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The best time to get your business ready online for the holidays is October, before your customers start searching and before you're too busy to think about it. Five things cover most of it: set your holiday hours on Google, give your website a quick check, decide your offers and deadlines, schedule your posts ahead of time, and ask for reviews now. An afternoon of prep this month means your online presence keeps working through November and December while you focus on the work in front of you.

Every year it goes the same way. October feels like there's plenty of time. Then one morning it's the week of Thanksgiving, the phone is ringing, the calendar is full, and the holiday post you meant to write is still an idea.

If that's been you, you're in very good company. The fix is simply to do the thinking now, while things are calm. Here's what to get in place.

1. Set your holiday hours on Google now

If someone drives to your business on the day after Thanksgiving because Google said you were open, and you're not, that's a customer you may not get back.

Your Google Business Profile lets you add special hours for specific dates ahead of time. Take five minutes and enter them for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day, plus any days you're closing early or taking off. Then it's done, and Google shows the right hours on the right days without you touching it again.

While you're in there, it's a good moment to look over the rest of your profile. I put together a simple Google Business Profile checklist if you want to do a full pass.

2. Give your website a five-minute check

You don't need a redesign. You need to know that what's there works. Pull up your site on your phone, the way most customers will, and check a few things:

• Does your phone number dial when you tap it?
• Does your contact form actually send? Fill it out yourself and see.
• Are your services and prices current?
• Is anything left over from last year's holidays?
• If you have a holiday offer or deadline, can someone find it without hunting?

A broken form in July is annoying. A broken form in December is lost business you never hear about.

3. Decide your offers and your deadlines

Most holiday marketing stress comes from making decisions at the last minute. So make them now and write them down in one place:

• Are you running a holiday offer? What is it, and when does it start and end?
• What's the last day to order or book before the holidays?
• Which days are you closed?

Once those three answers exist, everything else gets easier. Your posts, your website, your Google profile, and your emails all pull from the same short list.

4. Plan and schedule your posts before it gets busy

December is the worst possible time to be staring at a blank caption. It's also when showing up matters, because people are actively deciding where to spend.

So write your November and December posts now and schedule them. You don't need many. A simple mix works well:

• Your holiday offer, if you have one
• A reminder of your ordering or booking deadline
• Your holiday hours and closed dates
• A behind-the-scenes look at your busy season
• A genuine thank-you to your customers at the end of the year

Instagram, Facebook, and Google Business Profile all let you schedule posts in advance now. If finding the time to post is the hard part for you year-round, this post on that exact problem might help.

5. Ask for reviews now, while it's quiet

When people are choosing between two businesses, they read the reviews, and they notice how recent those reviews are. A handful of fresh ones from this fall will do more for you than a pile from two years ago.

Think of three to five customers you've worked with recently who were happy, and send each of them a short, personal message with your Google review link. Most people are glad to do it. They just need to be asked.

What if you don't run holiday sales?

Plenty of service businesses don't, and this still applies to you. Your version looks a little different:

• Let people know your closed dates and your last available appointments of the year.
• Open your January calendar early. People planning a fresh start book ahead.
• Say thank you. A sincere year-end note to your clients is some of the best marketing there is.

Frequently asked questions

When should a small business start holiday marketing?

Plan in October and start posting in early November. That gives you time to prepare while it's calm and puts you in front of customers before they've made their decisions.

How do I set holiday hours on Google?

Open your Google Business Profile, go to your hours, and add special hours for each holiday date. You can enter them weeks in advance.

How often should I post during the holidays?

Two or three times a week is plenty for most small businesses. Showing up steadily matters more than posting every day.

What if I'm already behind?

Start with holiday hours on Google and your deadlines. Those two take under fifteen minutes and prevent the most common holiday problems.

Give yourself the gift of a calm December

None of this is complicated. It's an afternoon of decisions made early so you're not making them at 10pm in the busiest week of your year. Do it now, and your online presence takes care of itself while you take care of your customers.

And if you'd rather hand the whole list to someone else, that's what I do. I can get your profile, your posts, and your holiday plan set up so the season runs without you having to think about it.

👉 Want your holiday season handled? Let's talk.

Related reads: Is your Google Business Profile working for you? · What customers look at before they buy from you online