When someone in Marrakech types “restaurant near me” or a parent in Casablanca searches “dentiste Maarif”, Google answers with a map and three businesses. Those businesses come from Google Business Profile, the free listing that puts you on Google Search and Google Maps.

This guide covers creating, verifying and filling in the profile, collecting reviews, and connecting it to your website.

96.14%

of searches in Morocco went through Google in October 2026.

Source: StatCounter, search engine market share in Morocco, October 2026

Before you start: is your business eligible?#

Google’s guidelines for representing your business set three basic rules:

  • You serve customers in person, at your premises (a shop, a riad, a clinic) or at theirs (a plumber, a mobile hairdresser). A virtual office is not eligible.
  • One profile per location. Two branches, two profiles. Never two profiles for one place.
  • Your name is your real-world name, the one on your sign. “Riad Yasmine – Best Riad Marrakech Medina” breaks the rules and can get the profile suspended.

If you visit clients and don’t receive them, you are a service-area business: you hide your address and set the areas you cover.

Step 1: Create your Google Business Profile#

  1. Go to business.google.com and sign in with a Google account that belongs to the business, not a staff member’s personal Gmail.
  2. Search for your business name. If it already exists on Maps, claim it instead of creating a duplicate.
  3. Enter the name exactly as on your sign, then your primary category.
  4. Add your address, or choose the service-area option.
  5. Add a phone number that someone answers, and your website.

Step 2: Verify your profile from Morocco#

Your profile is not published until Google verifies it. Google’s verification page lists these methods:

  • Phone call or text: a code sent to the business number. Automated answering systems (IVR) won’t receive it.
  • Email: a code sent to an address shown on screen.
  • Video recording: you film your business live with your phone.
  • Live video call: a Google representative guides you on camera, during your business hours.
  • Postcard: Google says most codes arrive within 14 days, and they expire after 30 days.

You do not choose. Verification methods “are automatically determined by Google and can’t be changed”, based on your business type, region, public information and hours. Many new profiles are offered video. After you submit, Google’s review can take up to 5 business days.

How to pass video verification#

Google’s video requirements: at least 30 seconds, filmed live in one continuous take, no edits. The video must show:

  1. The location: street signs, the building, neighbouring shops or a landmark.
  2. That the business exists: your storefront or signage, with the name on a permanent fixture, matching the profile.
  3. That you manage it: something only staff can access, such as opening the till, the kitchen, a storage room or the payment terminal. Service-area businesses can show tools, branded equipment, or a permit or invoice in the business name.

Don’t film customers’ faces, ID cards or bank details.

Google's own walkthrough of a storefront verification video (Google Business Profile, in English).

Step 3: Get your address and pin right, even without a street number#

Many Moroccan addresses don’t fit Google’s form: “Derb Sidi Bouloukat, near Bab Doukkala”, “Lot 45, Hay Al Wifaq”, “Immeuble B, 3rd floor”.

  • Write the address as people would find it: street or derb, neighbourhood, city. Building, floor or apartment go on the second line, as Google recommends.
  • Drag the pin to your exact door. For a riad, on the entrance, not the middle of the block. A wrong pin sends taxis and guests to the wrong alley.
  • Use your Plus Code. A Plus Code is a short code like “H9H3+7W Marrakech” that points to an exact spot, made for places without a usable address. Long-press your location in Google Maps to get it, and add it to your website and booking confirmations.
  • No P.O. boxes. Google doesn’t accept them.

Step 4: Choose the right categories#

In Whitespark’s 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey of 47 local SEO experts, the primary category ranked first among all factors for map results.

#1

ranking factor for Google Maps results: the primary category of the Business Profile.

Source: Whitespark, Local Search Ranking Factors 2026 (expert survey)

Google’s rule: the category completes the sentence “this business is a…”, not “has a…”. A riad is a “Guest house”, not a “Swimming pool” because it has one. A clinic is “Dentist”, then “Orthodontist” only if that’s real. Use as few categories as possible, and the most specific ones.

Tip: search Maps for your main keyword and check the categories of the top three results.

Step 5: Keep your name, address and phone identical everywhere#

NAP means Name, Address, Phone. Google compares your profile with your website, Facebook, Instagram, Booking.com and directories. When “Café Atlas, 12 Bd Zerktouni” becomes “Atlas Coffee Casa” on Instagram with another number, Google is less confident.

  • [ ] Same business name, same spelling, everywhere
  • [ ] Same address format (French or English street names, not both)
  • [ ] Same main phone number, as +212 6XX XX XX XX
  • [ ] Full name, address and phone in your website footer

Step 6: Fill in every section#

Google says it directly: “Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.”

  • Description: what you do, for whom, where. No links, prices or promotions, per Google’s guidelines. Write in the language your customers search in, often French, with English terms for tourism.
  • Photos: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, ideally 720 × 720 px or more (Google). Logo, cover, the outside (so people recognise the entrance), the inside, the team, products or rooms. Real photos, no heavy filters.
  • Services or menu: plain names that people search for.
  • Attributes: Wi-Fi, terrace, wheelchair access, card payment. Only what is true.

Opening hours, Ramadan and public holidays#

“Business is open at time of search” ranked fifth among map factors in the Whitespark 2026 survey. In Morocco, hours change several times a year:

  1. Set your normal weekly hours.
  2. For Ramadan, add special hours for each affected date: Edit profile, Hours, Special hours (Google’s steps). Restaurants open for ftour and shops open after taraweeh should say so.
  3. Add special hours for public holidays: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Throne Day (30 July), Independence Day (18 November) and the rest. Religious holidays follow the lunar calendar, so update them once the date is announced.
  4. Closed 7 days or more in a row? Google suggests “Temporarily closed” instead.

Google asks some business types, such as hotels and schools, not to list hours.

Step 7: Get reviews, and answer them#

Google’s ranking page says: “More reviews and positive ratings can help your business’s local ranking.”

89%

of consumers expect business owners to respond to reviews. 81% expect a reply within a week.

Source: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US consumers)

The same 2026 survey found that 68% of consumers want at least four stars before considering a business, and 74% look for reviews from the last three months. The sample is American.

How to ask for reviews#

  1. In your profile, open Ask for reviews to get your short link and QR code.
  2. Print the QR code on the table, the counter, the receipt or the room card.
  3. Send the link on WhatsApp after the visit, in the customer’s language.
  4. Ask every customer, not only the happy ones.

Google’s content policy forbids offering anything (a discount, a free tea) for a review and “selectively soliciting positive reviews”. Reviews by staff or family count as a conflict of interest.

How to reply#

  • Reply to every review in its language: French, Arabic, Darija or English.
  • Positive: thank them and mention something specific (“glad you enjoyed the rooftop breakfast”).
  • Negative: stay calm, apologise where fair, offer a phone number to continue privately, never reveal customer details.
  • Posts: an event, a seasonal menu, a new service, with a photo and a button (“Book”, “Call”).
  • Website link: your homepage, or the right branch’s page if you have several.
  • Booking link: depending on your category, Google offers a field for a booking or appointment link. Send people straight to your booking form.
  • WhatsApp: Google closed the old Business Profile chat in July 2024. In some regions, a Chat field under Contact accepts a WhatsApp link (wa.me/212…). If it isn’t there, show your WhatsApp number on your website.

How your profile and your website rank together#

Google says local results depend on three things (source):

  • Relevance: how well your profile matches the search. Categories, services, description and your website content count.
  • Distance: how far you are from the searcher. You can’t change it, which is why an exact pin matters.
  • Prominence: how well-known you are, including reviews and “how many websites link to your business”.

A website covers what the profile can’t: pages for Google to read (one per service), a place other sites link to, and a page where customers book. In the Whitespark 2026 survey, the top factor for regular local results was “Dedicated Page for Each Service”.

35.5 million

internet users in Morocco at the end of 2025, or 92.2% of the population.

Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: Morocco

Common mistakes that get profiles suspended#

  • Keywords or a city in the name that aren’t on your sign
  • A visible home address for a business that doesn’t receive customers
  • Duplicate profiles, or a profile for a virtual office
  • A call-forwarding number that isn’t really yours
  • Changing name, address and category all at once (this can trigger a new verification)
  • Buying reviews, or reviews from staff
  • A profile created in a freelancer’s own account

If suspended, fix what breaks the guidelines, then appeal from your profile with proof: photos of the sign, a business document, a utility bill.

Frequently asked questions#

Is Google Business Profile free in Morocco?#

Yes. Creating, verifying and managing it costs nothing. Google Ads are separate and optional.

How long does verification take?#

A phone or email code is immediate. Google says a video review can take up to 5 business days, and a postcard up to 14 days.

Can I create a profile without a street number?#

Yes. Enter the street or derb and the neighbourhood, place the pin on your entrance, and share your Plus Code. The video verification proves the location.

Sources#