Keep your Google Business Profile accurate through a storm. Google's rule is simple: closed 7 days or less, use special hours; closed longer or indefinitely, mark it temporarily closed. Never create a new profile, keep one phone number live through forwarding, post status updates, and switch back to open the day you serve customers again.
The checklist
- Before June, confirm you can sign in as profile owner and that a second trusted person has manager access.
- Write down your current name, address, phone, hours and categories so you can restore them exactly after the storm.
- Set up call forwarding with your phone carrier to a cell phone, and test it, so the number on your profile keeps ringing if you leave.
- Prepare a short text banner for your website with your status and a last updated time.
- When you know the closure dates and they total 7 days or less, add special hours for each date and mark them Closed.
- If the closure will run past 7 days or has no end date, change the profile status to Temporarily closed instead.
- Publish a profile update saying what is closed, what still works and when you will post again.
- If the building is unusable for months, decide whether the move is permanent before you touch the address.
- For a permanent move, edit the address on the existing profile and complete verification again if Google asks; never create a second profile.
- Check Business Profile Manager for duplicate locations and remove any, after copying key details to the profile you keep.
- On the first day you serve customers, set the profile back to open with regular hours and confirm it shows open on Maps.
- Post a reopening update, remove the banner and match hours on your main directory listings.
Special hours or temporarily closed: Google's 7-day line
Google's help center draws a clear line. If you are closed for 7 days or less, use special hours. If you are closed for more than 7 days, closed for the off-season, or closed indefinitely, use Temporarily closed. Permanently closed is for a business that is gone, never for a storm shutdown.
| Situation | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Closing the day before landfall and the day of | Special hours, marked Closed | Short, dated, and your regular hours stay intact |
| Closed up to a week for power or water | Special hours | Inside Google's 7-day window |
| Repairs with no firm reopening date | Temporarily closed | More than 7 days or indefinite |
| Business will not reopen | Permanently closed | The only true use for it |
Special hours only display when the profile is set to open with main hours, so keep your regular hours. Google also notes that for broad queries, temporarily closed businesses can rank after open ones, which is why you switch back to open on day one of service.
What Ian, Helene and Milton showed Naples businesses
Hurricane Ian in September 2022 pushed a storm surge of more than 9 feet plus tide into Naples, a city record, and more than 3,500 buildings in Collier County had major damage.
Hurricane Helene in September 2024 passed about 200 miles west of Naples, yet the National Weather Service recorded surge of 3 to 4 feet above ground in streets near the beaches, with water entering structures in Vanderbilt Beach, north Naples Bay and the Bayshore Drive corridor. Weeks later, Hurricane Milton brought mandatory evacuations for the city of Naples, Marco Island, Goodland, Everglades City and Chokoloskee.
Disruption does not need a direct hit, and storms can arrive back to back, so plan for two closures in one season. Vanderbilt Beach in 34108 and the Bayshore Drive corridor in 34112 took water in Helene with no landfall nearby.
Phones, website and posts: one message everywhere
Your profile, website and phone should all say the same thing.
- Phone: forward the existing number at the carrier level. Swapping the profile phone to a personal cell creates a name, address and phone mismatch you will have to clean up later.
- Website: a text banner at the top of every page with status, how to reach you and a last updated time. Do not change page titles or launch a new storm URL that you will delete next month.
- Posts: short profile updates as things change: closed, partially open, reopening date, open.
Directory listings that already disagree with your profile make this harder. A citation cleanup before June removes that risk.
Moved, rebuilt or working from somewhere else
Google's guidance is direct: do not create a new Business Profile if your location changes. Edit the address on the existing profile, and expect to verify again. Creating a second profile splits your reviews and history and leaves a duplicate that has to be removed.
Before you move the pin, check that the new place is eligible. Google's guidelines say virtual offices, P.O. boxes and remote mailboxes are not acceptable, and a co-working space only qualifies with clear signage, staff on site and customers received during your hours. If you serve customers at their location and they do not come to you, you can hide the address and show a service area instead.
If you work from a temporary spot for a few weeks and will return, keep the profile on your permanent address and explain the arrangement in posts and on your site.
Reopening without losing ground
Switch to open with regular hours on the first day you serve customers, then check the live listing on Google Maps from a phone.
- Post a reopening update with your hours and any changed services.
- Remove the website banner and any temporary notices.
- Update hours on your main directory listings so they match.
- Ask returning customers for honest reviews. Google's policy bars discounts or gifts for reviews and bars asking only happy customers.
- Compare map rankings across Naples with your pre-storm baseline using local rank tracking.
If you would rather hand the whole storm plan off, our Google Business Profile management covers the before, during and after.