Comment: Don't get lost with Google Maps

The annual summer exodus came to an end a little while ago and I, like so many others, returned to the heat and the desert. Did you have a good summer? I traveled a lot and Google Maps proved a reliable partner, getting me from A to B quickly and suggesting great restaurants to dine in and sights to visit along the way.

That’s until I came back to Dubai and encountered a virtual traffic jam on the interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road outside the Dubai Mall — you know, that maze of roads previously known as Defence Roundabout. Google Maps suggested that my way home was blocked by the Le Méridien Dubai, which it displayed proudly in what must have been once the very middle of the roundabout and is now the middle lane of Sheikh Zayed Road towards Abu Dhabi.

Luckily, I’ve been in the city for more than 10 years and know my way around its many fine hotels, so Google Maps didn’t fool me, although it did make me laugh a little. [Note to the editor: I need more donuts. Err, no, there’s a screenshot of the map section appended to the email.]

Jokes aside. Imagine I would have been a tourist researching a trip to Dubai or just arriving in the city for the first time — I could have ended up in somewhat of a mess. Google Maps and its data is widely used these days. It powers many GPS systems, people use it on their phones, and a few social networks use it too, to supplement their own location data.

In other words: your hotel, restaurant, or bar should probably be in the right place on Google Maps.

How exactly do you get on top of everything Google Maps then? It all starts with a quick search. Go to maps.google.com either from your desktop or your smartphone and enter the name of your property or outlet. If it pops up in the right location: Great, skip the following steps and go straight to the end of the article. If it doesn’t pop up or pops up in the wrong location: Houston, we have a problem! Let’s go and fix it.

You used to be able to draw new places directly onto Google Maps simply by going to http://www.google.com/mapmaker and entering the necessary information.

However, a little while ago Google started to overhaul this service and it’s not currently available in the UAE or neighbouring countries.

The Google Maps function, formerly known as Google Places, is now part of the Google My Business dashboard — Google’s dashboard for managing and tracking your online presence across Google’s various platforms including Google Local (Google Maps), Google+, Google Analytics and Adwords. In order to show your place off on Google Maps, you need to create a Google Business presence if you haven’t already got one.

Go to http://www.google.com/business and select “Local Business” to get started. If you already have a Google Business presence, just go to your property’s listing and make sure that the physical address you have entered is correct. Once you have created your presence or checked your address data, you need to verify it. In our part of the world this, unfortunately, often involves asking Google to send you a postcard with a verification code, which can take up to three weeks to arrive. To get around Google’s reluctance to send postcards to post boxes, leave out the “PO” in the address field and use the box number.

If your search revealed an existing Google Maps listing in the wrong location, you should report it immediately.

Google has a handy form for this purpose and you can find it by searching for “How to report a data problem on Google Maps”. You might also be able to claim the wrong location, add it to your Google Business dashboard and amend it there. Have a look at the wrong listing and if you see a “Is this your business?” link, click on it and follow the instructions.

Once you have fixed up and verified your Google Maps presence, you can use your Google Business dashboard to upload pictures to be displayed together with the maps listing.

Google is also rolling out its new “Google Business View” service and once it has arrived in our region, you can get a Google-approved photographer to take 360 degree pictures of the interior of your business and link them to your Google Maps listing. It’s like an extension of Google’s Street View, only for inside your building.

Dealing with anything Google Business related can be frustrating, so don’t give up if you’re not getting results the first time around. Unlike other social platforms, Google actually provides a fairly good support service, so if you’re stuck, contact Google and they should be able to help you.

Whatever you do: Keep it social!

About the Author:

Martin Kubler is the CEO of Iconsulthotels, a Dubai-based ultra-boutique consulting firm. Iconsulthotels assists companies in achieving their business goals through PR, social/digital media, and customised business strategies. Email: info@iconsulthotels.com.