Ramadan 2027: a website and Google checklist for UAE businesses

During Ramadan the day changes. Many restaurants open only at sunset, offices close early, gyms move their classes to after iftar. A customer who drives to a closed door on the first evening is unlikely to try again.

The expected dates

The UAE Astronomy Centre projects that Ramadan 2027 will begin on Monday, 8 February 2027 and last 29 or 30 days. Eid Al Fitr is expected around 9 to 11 March 2027, depending on the length of the month. These dates are projections and remain subject to official moon-sighting confirmation, so plan your changes with a few days of flexibility and publish the final times when they are announced.

Set special hours on Google

Google Business Profile lets you set special hours for particular dates. Google's guidance says the following.

• Special hours display only if your regular hours are set to open with main hours.
• One set of special hours cannot run longer than 24 hours. For overnight hours, split the set at midnight into two entries.
• Special hours suit short changes. For a closure of more than six days in a row, use the temporarily closed setting instead.
• Google recommends confirming hours for official holidays, even when they match your regular hours, and says it may show a warning on profiles on holidays where hours might differ.

During Ramadan many businesses change their hours for the whole month. Set the new weekly schedule as your regular hours for that period and switch back afterwards, or set special hours for each date if your hours change from day to day. See how to rank higher on Google Maps in Dubai for the rest of the profile.

Change your website

• Opening hours, on the contact page, in the footer and in the structured data.
• A short notice at the top that says the Ramadan hours, for example “Ramadan hours: open from sunset until 1 am”.
• Menus. Add the iftar and suhoor menus with prices, and mark dishes that are not available during the day.
• Booking and ordering times, so guests can only choose times you are open.
• Delivery times, if they change.
• Class timetables and appointment slots, for gyms, clinics and salons.

Change WhatsApp and listings

• Update your WhatsApp profile hours and the away message.
• Check the hours on delivery apps, review sites and any listing that shows them.
• Keep the hours on your website, your Google profile and your listings identical.

Make the changes easy

Hours and menus change at short notice. Whoever runs the business should be able to change them from a phone in a minute, between two customers. If a change needs a call to an agency, it will be late.

Questions