There’s no doubt that Google Maps is a wonderful tool that has revolutionised not only how we get from one place to another, but also how businesses make themselves visible online. However, much like with Wikipedia, its sheer volume, plus the fact that it relies on community contributions, is both its strength and its weakness.
Think back to the time of the old-fashioned pocket A-Z town maps. These still exist and are preferred by some lost drivers and pedestrians, but they’re nowhere near as detailed, expansive or immersive as Google’s online mapping tool. What they are, however, is extremely accurate, having been put together by professional cartographers. With Google Maps, buildings and other sites are marked and identified by business owners and everyday internet users, some of whom have a wayward sense of navigation.
That might mean that if you search for your business on Google Maps, you might find that it’s not quite where it should be. Luckily, it’s not too difficult to get Google to look into this, and in my experience, the team there doesn’t hang about when you do.
Needless to say, I’m not at all the sort of sad anorak who would search for West Cheshire League football grounds on Google Maps and virtually “visit” them. Nonetheless, I happened to notice a couple of months ago that Google thought Heswall Football Club was based some distance from where it really is.
The club is now labelled correctly, with the large rectangular patch of grass and faint football pitch markings on it being a clue. Previously, it was near the top of that screen, at the junction of Brimstage Road and Brimstage Close. Any non-league groundhopper unfamiliar with the area would have found themselves looking for a football pitch in someone’s back garden had they followed Google’s advice.
I thought I might as well tell Google it had made a mistake. This can easily be done by logging into your Google account, right-clicking on the map and selecting “report a data problem”. A new box will appear with some options.
From these, select ‘Wrong information’. You will then be allowed to click the offending place and update its location, then submit your change for Google’s consideration. When I did this, I received an email from Google just an hour later confirming that it had made the change.
Making sure Google has all the right information about your business is crucial if you want to build and maintain an online presence. For advice on Google My Business listings and search engine optimisation, speak to our team at Engage Web today.
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