A pause, not an ending
Temporarily closed tells Google, and everyone who looks you up, that the business still exists and will be back. Renovations, a fire or flood, a long illness, an off-season, a licensing delay: all of these fit. The label shows on Search and Maps so a regular who types your name sees the closure is temporary instead of assuming you’ve shut down.
The alternative owners often try, unticking every day in their weekly hours, sends a muddier signal. The status is clearer for customers and is what Google built for the job.
The 7-day line
Google draws the boundary at a week. If you’re closed 7 days or less, use Special hours for those dates. More than 7 days, an off-season, or an open-ended closure: use Temporarily closed. In practice, if you’d have to add special hours for every day of a two-week trip, that’s the sign to switch.
What it costs you in search
Google is open about this. When someone runs a broad search, like “pizza near me,” temporarily closed businesses can rank behind open ones. How much depends on your category, the kind of search, and how many other matching businesses are also closed. Searches for your business by name still find you.
That trade is usually fine. Showing up for “pizza near me” while you can’t serve anyone just wastes the searcher’s time and invites a frustrated review.
Closing when Google says you’re closed
Sometimes the status appears without you touching it. Google may receive an update from someone else that your location is temporarily closed, and the page says you may get an email when that happens. If you’re in fact open, reopen the profile from Hours by choosing Open with main hours, setting your days, and saving.
Reopening cleanly
When you’re ready, go back into Hours, choose Open with main hours, tick each open day and set the times. For several locations, Business Profile Manager has an Actions menu with Open, followed by Mark as open in the dialog.
A short post announcing the reopening, plus fresh photos if you renovated, tells returning customers what’s new.
If it doesn't work
- Your profile suddenly says Temporarily closed and you didn't do it: Google may have received an update and may email you. Reopen it from Hours.
- You picked Permanently closed by mistake: follow the reopening steps. Google covers reopening a profile mistakenly marked permanently closed.
- You're only closed for a long weekend: switch back and use Special hours, which handle up to 6 days in a row.
- You moved to a new address: this status isn't for moves. Update the address or follow Google's moving guidance instead.
Questions owners ask
Will marking my business temporarily closed hurt my ranking?
Google says that for broad searches, temporarily closed businesses can rank after open ones, depending on category, the kind of search, and how many similar businesses are also closed. People who search your name will still find you, with the closure noted.
Do my reviews and photos stay while I'm closed?
The closure page doesn't describe removing any content. The status changes how the profile is labeled, not what's on it. When you reopen, you set your hours again and the same profile carries on.
I run a seasonal business. Should I mark it closed every winter?
Google lists closing for the off-season as a reason to use Temporarily closed. Set it when the season ends, and switch back to Open with main hours before your first day of the new season.
How long can a business stay temporarily closed?
Google's page doesn't set a maximum. It lists being closed indefinitely as one of the cases the status is meant for. If you know you're never reopening at that address, Permanently closed is the honest choice.
Sources
- Mark your business as closed (support.google.com)
- Mark your business as reopened (support.google.com)
- How to set Special hours (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.