My website says we're closed and we're not. How do I fix it?
Nine times out of ten this is not your website at all. It is the Google Business Profile, and the fix takes ten minutes.
SHORT ANSWER
Check four places in order. Your Google Business Profile, which is what most people actually see and where "Permanently closed" or stale seasonal hours usually live. Your website's own text, if you wrote "closed for the season" and never removed it. Your directory listings, since one stale entry can feed AI assistants the wrong answer. And any seasonal hours setting that expired. The profile is the fix in most cases, and it takes ten minutes.
Check these four
- Google Business Profile. Search your park. Does it say permanently closed, or show wrong hours? Fix it in the profile dashboard. Someone may also have suggested an edit that Google accepted.
- Your website text. Search your own site for "closed", "season", and last year's dates. Seasonal banners get added and never removed.
- Directory listings. Check Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp, and the campground directories. One stale listing can be the source an AI assistant quotes.
- Seasonal hours. If you set special hours for last winter and they expired, the profile may fall back to something wrong.
The suggested-edit problem
Anyone can suggest that a business is permanently closed, and Google sometimes accepts it without asking you. It happens to seasonal businesses constantly, because a guest visiting in February finds the gate shut and reports it closed. If your profile says permanently closed, open the dashboard, mark it open, and set proper seasonal hours so it does not recur.
How to prevent it
Set seasonal hours in the profile rather than leaving hours blank in the off season. Post an update when you close and again when you open. Keep a note in your own calendar to check the profile at the start and end of every season. Ten minutes twice a year prevents the whole problem.
If it is on your site
Search your site for last year's dates. Seasonal banners, "See you in May" messages, and old rate tables all linger. If the site is one you cannot edit, that is a separate problem worth solving, since a park that cannot update its own season dates will hit this every year.
Related questions.
Why does Google say my campground is permanently closed?
Usually a suggested edit from a visitor who found the gate shut in the off season, accepted automatically. Fix it in the profile dashboard.
How do I set seasonal hours for an RV park?
In the Google Business Profile hours section, set special or seasonal hours rather than leaving hours blank.
How long does a Google hours fix take to show?
Usually within a few hours, occasionally a day or two.
Can someone else change my Google listing?
Anyone can suggest an edit, and Google sometimes applies it. This is why checking the profile at the start of each season matters.
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