Google Maps
Google Maps is a free web mapping platform that helps searchers find directions to their chosen destinations and allows businesses to list their store locations.
This app is connected to Google Business Profile, allowing searchers to find even more business information on the Maps listing.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team, and subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies.
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Google To Implement Googlebomb Fix To Prevent Racist Listings In Google Maps
Crowdsourcing the entire web goes bad with Google Maps, causing many locations to be relevant for slurs and derogatory words. Google promises a fix is on the way.
Google Maps Lists The White House & Howard University For Racists Terms
Where previous Google Maps hacks were arguably playful, this is ugly.
Google Maps Adds Traffic Alerts, Upgrades Android Wear Experience
Mapping upgrades offer welcome improvements, new traffic and routing options.
After Several Public Google Maps Hacks, Google Forced To Suspend Map Maker To Prevent More Fake Edits
After years of fraudulent edits to Google Maps, Google has temporarily suspended Google Maps Maker.
SearchCap: Google Mobile Winners, Google Maps Hack & Disavowing
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Enterprise Paid Media Campaign Management Platforms: New Market Intelligence Report Do you need an paid media campaign management platform? Act Now: SMX Advanced Early Bird Rates Expire Saturday Search Engine Land’s […]
Google Maps Hack Shows Android Mascot Relieving Itself On Apple Logo
VentureBeat chronicles another episode in the sometimes delightful, sometimes cringe-worthy history of off-color, user generated content on Google Maps. The subject of the hack today is the image of an Android mascot urinating on an Apple logo. Here’s the image as it appeared earlier today via VentureBeat: Google subsequently removed the image. The company also […]
SearchCap: Bing Mobile Friendly, Google EU, Yandex Links & Google Maps
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Announcing “The Landy Awards” Presented By Search Engine Land Search Marketing Industry Awards Program Launches To “Celebrate The Power Of Search” – Recognizing Excellence In SEO & SEM, Profits To Benefit […]
Google To Sunset Their Old Version Of Google Maps
The original version of Google Maps is being shut down soon and a new "lite mode" of Google Maps will replace it.
How A Long-Standing Google Maps Loophole Let This Man Put Edward Snowden In The White House
Bryan Seely campaigned against Google Maps loopholes last year by making fake listings for the FBI & The Secret Service. He's back again warning against them with his latest demonstration.
SearchCap: Google Maps Pac-Man, Google/Baidu China & Senator Lee FTC
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Click-to-Call Deep Dive: Best Practices from Search Experts – April 16 Webcast Tips for search marketers trying to turn mobile callers into customers. Google’s PAC-Maps Gets April Fools’ Ball Rolling Early, […]
Google’s PAC-Maps Gets April Fools’ Ball Rolling Early, Turns Google Maps Into Pac-Man Video Game
Today's PAC-Maps release is most likely the first of many April Fools' Day gags from Google.
Google Gives Businesses More Photo Control With My Business Upgrade
New photo section includes the ability to choose between profile, logo and cover images as display for maps and search.
SearchCap: Google Maps App Revised, Social Links In Knowledge Graph, Google Structured Data Updated
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Events Knowledge Graph Adds Ticket Links, Delegated Events, Comedian Events & Venue Events Google makes four updates to the events knowledge graph after launching the markup back in March 2014. […]
SearchCap: Bing Content Quality, Google Maps Evolves & Sofa Sunday
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: To Create Useful Links, Think Like A User, Not A Content Producer Are you letting your users down by focusing too much on attracting links? Columnist Julie Joyce suggests a mode […]
From Novelty To Foundational Product: The Evolution Of Google Maps
Until Android came along Google’s most important product after search undoubtedly was Google Maps. I know it sounds heretical to say this but in some ways Maps is more strategic to Google than search today. That’s because Google Maps bridge the physical and digital worlds and because Maps are more “useful” to mobile users than […]
Google Maps Revamps Quality Guidelines For Local Pages
Google Maps has updated their local pages quality guidelines last night. Jade Wang from the Google team posted the news in the Google Forums saying: We’ve updated and clarified our quality guidelines for local pages. Please read the new version here, and, as always, feel free to contact our support team with any specific questions […]
SearchCap: Google Maps Redesign, U.S. Election Searching & AdWords Reports
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Redesigns Maps, Adds OpenTable Reservations, Uber Estimates Google continues to evolve its Maps for mobile. It has gone well beyond the rudimentary local search and navigation product it once was […]
TomTom And deCarta Join Forces To Take On Google Maps
Personal navigation device (PND) and maps provider TomTom teamed up with independent mapping and local search company deCarta to offer developers an “end-to-end” alternative to Google Maps. The new joint offering provides connected mapping and navigation, local search and real-time traffic to enterprises and developers. Kim Fennell, CEO of deCarta, laid out for me last week the […]
Simple Math To Show Potential Clients Why Local SEO Is Important
Local businesses sometimes have trouble understanding how they'd benefit from SEO. Columnist Greg Gifford shows how you can boil it down to the basics.
SearchCap: Google Crawling, CTR Study & Focus On The User
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Up Close @ SMX East: How Ads Influence Organic Click-Through Rate On Google If the SERPs are a zero-sum game, where drawing a click in one place takes it away from […]
Focus On User Group Uses Google Algorithm To Attack Map Pack
Yesterday a new anti-Google consortium called “Focus on the User” launched a website that cleverly uses Google’s own words and algorithm to make an argument against Google+ Local (map pack) search results. It also operates as a concrete proposal that might substitute for the now defunct “rival links” compromise in the Google-EU antitrust matter. One […]
SearchCap: Bing Predicts Scotland Vote, Google Maps Navigation Expands & Bing Ads Sitelinks
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Cortana Coming To Windows 9, Will It Replace Bing? Next week in San Francisco, Microsoft will unveil Windows 9 for the press. Among the features of the new OS is reportedly […]
Google Maps Navigation Now Covers 104 Countries
Android Police points out that Google has expanded navigation for Google Maps to 20 additional countries. These are mostly in Africa, the Caribbean islands and South America. From Algeria to Venezuela, the addition of these 20 brings to an impressive 104 the total number of countries where Google Maps offer navigation services. Google Maps is the fifth most […]
The End Is Near For Panoramio, Google To Migrate Photos To Google Maps Views
Googler Evan Rapoport announced this week that Google would be closing Panoramio, the geolocation photo site that lets users upload photos to Google Maps and Google Earth. In place of Panoramio, Google will be migrating photos to its Google Maps Views platform. In an interview with CNET, Rapoport said Panoramio didn’t have a wide enough […]
Indian Govt. Rages At Google Maps Outing Of Secret Bases
In 2013, Google imitated a “mapathon” project in India, offering prizes to encourage people to help fill in gaps and improve Google Maps in the country. At the time, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) asked the company not to collect “classified data,” such as the locations of military installations. The mapathon focused on business […]
Google Maps Currently Taking Users To The Moon & Mars
Google Maps used its Google+ profile yesterday to announce a new out-of-this-world feature, allowing users to explore the craters on Mars and take a virtual trip to the moon. The announcement marked NASA’s Curiosity Rover expedition to Mars, which has spent the last two year’s roaming the red planet’s surface. To find the moon and […]
Experts Weigh In On Google’s “Pigeon” Update Aimed At Improving Local Search Results
Last week, Google made new search waves when it rolled out updates to its local search algorithm. The “Pigeon” update (the name Search Engine Land gave it in absence of an official name from Google) aims to deliver improved local search results, with enhanced distance and location ranking parameters. According to Google, the new local […]
SearchCap: Foursquare Swarms, Facebook Search & Google Maps Explore
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: It’s Time For Marketers To Attend To The Branding Benefits Of Search Google recently released a study that concluded, “Search Ads Lift Brand Awareness.” The study tested brand recall for searchers […]
Google Maps “Explore” Feature Shows What’s Nearby Along With Reviews & Travel Times
Google Maps announced a new “Explore” feature yesterday for its Android and iOS app. The new feature offers a “local guide” that adapts to wherever the user may be. According to the release: Now, whenever you want to discover places in your area, simply tap the new Explore button at the bottom right corner of […]
SearchCap: Weird Google Quick Answers, Google Maps Ads & Luxury Paid Search Spend
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Top Luxury Brands Spent $22 Million On Google Text Ads In The U.S. Last Year [Study] Paid search research firm, AdGooroo, has analyzed the paid search activity by luxury brands and […]
Ads On Google Maps Now Show In New Scrolling List View, In-Map Ads Get A New Look
Google has formally announced that it is surfacing and displaying ads on Google Maps and Google Maps for Mobile in the scrolling list view it debuted recently. The ads appear above the organic listings and can include location extensions and call extensions. Location extensions are what allow advertisers to include ratings, store hours and the […]
SearchCap: Bing Ads Insertion Orders, Google Top In Satisfaction & Google Maps Nearby
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: How To Generate Customer Experience Reviews For SEO Profit – Part I Here’s a question for all you search marketers out there: given the option, would you prefer to optimize a […]
Google Maps For Android Enhances Explore Nearby Feature & Adds Elevation To Biking Directions
Google is pushing out an update for their Android Google Maps app and with that, Google announced three new changes: (1) View search results on the map or in a list and easily switch between them (2) Search for places you’ve reviewed or saved using the “Your places” filter (3) Bike directions now include elevation […]
Google Maps Search Results Now With A Scroll Bar
Google has quietly changed the search results interface within Google Maps to show more listings via a scrollable search box. You can now scroll through the first ten or so local search results when you conduct a search in the Google Maps search box. Here is an example: This new feature launched sometime over the […]
Google Maps Adds Distance Measuring Feature
Google has quietly announced on Google+ that they have added the distance-measuring feature to the new version of Google Maps. The feature allows you to draw points on Google Maps to see how far in distance (feet/miles/etc.) it is from one point to the next. This feature was available on the old version of Google […]
Search In Pics: Female GoogleBot, Twitter’s London Office & Pandas On Google Maps
In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more.
Another New Easter Egg In Google Maps: Travel By Royal Carriage
Google announced a new easter egg in Google Maps today via Google+ where if you do driving directions from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, Google Maps will offer driving directions via Royal Carriage. This comes about a week after Google disclosed another easter egg in Google Maps to travel by Loch Ness Monster. You can […]
SearchCap: Google On Site Moves, Google Shopping API, Greece Okays Google Maps Street Views
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Takes Down Japan’s Honinbo Shusaku Doodle On Google UK On D-Day, Offers Apology The Telegraph reports Google has taken down a Google Doodle, aka Google Logo, from Google UK and […]
After 5 Years In Dispute, Greece Approves Google Maps Street View Images
ABC.com reported yesterday that Google Maps has launched street view images in Greece. According to the story, Greece authorities blocked Google Maps Street Views five years ago because of privacy issues. According to ABC.com: Company officials said the service went live after extensive and detailed negotiations with the country’s Data Protection Authority, which last year […]
New: Connect Your Google+ Business Page To Your Google Maps Listing
Google has now enabled those with Google+ business pages to connect their page to their local business listing on Google Maps. On the help page Google gives detailed directions on how to connect your Google+ business page to your Google Maps verified listing. This process will connect your current page to Google Maps and apply […]