Published on · By the IT LABS PRO team
Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is Google’s free tool for managing your business listing in Google Search and on Google Maps. It is often a customer’s first contact with your business: address, opening hours, phone number, photos, reviews. A complete, well-maintained profile can bring you calls, visits and quote requests without spending on advertising. Here is the step-by-step guide.
Why your profile matters
- Local visibility: your profile can appear in the map results block and on Google Maps.
- Trust: reviews and photos reassure people before they even visit your website.
- Direct contact: customers can call you, get directions or visit your website in one tap.
- It is free: creating and managing the profile costs nothing.
Step 1: create or claim your profile
Start by searching for your business on Google Maps: a listing may already exist, created automatically or by someone else. If so, claim it; otherwise, create it from the Google Business Profile page with a Google account, ideally a shared business account rather than an employee’s personal address.
Step 2: verify the profile
Google asks you to confirm that you are the person responsible for the business. Depending on the case, verification can be done by phone, text message, e-mail, video or post. The methods offered depend on your category and situation: follow the instructions in your account. Until the profile is verified, your changes may not be published.
Step 3: fill in every section
Name, address, phone
Use your company’s real name, without adding keywords: that breaks Google’s rules and can get the profile suspended. The address and phone number must be exactly the same as those shown on your website and your other online listings. Inconsistencies are common and hurt your visibility.
Categories
Choose a precise primary category (the one that best describes your business), then a few relevant secondary categories. It is one of the most important factors for appearing in the right searches.
Opening hours
Enter your usual hours and update the special hours (public holidays, Eid, Ramadan). A customer who finds the door closed because of wrong hours does not come back.
Description, services and products
Describe your business in a few natural sentences, list your main services and, where relevant, your products with their prices.
Website and links
Add your website address and, depending on your business, a link for booking or requesting a quote. You can also offer direct messaging, for example with a WhatsApp link on your website.
Step 4: add photos
Real, recent photos make a big difference: the front of the building (so people recognise it), the inside, the team, your work, your products. Avoid stock images. Add new photos regularly to show that the business is active.
Step 5: get and manage reviews
Customer reviews are decisive, both for people searching and for the profile’s visibility. A few good practices:
- Ask satisfied customers for a review at the right moment (after a successful delivery or a completed job), with the direct link to your profile.
- Reply to every review, positive or negative, politely and personally.
- When you get criticism, acknowledge the problem, offer a solution and continue the conversation privately.
- Never buy reviews or reward people for them: it is forbidden by Google’s rules and can lead to the reviews, or even the profile, being removed.
Step 6: keep the profile alive
Post news, offers or events, answer the questions people ask, and keep your services up to date. An active profile sends a positive signal and gives customers reasons to contact you.
Step 7: follow the statistics
Your account shows how people find your profile and what they do next: calls, direction requests, clicks to the website. Check these figures every month to measure the effect of your improvements.
Your Google profile and your website work together
The profile catches attention; the website convinces. Make sure your website shows exactly the same contact details and opening hours as the profile, that it is fast and mobile-friendly, and that it answers customers’ questions. Good SEO on your website also strengthens your local visibility. To go faster, Google Ads can complement the profile on the most competitive searches: see our article on the cost of Google Ads in Morocco.
Mistakes that hurt your profile
- Keywords added to the business name (“Agency X – cheap website design Marrakesh”): it breaks the rules and risks suspension.
- Different contact details on the profile, the website and directories.
- Opening hours not updated during holidays or Ramadan.
- Several profiles for the same location, created by mistake over time.
- Unanswered reviews, especially negative ones.
If you run several locations (branches, shops or offices), each needs its own profile, with its own address, opening hours and phone number, and its own page on your website. Google Business Profile lets you manage several profiles from one account.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Business Profile free?
Yes, creating and managing the profile is free.
Can I have a profile without premises open to the public?
Yes, businesses that travel to their customers can hide their address and show a service area instead, following Google’s rules.
Can I delete a negative review?
You cannot delete a review yourself. If a review breaks Google’s rules (false, abusive or off-topic content), you can report it. Otherwise, reply to it professionally.
How long does it take to appear on Google Maps?
Once verified, the profile can appear quickly; its position then depends on relevance, distance and how well known the business is.
In short
A complete, verified Google Business Profile that matches your website and is updated regularly is one of the most cost-effective ways to be seen locally. Take care of your categories, your photos and above all your reviews. Need help with your online visibility? Discover our SEO and Google Ads services in Morocco.
Sources
- Google Business Profile: google.com/business
- Google Business Profile Help: support.google.com/business
- Google Maps user-contributed content policy (reviews): support.google.com