Get Your Website and Google Business Profile Ready for the Holidays
The busiest shopping stretch of the year is almost here, and the work that decides how much of it comes your way happens before December, not during it. Customers are already starting to search, Google needs lead time to show your updates, and AI tools begin pulling together local gift guides and best-of lists as early as late October. If you want to be found when people go looking, mid-October is the moment to get your house in order.
Here's a practical checklist to get your Google Business Profile and your website ready, built so a busy owner can work through it in an afternoon. None of it costs anything but a little time, and most of it is the kind of thing competitors skip.
1. Set your holiday hours on Google
Nothing frustrates a customer faster than driving to a business that's unexpectedly closed. Google lets you set special hours for holidays separately from your regular schedule: open your profile from Search or Maps, choose Edit profile, go to the Hours tab, and click the pencil next to Special hours. Google usually suggests upcoming holidays you can confirm, or you can add your own dates. Set these as soon as you know them, not the week of, so the right hours are showing well before anyone checks. Special hours are meant for short exceptions of up to about six days; if you're closing longer than a week, use the Temporarily closed option instead. Our guide on showing up in the map pack covers why a complete, accurate profile matters year-round.
2. Add seasonal details and keep attributes honest
While you're in there, make sure the rest of the profile reflects how you actually operate right now: current services, accurate categories, and any seasonal offerings. Google also lets you set attributes (things like "curbside pickup," "in-store shopping," or "gift wrapping") under Edit profile, then More. Turn on the ones that are genuinely true for your business and leave the rest off. Accuracy isn't just good manners here; marking attributes that aren't true violates Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended, which is the last thing you want in Q4.
3. Post an update (almost nobody does)
Google Business Profile posts show up right on your listing, and they're one of the easiest ways to stand out because so few businesses bother: fewer than one in ten local businesses publish them. A short seasonal post about your holiday hours, a special, or what you're offering this season keeps your profile looking active and gives Google fresh, relevant content tied to your business. It takes a few minutes and most of your competitors won't do it.
4. Get your website holiday-ready now, not in December
This is the one with a clock on it. If you're running a seasonal offer, a gift option, or just want a page about your holiday hours, publish it now. Google has to crawl and index a new or updated page before it can show it, and that takes time, so a page you post in mid-October has weeks to get ranked before peak shopping, while one you post in early December may not surface until the rush is over. Update your hours on your own site too, not just on Google, and make sure anything time-sensitive is easy to find. Waiting until the season is underway is the single most common, and most costly, mistake.
5. Make your business easy for AI to recommend
More people are asking AI tools, from Google's own AI answers to ChatGPT, for local recommendations and gift ideas, and those tools start aggregating that information early. They pull from your Google Business Profile, your website, your reviews, and how consistently your business is described across the web. The practical takeaway: make sure your name, address, and phone number match everywhere they appear, keep your profile and site current, and write your pages so they clearly answer the questions a shopper would ask. A business that's described clearly and consistently is far more likely to be the one an AI tool names. Our guide to what local SEO is breaks down the pieces that feed both Google and AI.
6. Keep the reviews coming
Reviews carry extra weight in the holiday season, when people are deciding fast and leaning on others' experiences. What matters most is a steady, recent flow, not just a big total, so this is a good time to make a habit of asking happy customers. Keep it simple and genuine: a quick, personal ask after a good experience, with your review link handy. Never offer anything in exchange for a review; that's against Google's rules and can get reviews filtered. A business with fresh reviews coming in looks alive and trustworthy right when it counts most, and reviews feed the local rankings and AI recommendations we just covered.
7. Don't forget the fundamentals
Holiday traffic is often more mobile and more impatient, so the basics matter more, not less. Make sure your site loads fast, works cleanly on a phone, and shows your hours, location, and a way to contact you without hunting. A seasonal shopper who can't quickly tell whether you're open, where you are, or how to reach you simply moves on to a business that made it obvious. If your site struggles under any of that, our search marketing and web work can get it sorted, ideally before the rush rather than during it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set holiday hours on Google Business Profile?
Open your profile from Google Search or Maps, choose Edit profile, and go to the Hours tab. Next to Special hours, click the pencil. Google usually suggests upcoming holidays you can confirm, or you can add a date yourself. If you're open with different times, uncheck Closed and enter your holiday hours; if you're closed for the day, leave Closed checked. Set these as soon as you know them rather than the week of, so customers and Google have accurate information in advance.
When should I update my website for the holidays?
Now, not in December. Google needs time to crawl and rank new or changed pages, so a seasonal page or offer you publish in mid-October has weeks to get indexed before peak shopping; one you publish in early December may not surface in time to matter. The same goes for AI tools, which begin pulling together local gift guides and best-of lists as early as late October. Earlier is better across the board.
Do seasonal pages help local SEO?
They can, when they're genuinely useful and published with enough lead time. A page about your holiday hours, seasonal offerings, or gift options gives Google and AI tools something current and relevant to show, and it keeps your site looking active. The key is to publish early so it gets indexed, and to keep it honest and specific rather than thin and keyword-stuffed.
How do AI tools find my business during the holidays?
The same way they find you the rest of the year, only the stakes are higher in Q4. AI tools draw on your Google Business Profile, your website, your reviews, and how consistently your business is described across the web. A complete, accurate profile with current hours, structured website content, and a steady flow of recent reviews makes you far more likely to be included when someone asks an AI tool for a local recommendation or gift idea.
Want a hand before the rush?
If you'd rather have this handled than work through it between customers, that's exactly the kind of thing we do. Twiggley gets Olympia businesses found, and we're happy to get your profile and site holiday-ready while there's still time for it to pay off. Get in touch and we'll make a quick plan.
Get a free consultation or call (360) 402-0771.
