Hurricane Season Checklist for Your Website and Google Profile
Hurricane season checklist for your website and Google profile.
When a storm is coming, customers check two places before they call you: your Google profile and your website. If either one shows the wrong hours, they drive to a locked door or call someone else. Here's what I check for Treasure Coast businesses before a storm, during a closure and after you reopen, using Google's own rules.
Before a storm, make sure your hours, phone number and booking link are right everywhere, and have a site banner written and ready to switch on. If you close for up to 6 days in a row, use special hours on your Google profile. If you close for 7 days or more, or you don't know when you'll reopen, mark the profile temporarily closed. Then switch it back the day you reopen, because Google says temporarily closed businesses can rank after open ones.
Before a storm: the three things customers check
When a storm is on the way, people stop browsing and start checking. Are you open? Can I reach you? Can I still book? Those three answers need to be right on your website and your Google profile, and they need to match.
| Check | Where to look | What right looks like |
|---|---|---|
| HoursThe one customers act on | Google profile, website header or footer, contact page | The same hours in every place |
| Phone numberTest it, don't just read it | Google profile, website, any call button on mobile | Rings a phone someone will answer, or a voicemail that says when you're back |
| Booking linkIf you take bookings online | Google profile, website buttons, booking app | Storm days blocked, so nobody books a slot you can't keep |
| Site bannerWritten now, switched on later | Your website builder's announcement bar | Short message drafted and saved, ready to turn on |
Write the banner before you need it
The worst time to write a closure message is the night before landfall with the power flickering. Write it now. If your site is on Squarespace, the built-in announcement bar shows a message at the top of every page except cover pages, and you switch it on with one toggle.[4] Other website builders have something similar.
Keep it to one line with three facts: when you're closed, when you plan to reopen and where the latest update is. For example: "Closed Thursday and Friday for the storm. We plan to reopen Saturday at 8 a.m. Updates on our Google profile." Say "plan to." Nobody knows the reopening day for sure until the storm has passed.
I cover the rest of the profile (categories, services, reviews) in my full Google Business Profile checklist. This post only deals with what changes because of a storm.
During a closure: special hours or temporarily closed
This is where most businesses get it wrong, and Google's help pages are clear about it. Which setting you use depends on how long you'll be closed.
| How long you're closed | What Google says to use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 6 days in a row | Special hours | Google Business Profile Help[1] |
| 7 or more days in a row | Temporarily closed | Google Business Profile Help[1] |
| Unknown, or indefinitely | Temporarily closed | Google Business Profile Help[1][2] |
| Closed for the off-season | Temporarily closed | Google Business Profile Help[2] |
| Closed for good | Permanently closed | Only if you're never reopening. Not a storm setting.[2] |
The special hours catch nobody mentions
Special hours only show if your regular hours are set to "Open with main hours." That's Google's own requirement.[1] If your profile has no regular hours, or a different hours setting, you can enter storm hours and customers may never see them. Check this before hurricane season, not during it.
Temporarily closed costs you something, so don't leave it on
Google says it plainly: "For broad queries, temporarily-closed businesses can rank after open businesses."[2] A broad query is someone typing "roofer near me" rather than your business name. While you're marked closed, your competitors who reopened first can show up ahead of you.
That isn't a reason to avoid the setting. If you're closed for a week or more, it's the honest and correct choice, and it saves customers a wasted trip. It's a reason to switch it back the same day you reopen.
Decide how long you'll realistically be closed
Up to 6 days: special hours. 7 or more days, or no idea yet: temporarily closed. If a short closure turns into a long one, switch from special hours to temporarily closed. To mark it, go to Edit profile, then Hours. Next to Hours, choose Edit, then Temporarily closed, and save.[2]
Turn on the website banner you already wrote
Change the days and the reopening time, then switch it on. The website and the Google profile should say the same thing.
Change your voicemail
Customers who call will hear it before they see anything else. One sentence: closed for the storm, and when you plan to be back.
After the storm: reopen, post and add what you do
Reopening is where you get back the ground a closure costs you. Do these in order, the day you're open again.
Mark the profile open
In your Business Profile, go to Edit profile, then Hours. Next to Hours, choose Edit, then "Open with main hours." Tick each day you're open, set the times and save.[3] If you only used special hours, check that they've ended.
Switch the website banner off, or change it
"Closed" left up after you reopen costs you calls. Replace it with "We're open" for a few days, or turn it off.
Post an update on your Google profile
Tell people you're open, what your hours are and whether anything has changed. I've written before that posts don't move rankings. This one isn't for rankings. It's for the customer checking whether you made it through.
If you do storm repair work, say so on your site
After a storm, people search for exactly what broke: roof tarping, fence repair, tree removal, water damage cleanup, generator hookup. If you're a contractor and you do that work, add it to your website and to the services on your Google profile. Name each one the way a customer would say it.
Only list work you actually do and are licensed and insured to do. Adding services you don't offer to catch storm searches misrepresents your business, and that's what gets profiles into trouble. Services also matter for rankings outside of storm season, which I explain in the services section of my profile checklist.
Sebastian and Vero Beach hurricane resources for businesses
Sebastian and Vero Beach are both in Indian River County. For evacuation zones, shelters and alerts, go to the county and the state first, not social media and not me. Here's where they are.
| Resource | Who runs it | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Indian River County Emergency Management(772) 226-3900 · 4225 43rd Ave, Vero Beach | Indian River County | County storm plans, the preparedness guide, the evacuation zone viewer and the county's alert signup[5] |
| Alert Indian RiverSign up from the county page above | Indian River County | Emergency notifications sent to your phone[5] |
| FloridaDisaster.org Plan and Prepare | Florida Division of Emergency Management | Know Your Zone lookup and the state's disaster supply kit checklist[6] |
| Planning for Businesses | Florida Division of Emergency Management | Business continuity planning links and the state's online business damage assessment after a storm[7] |
| Flooding & Hurricane PreparednessCommunity Development: 772-589-5518 | City of Sebastian | Flood zone maps, plus the city's hurricane brochures and videos[8] |
I build and look after websites for businesses in Sebastian and Vero Beach, so if you'd like a second pair of eyes on your storm settings, the free check below covers it.
Questions people ask about this
Should I mark my business temporarily closed for a hurricane?
Only if you'll be closed for 7 or more days in a row, or you don't know when you'll reopen. For a closure of up to 6 days, Google says to use special hours instead. Switch back to open the day you reopen, because Google says temporarily closed businesses can rank after open businesses for broad searches.
Why aren't my special hours showing on Google?
Google only shows special hours when your regular hours are set to "Open with main hours." If your profile has no regular hours, or uses a different setting, the special hours may not appear. Set your main hours first, then add the special hours.
How do I mark my business temporarily closed on Google?
Go to your Business Profile and choose Edit profile, then Hours. Next to Hours, choose Edit, then Temporarily closed, and save. Use it only for a closure of 7 days or more, or when you don't know your reopening date.
Should I mark my business permanently closed if the storm damaged the building?
Not if you plan to reopen. Permanently closed shows anyone who finds your profile that your business is closed. If you're rebuilding, even for months, use temporarily closed, which Google says is for businesses closed indefinitely.
Will being temporarily closed hurt my Google ranking?
While you're marked closed, it can. Google's help page says that for broad queries, temporarily closed businesses can rank after open businesses. Google doesn't say how long any effect lasts after you reopen, and I won't guess. Reopen the profile the day you're open again.
How do I reopen my Google Business Profile after a storm?
Go to your Business Profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours. Next to Hours, choose Edit, then "Open with main hours." Tick each day you're open, set the times and save. Then post a short update saying you're open.
What should my website say during a hurricane closure?
One line: when you're closed, when you plan to reopen and where to find updates. Put it in a sitewide banner so it shows on every page, and make sure it matches your Google profile. Write it before the season starts so you only have to change the dates.
Should I add storm repair services to my website?
Yes, if you actually do the work and are licensed and insured for it. Name each service the way a customer would search for it, such as roof tarping or fence repair, and add the same services to your Google profile. Don't list work you don't do.
Where do Sebastian and Vero Beach businesses get official storm information?
Both cities are in Indian River County. Indian River County Emergency Management has the county preparedness guide, the evacuation zone viewer and the Alert Indian River signup. The City of Sebastian has its own flood zone maps and hurricane materials. The state's FloridaDisaster.org has Know Your Zone and resources for businesses.
- Google Business Profile Help. How to set special hours. Source for special hours covering closures of up to 6 days in a row, the "Open with main hours" requirement, and marking a business temporarily closed for 7 or more days or an unknown period. support.google.com
- Google Business Profile Help. Mark your business as closed. Source for using "Temporarily closed" when closed for more than a week, for the off-season or indefinitely, the steps to mark a profile temporarily closed, what "Permanently closed" shows, and the statement that temporarily closed businesses can rank after open businesses for broad queries. support.google.com
- Google Business Profile Help. Mark your business as reopened. Source for the reopening steps. support.google.com
- Squarespace Help. Add an announcement bar. Source for the announcement bar showing on every page except cover pages, and for switching it on. support.squarespace.com
- Indian River County. Emergency Management. Source for the county's alert signup, evacuation zone viewer, preparedness guide, phone number and address. indianriver.gov
- Florida Division of Emergency Management. Plan and Prepare. Source for Know Your Zone and the disaster supply kit checklist. floridadisaster.org
- Florida Division of Emergency Management. Planning for Businesses. Source for the business continuity links and the online business damage assessment. floridadisaster.org
- City of Sebastian. Flooding & Hurricane Preparedness. Source for the city's flood zone maps, hurricane brochures and videos, and the Community Development phone number. cityofsebastian.org
Storm hours right? Let me check.
Send me your business name. I'll check your hours, phone and booking links on your website and your Google profile, and tell you what to fix before the next storm. It's free and takes ten minutes, with no pitch.
