After our last seminar, Social Media Mania, I received an email from an attendee about how to make a Google Map specific to their business. You know the kind where you have the little blue icon instead of a red one.

Here’s what I wrote her.

If you don’t have an account with Google, then sign up. It’s easy and free. I would recommend you make the gmail account for your company name like yourcompany@gmail.com. This way it can be easily transferred to another marketer down the road.

Once you have an account, go to Google Maps.

There will be a tab call My Maps. Click on it.

Click Create A Map.

Make a name for your map.

Make sure it’s set to Public.

Search for your location.

When it gives the red location spot, click on the it on the map.

It will say “Save to My Maps”

Click that link.

It will say “Which map would you like to save to?”

Select the “named” map.

You’ll have your map.

Then to add it to your website.

Click on “Link to this page” on the far right corner of the map.

There you can get the link or the HTML code to add to your site.

Now here’s something cool. Google lets you edit your business information and I totally recommend this.

To do this, get out of your Maps and then do a search for your business. Hopefully, it pops up.

Then click on the red dot on the map that shows your business location. There will be an “edit” button.

Click that link and set up your business.

At the end, they will call your business to verify you are the owner. They will give you a four-digit code. Put that in and your business will be on the map with more information than just a location.

Now you know how to do it yourself.

Google Maps makes it easier on people to find your location and anything that makes it easier on your customers is worth putting on your website.

Here’s an example.

And here’s one with an actual path from location to location.

If your locations are moving or you want people to enter their information and then it just show up on a map, MediaSauce has done this for customers as well.