Google Search And Maps Business Info Is Adapting To The New Normal

The COVID-19 coronavirus has definitely changed the world in more ways than one. Until cures or even at least a vaccine has been discovered, the way we interact with each other and do businesses will have to change and adapt to what is being called the "new normal". For some businesses, that means a change in operations and hours and Google My Business is now giving them more flexibility in how they want to show those changes to customers via Google Search and Google Maps.

Up until January this year, business hours were a simple matter of being open for a contiguous number of hours for a contiguous number of days per week. Today, businesses are forced to have more flexibility not just in business hours but in the kind of services they're able to provide. Fortunately, Google My Business is expanding its definition of "business hours" to accommodate these.

My Business users will be able to select "More Hours" to get the ball rolling. They have more control over the hours they pick, including having different time ranges for the same day. It's a feature that should have probably been available right from the start but we'll take what we can.

More importantly, however, users can select different kinds of services or operations and set hours for those. Businesses with different times for pickups or deliveries per day, for example, will be able to clearly show that to anyone searching for them.

This should make it easier for users of Search and Maps to find more detailed and up-to-date information before they even step out of the safety of their homes. This kind of information will be critical in keeping things running smoothly as the world slowly tries to recover from the pandemic and adapt to a new way of living.