Google Maps is no longer unfamiliar to most of us. It replaces and even surpasses the functionality of a traditional paper map. In particular, if you are looking to promote and establish a professional and reputable image for your company or business, especially for stores, clothing shops, restaurants, hotels, or parks, it is crucial to pay attention to setting up and managing locations on this special digital map.
Convenient, modern, and intelligent, a paper map is perhaps difficult to compare to Google Maps. So, what is Google Maps? What are its features? What are its benefits? Let’s find out.
 |
| Understanding Google Maps and Its Role |
Google Maps is a free digital mapping service developed, managed, and maintained by Google. Google Maps is displayed online in a web browser at www.google.com/maps. You can also use the map on the mobile application.
 |
| Smart and Superior Features Compared to a Paper Map |
With Google Maps, tasks such as location positioning, searching for places, measuring distances, finding directions, and updating traffic information become extremely simple. Google Maps displays maps of hundreds of countries and territories worldwide.
Google Maps offers a wide range of utilities. Moreover, using this special digital map is simple and convenient. Let’s briefly introduce the features and usage of this digital map.
Google Maps can help you search for a specific place by its name, address, or keywords related to the location, such as street names, lanes, or areas…
To use this feature, simply enter the keyword in the search box on the application and click on the search icon or press Enter to start. After a few seconds, each place relevant to the search keyword will be displayed on the map with a corresponding red pin icon.
 |
| Quickly Searching and Identifying Places |
If the place you’re looking for is an office, a company, or a specific business location, when you click on the icon, you will receive additional detailed information such as business hours, phone number, website, star ratings, reviews, and actual photos of the place.
You can also “Save a place” (add a place to your favorites list) for quick searches in future instances or choose “Directions” to find the most convenient route based on your location and mode of transportation.
After searching for a specific place, you can “ask” Google Maps for driving directions. The application will provide a suggested route that is suitable for your mode of transportation and indicate the corresponding travel time and distance. The suggested route will be displayed in green or gray.
 |
| Getting Directions and Travel Suggestions |
To use this feature, after accessing the application, select the Directions icon, enter the starting point and destination, choose the mode of transportation (car, motorcycle, public transportation, walking, ride-hailing, or air travel), and press Enter. The application will provide the requested information.
After selecting a route, if necessary, you can view detailed turn-by-turn directions. This map will guide you on which direction to go, where to turn left or right, through either spoken instructions or corresponding written text.
The map here can be displayed in various forms:
When using Google Maps, you can easily switch between these modes by clicking on the corresponding icon. Due to the vast number of locations and the extensive space to be displayed, not every location has all three map types updated. However, it can be assured that Google Maps will continue to improve in the future.
Moreover, this intelligent map application also provides traffic updates and notifications for users. Specifically, when selecting the traffic feature, Google Maps informs you which sections of the road are flowing smoothly or congested, indicated by different colors. In this case, green indicates a clear traffic flow, transitioning to orange for moderate traffic, and the darker the red, the more congested the road.
 |
| Efficient Traffic Updates |
Street View is a feature that allows users to experience the street scenery at a specific location through virtual reality technology. When entering this mode, you can observe a 360° image captured at that location in the past. Without having to be physically present, the surroundings are displayed vividly and interestingly. However, similar to the map modes, not every location has Street View available, and the displayed images may not be the most recent.
 |
| Rich and Visual Viewing Mode |
In addition to helping with searching and identifying places, Google Maps also allows you to share your current location with friends and family. To use this feature, you only need to make some settings, select “Share location,” choose the recipient for location sharing, or copy the shared location link to send to the recipient.
 |
| Sharing location for convenience in finding and meeting up |
To save time, you can save frequently used locations directly on the map. Home, office, stores, etc., are the most commonly saved locations. They serve as landmarks for you to easily find directions, measure distances, and perform various tasks.
 |
| Setting locations for convenient use |
Furthermore, you can use Google Maps to save the address of a particular place and organize them into logical lists, such as Favorite Places, Desired Destinations, Starred Places, or new custom lists, etc.
In the event of a network connection loss, Google Maps allows users to download a portion of the map for convenient offline use. This feature is only available when using the app while logged in with a Google account. After accessing the Offline Maps section, select your own map and press Download to store and use it offline.
 |
| Saving and Viewing Maps Offline |
Since Google Maps is used while navigating, it would be more convenient if you could control it using voice commands. Using this feature on a smartphone is straightforward. Simply tap on the microphone icon on the screen, grant access to the microphone, and clearly state what you are looking for, such as “Gas station,” “Vietcombank ATM,” or “Bus station.” This smart application will provide corresponding results.
 |
| Convenient Voice Control |
If you frequently travel but find it inconvenient to remember places, you should use this feature. Essentially, it allows you to save previously searched locations and routes on Google Maps. Detailed information about the location and route will be displayed in the Timeline, which users can explore.
 |
| Reviewing Past Search Places and Routes |
To enable Google Maps to save and display the Timeline, you need to log in and use the app with your Google account. By doing so, when reviewing the Timeline, you can see statistics of the searched places over time, based on time and location.
Need to withdraw money, buy gas, or find a nearby hotel? Google Maps can help you in less than 5 seconds! Specifically, the app provides icons corresponding to your needs and presents the nearest corresponding places to your location. With these results, you can simply follow and choose, quickly finding the location and directions to the requested place.
Even more convenient, Google Maps can classify and search for places based on shopping needs. Specifically, if the restaurant or eatery manager has set up delivery or takeout services, this app will aggregate, store, and recommend them to interested users. For users, simply select the suggested category “Takeout” to get a list of places that meet the requirements.
 |
| Finding Restaurants, Eateries, and More |
Additionally, you can integrate Maps into websites and create and manage businesses on this map application. This special business feature opens up effective business development and brand promotion opportunities. Further details regarding this business aspect will be discussed in the following section.
For the fastest response, please contact our consultants directly through one of the following platforms:
While Fanpage owners can plan and operate their Fanpages on their own, the best approach is still to choose Fanpage Care services to save money, time, and achieve optimal results.
If you need to promote your business or store, consider using Google My Business. It is a dedicated tool for businesses to set up their location information, such as office, store, company, on both Google Search and Google Maps.
 |
| Especially if you are a business owner, don’t overlook the registration and verification of your business location on maps. |
To set up a business location, you need to use a Google account to submit information and verification requests. Google will receive and evaluate these requests. If the request and location are valid, you will be granted administrative access to manage the relevant information about that location.
From there, make sure to update accurate information such as the company/store name, address, phone number, website, and operating hours. Additionally, don’t forget to upload images, content, and respond to reviews received from people familiar with the location. If done correctly, this process is referred to as Google Maps SEO (local SEO).
Google Maps SEO helps your location rank higher in Google Search and Maps results. This allows customers to find your location quickly and easily. Moreover, good SEO can help you reach new customers.
Furthermore, after managing your business location, don’t forget to integrate Google Maps into your website. This is a perfect way for customers to find your business when needed. Not only that, the presence of Google Maps also enhances the professionalism and credibility of your website.
To set up Google My Business and embed Google Maps into your website, make sure you have a good understanding of technology and programming knowledge related to website design. This task is not suitable for beginners in web design or those with only basic knowledge of Google. In this case, it is best to seek the advice and support of professional online marketing companies. The above information related to Google Maps is intended to provide you with a comprehensive overview of this application. VSM appreciates your support and looks forward to potential collaboration in the future.
Tiếng Việt
