It is the free listing that shows your business on Google Search and Google Maps. It used to be called “Google My Business”; in French, it is called a « fiche d’établissement ».
Why it matters
Very often, the customer decides without even visiting your website: they read the reviews, look at the photos and call directly from the profile.
An incomplete profile, with old photos, wrong opening hours or an old phone number, costs you calls without you knowing.
The words to know
- Verification
- Google confirms that you really are in charge of the business: by video, phone, text message, email or post, depending on the case. Until the profile is verified, you cannot fully manage it.
- Primary category
- The trade that describes you best (“Roofer”, “Plumber”…). It is one of the most important settings. Additional categories can complement it.
- Service area
- The towns or départements where you work, if you travel to your customers.
- Owner and manager
- The owner controls everything. A manager (a provider, for example) can edit the profile without owning it, and can be removed at any time.
What you can do yourself
- Keep ownership of the profile, with your own Google account
- Use your real business name, without adding anything
- Choose the primary category, then useful additional categories
- Keep opening hours up to date, including bank holidays and time off
- Write a clear description and list your services
- Regularly add recent photos: jobs, van, team
- Reply to every review
- Adding keywords to the name (“Dupont Roofing cheap”): against Google’s rules, the profile can be suspended
- Creating several profiles for the same business (one per town with no premises): they can be suspended
- Letting a provider be the only owner of your profile
We create your profile, or take it over and repair it (closed, duplicated, suspended, access lost), always in your name. Free audit if it already exists.
Frequently asked questions
My profile says “permanently closed”: what can I do?
It happens, sometimes by mistake or after a suggestion from a user. The owner of the profile can reopen it. If you no longer have access, you first need to recover it.
Can I have several profiles?
One profile per real establishment. Several profiles for the same business are against Google’s rules and can be suspended.
Who should own the profile?
You, with your own Google account. A provider can be added as a manager and removed whenever you like.