business owners convey up-to-date information about the status of their businesses to customers: a ‘mark a business temporarily closed’ button. If you’re interested in marking your business as temporarily closed, you can do so by:

• Signing into your Google My Business account
• Clicking “info” in the menu on the left of your screen
• Finding the “close this business on Google” button 
• Selecting the “mark as temporarily closed” option

If your business isn’t closed but is operating at hours that are different from normal, ignore the above option to ‘mark as temporarily closed’ and instead use Google’s “special hours” feature to make sure your customers are in the know.

Marketing a Business That’s Temporarily Closed

While it may seem pointless to actively market your business when it’s temporarily closed, a temporary closure may be exactly the right time to focus on your marketing. Giving your customers up-to-date information about when you plan to reopen, how your business is faring, what customers can do to support, what your plans for your business are, and more may garner support at a time that your business really needs it. At NUVEW, we recommend updating your Google My Business page to reflect your business’s current status and then continuing to post on your blog and social media accounts regularly. While things are difficult, maintaining a connection with your customers is very valuable. 

Get Help from an Experienced Digital Marketing Firm

We know how challenging the past few months have been for businesses, and we want to help. If you have questions about marketing your business, even when it’s marked as closed, please reach out to us today. We are experts in Google My Business optimization and other elements of a successful online marketing strategy. Call today or send us a message to get started.