From early December, Hermanus and the rest of the Overberg fill up with holidaymakers. Most of them don’t know the town well, so they search: “coffee near me”, “pharmacy Hermanus open now”, “boat trip Walker Bay”. What they find on Google and on your website in that moment decides whether they walk through your door or the one next to it.
In short
Before December, set your holiday hours on your Google Business Profile, update your website with the same hours and any seasonal offers, test your phone, WhatsApp and contact form, and plan how you will ask December customers for reviews. Do it in November, while you still have time.
The dates that matter
The school holidays run from Thu 10 December 2026 to Tue 12 January 2027, with schools opening on Wed 13 January (PublicHolidays.co.za). The public holidays in that stretch:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Wed 16 Dec 2026 | Day of Reconciliation |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day |
| Sat 26 Dec 2026 | Day of Goodwill |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year’s Day |
These are the days customers most often find a business closed when Google said it was open, and the days a wrong listing costs you the most.
The checklist
1. Set special hours on your Google Business Profile
Your profile lets you set special hours for single dates without changing your normal week. Open your profile, choose Edit profile, then Hours, and add Special hours for each public holiday, even the days you keep your normal hours. Google says confirming them shows customers your hours are accurate (Google Business Profile help).
If you close for seven days or more, Google suggests marking the business as temporarily closed instead of using special hours. Remember to reopen it when you’re back. Our Google Business Profile guide covers the rest of your profile.
2. Use the same hours everywhere
Customers and search engines both notice when your website, Google profile and Facebook page disagree. Update your hours on your website, Facebook, Instagram, Bing Places and any directory listings at the same time.
3. Add a short holiday notice to your website
A line at the top of your home page or contact page is enough: “Open every day from 10 December, closed Christmas Day.” Visitors on their phones want the answer without scrolling.
4. Refresh your photos, menu and prices
Holiday visitors judge you on your photos before they visit. Replace old or dark photos on your Google profile and website, and check that the menu, price list or rates on your website are this season’s. A PDF menu from two summers ago puts people off.
5. Post an update on your Google profile
Google Business Profile lets you add short updates with a photo. Use one to share your holiday hours, a festive menu, extra trips or a new product. It’s free and shows on your profile in Search and Maps.
6. Test your phone and WhatsApp buttons
Open your website on your phone and tap every phone number, WhatsApp link and email address. If you use WhatsApp Business, set up a greeting and an away message so late-night messages still get an answer.
7. Test your contact and booking forms
Fill in your own contact form and make sure the email arrives, including in the spam folder. If you take bookings online, make a test booking for a December date. A broken form in peak season is lost business you never hear about.
8. Check your website is quick on a phone
Visitors search on mobile data, sometimes with a weak signal. Large photos and too many plugins slow a website down. If your site feels slow on your own phone, it feels slower to them.
9. Plan for your own time off
If you close over Christmas, set an email auto-reply that says when you’re back and who to call in an emergency. Update the hours on your Google profile and website before you leave, not on the day.
10. Ask December customers for reviews
December brings more customers than any other month, which makes it the best month to collect reviews. Have your review link ready on your phone, at the till and on your receipts. Our guide on getting more Google reviews shows how to ask within Google’s rules.
Short on time before December?
We can update your website, set your holiday hours and tidy up your Google Business Profile for you, so you can focus on the season.
Start in November
Most of this takes an hour or two, but it’s easy to leave until the first busy weekend. Pick a quiet afternoon in November and work down the list. If you’d like your website or Google profile working harder all year round, our local SEO checklist for the Overberg is the next step.
Common questions
Will changing my hours on Google hurt my ranking?
Special hours are designed for holidays and don’t replace your normal hours, so there’s no reason to avoid them. Showing accurate hours means fewer customers arriving to a closed door.
How far ahead can I set holiday hours?
You can add special hours for future dates whenever you like, so you can set all the December and January dates in one go.
I’m a service business. Does this still matter?
Yes. Plumbers, electricians and pool services get calls from holiday homeowners and their guests in December. Make sure your hours, phone number and service area are correct, and say clearly whether you take emergency call-outs over the holidays.