Businesses close for renovation, shift to a bigger shop, move to a new area, or sometimes shut down for good. Each of these needs a different change on Google, and picking the wrong one can wipe out years of reviews. We regularly meet owners who marked their profile “permanently closed” when they only moved two streets away, then wondered why nobody could find them.
Here’s how to mark a business closed or moved on Google the right way, so customers get the correct message and you keep your reviews.
The short answer
To mark a business closed or moved on Google: for a short break of a few days, use special hours. For a longer pause, go to Edit profile > Hours and choose Temporarily closed. If you’ve shut down for good, choose Permanently closed. If you’ve moved, don’t close the profile. Update the address on the same profile instead, so your reviews and history move with you.
Which option do you need?
| Situation | What to do on Google |
|---|---|
| Closed for a festival or a few days | Add special hours for those dates |
| Closed for renovation, illness or a long break | Mark temporarily closed |
| Moved to a new address | Update the address on the existing profile |
| Shut down for good | Mark permanently closed |
| Business sold to a new owner | Transfer ownership, don’t close it |
Closed for a few days: use special hours
For Diwali, a family wedding or a short maintenance shutdown, you don’t need to mark the business closed. Just add special hours for those dates under Hours. Customers see you’re closed on those days, and everything goes back to normal automatically.
Closed for weeks: mark temporarily closed
Google suggests using temporarily closed for longer or open-ended closures, roughly more than 7 days. The steps from Google’s help page on marking your business closed:
- Open your Business Profile.
- Select Edit profile, then Hours.
- Choose Temporarily closed and save.
When you reopen, go back to the same place and set your regular hours again. Post an update saying you’re open so regular customers notice.
Moved to a new location: update, don’t close
This is where most mistakes happen. If you moved your shop, clinic or office:
- Keep the same profile.
- Update the address and drag the pin to your new entrance.
- Expect Google to ask you to verify again at the new location.
- Update the address on your website, Justdial, Facebook and other listings.
- Upload fresh photos of the new premises, especially the signboard.
Google’s own guidance on duplicates says to update your existing profile rather than creating a new one when you relocate. A new profile starts at zero reviews and may be treated as a duplicate. If you’re moving to a different city, read how we handled that exact situation in our Pune to Mumbai relocation case study, because long-distance moves are much more sensitive.
And if you find a second listing at your old address later, see how to remove a duplicate Google Business listing.
Shut down for good: mark permanently closed
- Open your Business Profile.
- Select Edit profile, then Hours.
- Choose Permanently closed and save.
Google notes that a permanently closed profile may still appear when people search for it by name, with a closed label. That’s useful for customers looking for you, since they won’t make a wasted trip.
Sold the business?
Don’t close the listing. Add the new owner as an owner on the profile, then transfer primary ownership. The reviews and ranking you built are part of what you sold. Google explains this in transfer primary ownership. If the new owner keeps the same name, the profile continues as it is.
Mistakes to avoid
- Marking permanently closed when you only moved
- Creating a new profile at the new address and leaving the old one open
- Changing the address and business name in the same edit
- Forgetting to reopen after a temporary closure
- Leaving old hours online after reopening with new timings
FAQs
Will I lose my reviews if I change my address?
No. Reviews stay with the profile when you update the address on the same listing.
Can I undo “permanently closed”?
Google provides a way to reopen closed profiles, but it’s better to choose the right option from the start.
Does temporarily closed hurt my ranking?
Customers searching for you will see you’re closed, so you’ll get fewer actions while closed. Once you reopen and stay active, visibility generally recovers.
Someone marked my business as closed. What do I do?
Correct it immediately in Edit profile > Hours. Then check for other wrong edits. See what “Google updated your business info” means.
Moving soon?
A planned move is far easier than fixing a suspended profile after the fact. Our GBP address update service handles relocations step by step. Talk to us before you make the change.
