Apple Maps Using New Partners For Multiple-Location Map Submissions

In October Apple launched Apple Maps Connect, intended to allow individual business owners to edit or add local business listings directly into Apple’s database. Apple told me at the time that it wasn’t intended for webmasters or outside agencies to manage multiple locations or listings on behalf of their clients. 

However I knew that would immediately arise as a question. Accordingly, local SEO Andrew Shotland recently asked Apple about submitting “a few hundred locations” on behalf of a client and was told that “bulk uploads” were only be accepted for businesses “with at least 1,000 locations.”

Shotland was directed in email to an alphabetical list of third party providers who apparently have a direct data pipe into Apple now on behalf of clients:

• DAC Group
• Factual
• Location3 Media
• Marquette Group
• Neustar/Localeze
• Placeable
• PositionTech
• SIM Partners
• SinglePlatform
• UBL
• Yelp
• Yext
• Yodle

Apple declined to “endorse” any of these companies in particular. However reliance on them by Apple to manage multi-location submissions is a privileged position. Shotland characterized it yesterday as a “huge windfall” for these firms.

To recap: if you’re an individual business you can submit directly to Apple Maps Connect. If you’re a brand/marketer or someone managing presence on behalf of at least 1,000 locations you can “bulk upload” directly to Apple.

If you’re somewhere in-between and trying to manage more than one but fewer than 1,000 locations you’ll need (at least for the time being) to work with one of the entities above.