Last week, Sterling Sky revealed, through their tests, a new ranking factor in Google Search and Google Maps: business opening hours. Despite initial scepticism in the SEO world, later tests showed that opening hours do play a role in local rankings.
Discovered by Joy Hawkins
Joy Hawkins was the first to report on this on X.
😱Well the news is out, the new ranking factor we are seeing that has a massive impact on ranking is HOURS. We're seeing that businesses literally vanish in the local pack when they are not open. We started seeing this with the November 2023 core update. This is also making… pic.twitter.com/kDzfrbNmB5
— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) December 7, 2023
Research by Darren Shaw
Factor for both mobile and desktop
While ranking factors related to opening hours were already active on mobile devices before November 2023, they appear to be more extensive and impactful now. However, several unanswered questions remain, such as whether this ranking factor applies equally to both mobile and desktop platforms. Initial indications suggest it does, but more in-depth research is required.
Differences by sector
Manipulating opening hours
What does Google say about it
Danny Sullivan of Google hinted on X that he will revisit whether it is indeed a new local ranking change. He indicated that, at the very least, it was not part of the recent core update.
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