Are your opening hours and visit details clear on your website?

A customer checks your website before setting off. Your contact page says you close at five, but your latest notice says four. Which should they trust? A small review of your opening hours and visit details can remove that uncertainty.

This check is for businesses that welcome visitors, take appointments or serve a local area. Work through one real customer journey: finding you, deciding when to contact you and knowing what happens when they arrive.

1. Agree the details before editing

Write a short reference note with the person who runs the diary or premises. Include normal opening hours, appointment requirements, the customer entrance and the best contact number. For a business that travels to customers, record the areas you actually serve and how someone requests a visit.

Separate different kinds of availability. A shop may open later than its telephone line; a workshop may accept collections only by arrangement. Say which hours you mean. Do not describe an enquiry form as round-the-clock support simply because people can submit it at any time.

2. Find every place the website repeats those details

Check the homepage, contact page, footer, booking page and any location pages. Open downloadable brochures or menus if they include an address or opening times. Keep a simple list of each page and the detail that needs changing.

Replace old seasonal notices as well as the main hours. Use exact dates for a temporary change, including the year where it prevents confusion. A fictional shop might write: “On Saturday 14 November 2026, we close at 14:00. Our usual Saturday hours resume on 21 November.” Use wording like this only when those dates and arrangements are correct for your business.

3. Explain how a visit works

An address alone may leave questions unanswered. If useful, describe the entrance, whether an appointment is required and where customers should report on arrival. Add parking or access information only after checking it. Avoid promises such as “easy access” when a factual description would be more useful.

For a business without a customer reception, explain the service area and booking process rather than encouraging people to arrive unannounced. Read any directions as if you have never visited before. Ask someone unfamiliar with the premises what remains unclear.

4. Compare your website with your business listing

If you manage a Google Business Profile, compare its public hours, contact details and website link with your reference note. Google’s guide to editing a Business Profile explains the available fields and notes that changes are reviewed before they appear live. Saving an edit is therefore not the same as confirming the public result.

For a short change, Google’s special-hours guidance describes how to set date-specific opening times without changing your regular hours. Follow its separate guidance for longer closures. Update the matching website notice too; do not assume changing one place changes the other.

5. Test the next step on a phone

Open the published contact page on a phone. Can you read the hours without enlarging the page? Does the map link lead to the right place? If the page offers a tap-to-call link, check the number it opens before placing a call. Follow the booking link far enough to confirm that it starts the intended process, without submitting a false booking.

Our practical mobile homepage check covers the wider phone experience. For this review, concentrate on whether a visitor has enough accurate information to take the next step.

6. Give the information an owner

Record who checked the details, the date and any correction still waiting to appear. Set a reminder before a holiday, planned closure or change of premises. Give temporary notices a removal date so they do not become permanent clutter.

Finish by asking a colleague to answer three questions using only the public website: “When can I contact you?”, “Can I visit without booking?” and “Where do I go next?” Fix any conflicting answer before calling the review complete.

Want to discuss clearer contact and visit information on your website? Contact Hobbit Web Design and share the page you would like to improve.