Update Your Holiday Hours to Boost Visibility in Local and AI Search

Customers are looking for your brand, products, or services all. the. time. And with AI search and AI agents becoming more popular — and more powerful – customers are discovering brands in more ways than ever before.

As customers turn away from traditional search, local businesses and multi-location brands can’t afford to lose them. Brands must make time for (read: find tools that automate) basic digital marketing hygiene and make good on local SEO best practices.

Brands that aren’t actively managing NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) data updates, cleaning up dupes, updating holiday hours, or promoting special events at their store locations… well, they’re falling behind their competition and they’re about to fall out of favor with customers.

Did you know?

• 37% of Gen Z diners in the U.S. try at least one new restaurant every week. Are you capturing and managing reviews at scale?
• 81% of Gen Z prefers shopping in-store over shopping online. Are you really open when you say you are?
• 64% of customers from every generation will turn to competitor brands if they can’t find the accurate, up-to-date, or complete information they need. Is your data working for you — or against you?

Update your holiday hours to make your store locations stand out in local and AI search

There’s always a holiday happening. Plus, special events or seasonal changes can spike search and foot traffic, too. So, whether it’s March Madness, Mother’s Day, or a winter storm, and whether you’re promoting product launches, new menu items, pop-up shops, or plain-and-simple changes to your seasonal hours — brands must keep their business information accurate and up-to-date across all their local listings. No exceptions. No excuses.

Make sure your store location information is consistent everywhere customers are searching

60% of customers take six or more actions before deciding to buy from a brand or pick up a product that’s new to them. While every generation of customers takes a different journey (or weighs information across channels differently), they’re still checking out your digital presence. They scan reviews, social media, and listings before deciding whether to visit your store. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to confirm (or confuse) them.

So it’s not just your NAP data you’ve got to keep clean. You’ve got to create and manage enhanced brand content, too.

Go beyond basic listings: help your store locations stand out with enhanced content

Enhanced content is rich, location-specific information that traditional search engines, like Google, and AI-driven search experiences, like Perplexity, use to “show and tell” customers more than just the facts. Enhanced content reveals insights about your reputation and proves to customers you’re the relevant brand for their needs.

• Show, don’t just tell: Customers want to see more than just your business name and hours. High-quality photos and videos of your location, products, and services help them visualize their experience — whether it's browsing a boutique, enjoying a summer happy hour, or having a Valentine’s Day couples’ massage.
• Highlight what makes your location unique: From seasonal menus to pop-up events, let customers know what’s happening at your stores right now. They also want to see relatable reviews and staff bios that add personality and credibility to your brand.
• Make it easy for customers to plan: Provide key details like whether reservations are required, if parking is available, or if you offer curbside pickup. Let them know if there’s a free shuttle from the airport, what time the live music starts, or how long the waitlist usually is on a Friday night.

Enhanced content is what captures customer intent. Use it. And update it regularly to signal relevance, earn prominence, and validate distance. It’s key to convincing AI to surface your brands in results and, ultimately, for customers to walk through your doors year-round.

Use Yext to update all your store locations’ information with one click

Updating your holiday hours shouldn’t be a last-minute scramble. With Yext Listings, you can set holiday hours ahead of time or update in real time across every platform that matters. Brands see 55% more Google impressions with Yext and 2.3x more appearances in local searches than their competitors. When brands sync their listings data across at least 75% of Yext’s diverse publisher network, they see +186% more clicks from Google.

Grab more industry insights and capture high-intent customers with this post, How to Optimize Local Listings for AI Search.