The verdict in three sentences
In Touba, when a customer or a delivery rider types "hardware store Touba" or "restaurant near Darou Khoudoss", Google shows a map and three businesses: those with a complete listing get the calls. The course Getting found on Google and Google Maps in your city (level 1 Beginner, 25,000 FCFA, about 38 EUR, 5 h) has you produce, from your phone and with no budget, seven concrete deliverables for your own shop. By the end, your listing is verified, 100% complete and tracked every week, with no ranking guarantee.
Why Google Maps matters for a Touba business
Touba is a city where official addresses are often missing and many streets have no name. Visitors, people coming for the Magal or the Ocass market, and delivery riders therefore find their way with Google Maps and WhatsApp. A shop missing from the map does not exist for them, even 200 meters away.
The Google Business Profile listing is free. Module 2 of the course deals precisely with businesses without a street number: placing the pin in the right spot and writing an access landmark everyone understands (for example "opposite the petrol station, green gate").
The seven deliverables you build
The Getting found on Google and Google Maps course, taught in French, has four modules and twelve short text lessons, with an exercise applied to your shop after each lesson, a PDF handout and a quiz per module.
| Deliverable | Module | What it actually contains |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Audit | 1 (free preview) | Five target searches, competitors shown, the state of your listing |
| 2. Listing created or claimed | 2 | A single listing in your name, no duplicate, verified (including by video) |
| 3. Pin in the right place | 2 | Exact position and an access landmark customers and riders understand |
| 4. 100% complete listing | 3 | Categories, hours, WhatsApp link, priced services, 20 photos |
| 5. Review request | 4 | WhatsApp message with a short Bitly link, first new reviews |
| 6. Reply templates | 4 | Templates for positive, negative and suspicious reviews |
| 7. Routine and tracking | 4 | 20 minutes a week, Google Sheets log of calls and direction requests |
The final project, submitted in module 4, brings it all together: your complete, verified and tracked Google listing, with your first new reviews. The program's target is at least five new reviews in two weeks. The tools are free: Google Business Profile, Google Maps, WhatsApp Business, Google Sheets, Canva and Bitly.
Prerequisites: a business with a place to receive customers or a service area, an Android phone or iPhone, a Gmail account. No website, no technical skills, no budget. The course opens on a phone over 3G, with no app to install.
What it can bring in, and what it costs
The course page gives a cautious order of magnitude: a neighborhood shop moving from an empty listing to a complete one with regular reviews generally receives 10 to 40 more calls or direction requests a month. With an average basket of 10,000 FCFA and one third of those contacts becoming customers, that means 30,000 to 130,000 FCFA of extra monthly revenue. Results depend on the trade, local competition and your consistency, and nobody can guarantee the top spot.
| Option | Cost (2026 order of magnitude) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Kolonell Academy, level 1 | 25,000 FCFA (about 38 EUR), 5 h, lifetime access | Seven deliverables for your shop, certificate |
| Digital Marketing and Social Media track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | Complete customer acquisition system |
| Paying a freelancer to optimize your listing | 25,000 to 75,000 FCFA per listing | Listing done for you, without the skill |
| Free tutorials | 0 FCFA | No method for addresses without street names |
| Doing nothing | 0 FCFA | Calls go to the three competitors shown |
The skill can also be resold: in Dakar, freelancers charge 25,000 to 75,000 FCFA to optimize a listing in 2026. Once your listing is in place, you can continue with level 2 of the Digital Marketing and Social Media track, "Digital marketing for SMEs" (WhatsApp Business, social media, first ad, dashboard).
Mini case study
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
Consider a hypothetical learner: Modou, 38, runs a motorcycle spare parts shop near the Ocass market in Touba. He has no Google listing of his own; a customer once created one with the wrong pin.
Illustrative calculation: he claims the listing, moves the pin and adds 20 photos. If, hypothetically, the listing brings him 15 more contacts a month, 5 of whom become customers at 10,000 FCFA, that is 50,000 FCFA of extra revenue, twice the course price in the first month. This is only an illustration: the real gain depends on his trade, demand and consistency.
FAQ
How much time should I plan?
About 5 hours, exercises and final project included. At one hour a day, you finish in a week, then maintaining the listing takes 20 minutes a week.
My street has no name: can I appear on Google Maps?
Yes. Module 2 shows how to place the pin, write an access landmark and, if you deliver to customers, hide the address and declare a service area.
How do I pay and when does access open?
You pay 25,000 FCFA by Wave or Orange Money at +221 77 596 93 33, and access is activated within 24 working hours. It is lifetime, updates included, and not refundable once activated: read the free module 1 first.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes: by passing the module quizzes at 70% minimum, you receive a numbered Kolonell Academy certificate, verifiable online by QR code, which you can add to LinkedIn; your final project must also be approved by a reviewer. It attests a completed course, not a degree.
Who helps me if verification fails?
Module 2 details video verification and what to do after a failure or suspension. For anything else, you ask on the course forum or through WhatsApp support; there are no live classes.
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Take the next step. Enroll in Getting found on Google and Google Maps in your city: 5 h, 25,000 FCFA (about 38 EUR), Kolonell Academy certificate verifiable online. Pay with Wave or Orange Money. Questions? WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
