Is Listing Your Business Hours Crucial for Google Rankings?

Last year, Google seemed to increase the ranking impact of business hours in its local pack. While searching for nearby businesses after hours, I stumbled upon something fascinating: a dentist with no hours listed was outranking businesses marked as “Open Now.”

This made me wonder: Does omitting your hours work like listing them as “Open 24/7” in Google’s eyes?

This test we did concluded that

1. Google Business Profiles with hours listed: Google prioritizes profiles that confirm they’re open when users search.
2. Profiles with no hours listed: These seem to gain an advantage after hours when other businesses are clearly closed.

When Google doesn’t have your hours, it assumes you might still be open and therefore ranks you higher when other businesses are marked as “Closed.”

The Test

We tested removing business hours from several profiles to see how they ranked on Google. The pattern was clear – it had a noticeable negative impact on rankings during the hours the business was open. 

Why Does Google Do This?

When you don’t list your hours, Google has no idea when you’re open. During business hours, this ambiguity works against you because Google prioritizes businesses it knows are open. But after hours? Google assumes you might be available, giving you an edge over profiles marked “Closed.”

Should You List Your Hours?

The Case for Listing Hours:

• It prevents customer frustration (no one wants to show up at a closed business!).
• It makes your profile trustworthy and reliable.
• It improves your ranking during peak business hours.

The Case for Listing No Hours:

• If your leads primarily come after hours.
• If your daytime rankings are poor, and you’re experimenting with off-hour visibility.

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