GoogleMaps.com
Wiki edit
edit Maps, business information and directions at GoogleMaps.com
edit Features of GoogleMaps.com
- Draggable maps, scrolling and keystroke/mouse zooming
GoogleMaps.com load dynamically, allowing for rapid scrolling from anywhere in the map. Older map programs required redrawing every time you wanted to zoom in or out of the map, or if you wanted to move the map over. With GoogleMaps.com, simply "drag" the map using the left-mouse button to scroll through the maps (users can also use the up, down, left and right arrow keys on their keyboard). Zooming in and out is accomplished using the scroll-wheel of the mouse, or by the "+" and "-" keys (double clicking the mouse on a specific area will also zoom in to that portion of the map).
- Satellite imagery and hybrid views
Satellite imagery gives users the option of a "bird's eye view" of their maps
GoogleMaps.com lets you look at maps with standard drawings of roads and topography, or see a "bird's eye view" of your locations using satellite imagery to provide pictures of your location as viewed from above. A useful hybrid mode at GoogleMaps.com shows the images with major roads and landmarks superimposed over them.
- Detailed directions
GoogleMaps.com provides detailed directions from any starting location to any destination. Features include setting of a default location such as your home or work to allow for quick directions to and from places you're most likely already at. GoogleMaps.com also provides a useful feature to plot map directions avoiding major highways and freeways.
- Integrated business search with reviews
A sample of the integrated business search
Accesses and cross-references the GoogleMaps.com map data for a particular location or city with Google's search engine to provide a set of businesses in the area based on your search criteria. Looking for free Wifi spots in Portland, OR, simply enter Portland, OR and "Free wifi" and a list pops up next to the map. Clicking on a specific business will show you exactly on the map where it is as well as give a list of options including the website, user reviews and directions to and from the site.
- Custom map printing options
Users can also customize the printouts of driving directions from GoogleMaps.com. Supported options include a "show original map view" to display a full-size map on the first page of the printout, the ability to turn on mini-maps of individual steps, and adding of personal notes to the top of the page. Additionally, each GoogleMaps.com print display (using the "Print" link on the map) retains the dynamic nature of the map, allowing users to pan, scroll or zoom in to the map as they wish. At present, printing of satellite imagery and hybrid maps isn't supported by GoogleMaps.com.
- Send to phone option
Allows users to send text message of phone numbers, addresses and directions found on GoogleMaps.com to their phone, via a Firefox web browser extension.
- Latitude and Longitude coordinates
GoogleMaps.com allows for entry of latitude and longitude coordinates for map look-up in it's search window. At present time, this feature is limited.
- Interconnectivity with Google Earth
GoogleMaps.com now allows for KLM or KMZ files from the stand-alone geographic application Google Earth, allowing data from Google Earth (such as multiple points of interest, lines and marked regions) to be viewed on GoogleMaps.com. This technology requires the KLM file to be hosted on a website. Maps using such data can be shared with others using the "link to this page" link on the top-right corner of the GoogleMaps.com page to create a URL to send to others or link off your website.
- StreetView
For certain locations, you can view the street 360 degrees in what Google calls Street view. This allows you to view the location as if you were standing there in person. You can zoom in/out, move and rotate, and navigate the area from within Street view. For more information on this feature see this link.
edit GoogleMaps.com information
GoogleMaps.com gets it's information from a variety of sources. Map data is gathered largely from NAVTEQ and TeleAtlas. Satellite information is taken mostly from DigitalGlobe and MDA Federal. Business directory information and reviews comes from Google's own search engine as well as from local business owners, business data providers such as Infogroup, publicly available yellow page directories, and such companies as CitySearch and Dine.com.
edit GoogleMaps.com API
One unique function of Google Maps is it's freely available API code, allowing users to embed GoogleMaps.com data onto their websites, blogs and other pages. This technology is widely used by sites around the world. In fact, the maps shown on AboutUs are an implementation of this technology. Currently, GoogleMaps.com API is a free service that doesn't include advertising, although the terms of use from Google states that they reserve the right to use the GoogleMaps.com API to display advertising in the future.
edit Customizing and learning about GoogleMaps.com
Getting started and help
- Google Maps Help Group is a great resource for questions and getting started with Google Maps.
Various Tweaks and Tips on the Internet
- A Side-By-Side Comparison of Google Maps vs. Yahoo! Maps, by Sergey Chernyshev
- Lifehack.org: Essential Resources for Google Maps, Nov. 11, 2005
- Engadget: How to Make Your Own Annotated Multimedia Google Map, March 5, 2005
Books on tweaking Google Maps
- Hacking Google Maps and Google Earth by Martin C. Brown, 2006
- Google Maps Hacks: Tips & Tools for Geographic Searching and Remixing by Rich Gibson, 2006
edit Contact for GoogleMaps.com
- Use the Google Maps contact page for questions, concerns or correspondence.
- phone: (650) 253-0000
- fax: (650) 253-0001
-
GetSatisfaction
edit GoogleMaps.com: One of many Google products and services
Google has developed -- and acquired -- a wide range of fun and useful things for people to use on the Internet, including:
- Gmail.com -- Free web-based email
- Google Search -- Use keywords to search for web pages, web sites and documents
- Image Search -- Use keywords to search for images
- Video Search -- Use keywords to search for videos on the web
- YouTube -- A site for watching and sharing video clips, for free; acquired by Google in 2006
- GoogleMaps.com -- If it has an address, you can locate it on Google Maps, zoom in closer, find directions to and from, and see street photos of your searched location.
- iGoogle.com -- A portal to news, weather, a calendar and more, iGoogle.com can be personalized to anyone's taste
- Google Translate -- Translate text, web pages and documents between more than 40 languages
- Picasa -- Upload photos to web albums, editthem, share them.
- Blogger -- Create a blog with easy-to-use software.
- Google Chrome -- A web browser developed by Google.
- Google Earth -- Allows people to view any place on earth in three dimensions, using satellite images and modeling technology.
- Nexus One -- A smart phone released in January 2010 that competes with Apple's iPhone.
- SketchUp -- Software for creating 3D sketches on your computer.
- AdSense -- Google's advertising platform. AdSense places ads alongside search results and beside Gmail. The ads match what people are searching for in Google's search engine or what they're writing about or viewing in Gmail.
edit Related Domains
edit External Links for GoogleMaps.com
- Alexa for GoogleMaps.com
- WHOIS for GoogleMaps.com
- See AboutUs.org office using GoogleMaps.com
| 3 Nov. 2006 |  | | 
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edit Brian Whelan's Comments on GoogleMaps.com
- Brian Whelan (delighted) : This is one of the best developements to ever take place on the internet. We will be putting our Irish house up soon. Here is a picture of our street in Dublin - http://www.panoramio.com/photo/6733985 Tue Mar 24 11:03:03 UTC 2009 reply
How visible is your website?
Home Page Analysis
A better home page will help you show up in search results.
| Titles & Headings |
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|---|---|
| Links & Images |
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| Search Engine Friendliness |
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Get Your
Competitive Edge
See how your digital marketing stacks up,
and get ahead.
Web Presence Analysis
How easily can your site be found around the Web?
| value for Google crawl date | |
|---|---|
| value for Bing indexed pages |
Home Page Analysis
The Home Page Analysis helps you understand how a site's home page appears to both search engines and site visitors.
GoogleMaps.com Home Page Analysis Summary
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Titles & Headings
The title and headings on the home page tell people and search
engines what a website is about. Analyze the title & headings of the home page for free or the entire site. |
Problem |
|---|---|
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Links & Images
Relevant links to other sites are good for people and search
engines. Images on a web page should be described for visually impaired
visitors and search engines. Analyze the links & images of the home page for free or the entire site. |
Warning |
|
Search Engine Friendliness
A few simple technical fixes can make any site show up better in
search results. |
Good |
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Title
The title of a web page appears in search results as the link to that page. Learn more ...
Purpose
The title of a web page appears as a clickable link in search results and bookmarks. A descriptive, compelling home page title with relevant keywords can increase the number of people visiting the site.
Search Engines
Search engines view the text of the title tag as a strong indication of what the page is about. Accurate keywords in the title tag can help the page rank better in search results.
Length
A title tag should have fewer than 70 characters, including spaces. Major search engines won't display more than that.
Content
The title tag of your home page (and any other page on your site) should not contain the site’s domain name or URL. These will appear near the title in search results, so use your 70 characters to tell people what the page is about. The title tag should not contain any HTML, because it will be displayed incorrectly or not at all.
- Good: This web page has a title tag.
- Problem: The title has fewer than three words. You may not be telling people and search engines enough about this page.
- The title of this site's home page:
- “Google Maps”
H1 Headings
The H1 heading is an important sentence or phrase on a web page that quickly and clearly tells people and search engines what they can expect to find there. Learn more ...
Just one H1
In most cases, a web page should have just one H1 heading. Using multiple H1 headings is okay if that is a logical way to organize the page, but they should be used sparingly. That’s because search engines can view multiple H1 headings as an attempt to signal that all the content on a page is equally important, a tactic that’s seen as an attempt to game the search engine algorithms.
Purpose
Search engines look for an H1 heading to determine what a page is about. Human visitors do, too.
Content and placement
The H1 heading appears on the web page itself, unlike the page title, which people will see mostly in search results.
The H1 tag (which contains the H1 heading) is usually listed first among the other heading tags for a page. None of the major search engines, however, will penalize a site for listing H2 through H6 tags ahead of the H1 tag.
The H1 heading for a page should be different from its title. Each can target different important keywords for better SEO.
- Problem: This web page does not have an H1 heading. It should have one.
GoogleMaps.com in search results
You can see below how most search engines will display this site's home page in search results. The title is used as the link to the page, and the meta description appears below the title.
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps
googlemaps.com/
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Links & Images
Sites You Link To
Outbound links tell search engines which websites you find valuable and relevant to your own site, and help your visitors find what they need…even if it’s not on your site. Learn more ...
Search engines
Including links to relevant sites is good for your website's standing with search engines. The Web is all about linking, and carefully chosen outbound links tell search engines that you understand their value to site visitors. These outbound links also help search engines classify your site in relationship to others.
Here, we identify only the outbound links on this site's home page, but outbound links add value to any important page on a website.
Site visitors
Outbound links tell people that you want to provide them with good information, even if it’s not on your own site. These links can also prompt other people to link to your site, which can boost its reputation and ranking in search results.
Here, we identify only the outbound links on this site's home page, but outbound links add value to any important page on a website.
| Site | Number of links |
|---|---|
| accounts.google.com | 1 |
| books.google.com | 1 |
| docs.google.com | 1 |
| google.com | 13 |
| groups.google.com | 1 |
| mail.google.com | 1 |
| maps.google.com | 5 |
| news.google.com | 1 |
| picasaweb.google.com | 1 |
| scholar.google.com | 1 |
| sites.google.com | 1 |
| translate.google.com | 1 |
| video.google.com | 1 |
| youtube.com | 1 |
Image Descriptions
Image descriptions - also called alt text - are the best way to describe images to search engines and to visitors using screen readers. Learn more ...
Help for visitors with impaired vision
People with impaired vision use screen readers to help them “read” websites. If you provide descriptive alt text for images on your site, people using screen readers will know what the images are about, and will get the same full understanding of your site that others do.
Good for search engine rankings
Describing images on a web page with alt text can help the page rank higher in search results if you include important and relevant keywords. Do not be tempted to stuff irrelevant keywords into alt text just so a page will rank well for those words. Search engines can recognize this ploy for what it is: an attempt to game results.
Writing image descriptions
This is what an image description looks like in HTML:
<img src="image.jpg" alt="This is the image description">
You can write image descriptions, or alt text, by writing the HTML directly into the code for a web page. If you’re using a content management system or online commerce software package, it will probably have a feature to help you quickly create alt text for your images.
Caution: While some software packages automatically generate alt text, they don't always do it well. Always check the quality of automatically generated alt text.
- Warning: Some of your images don't have descriptions.
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Robots
Your website's robots.txt file can tell search engines to ignore parts of your site. Learn more ...
Purpose
Website owners usually use robots.txt to let search engines know which pages or sections of their site shouldn't be indexed — for example, web contact forms, print versions of web pages and other content that's duplicated elsewhere on the site. Robots.txt can also be used to request that specific robots not index a site. For more information, read How To Use Robots.txt.
Be careful!
If you're going to use robots.txt, be careful not to accidentally exclude search engines from pages you want people to find. To learn more, read Don't Block Search Engine Crawlers.
Search engine robots
You'll need to know the names of specific search engine robots - or "bots" – if you’re going to exclude any or all of them from any part of your site.
- Google’s bot is called Googlebot. Google is the world’s largest search engine, and is where many people discover new websites.
- Bing’s bot is called msnbot. Bing also provides search results to people using Yahoo to search the Web. Together, Bing and Yahoo are the second largest search resource, after Google.
- Baidu’s bot is called Baiduspider. Baidu is a major search engine in China, and the number of people using it is increasing rapidly.
- AboutUs.org’s bot is called AboutUsBot. To create a Site Report, AboutUs uses crawling technology that’s similar to what search engines use.
- Good: This website’s robots.txt file is not blocking major search engines from crawling its pages. Your website can appear in any engine’s search results.
Canonical Url
This website can live at www.GoogleMaps.com or GoogleMaps.com. It's best for your site's visibility to live at just one URL, or web address. You'll want to create a 301 redirect to the URL you choose from the other URL. Learn more ...
Choose one or the other
Whichever of these URLs you choose, make sure your website lives ONLY at that location, which is called the canonical URL for your site.
Be careful!
If you choose www.MyWebsite.com for your site, make sure people who don't type www can get to your site, too. Create a permanent 301 redirect from MyWebsite.com to www.MyWebsite.com.
If the same web page exists at two different URLs, people can choose to link to one or the other. Links from other sites to your website are valuable — they tell search engines that your site is important to people. By splitting valuable links between two identical pages, you're diluting the power of those links to help a page rank higher in search results.
Learn more about why you should have just one home page: Read Twin Home Pages: Classic SEO Mistake
- Good: Your website resides at GoogleMaps.com and both www.GoogleMaps.com and GoogleMaps.com are permanently redirected to it.
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Web Presence
Search Engine Visibility
Check this site's prominence around the web and in major search engines.
Rank
| value for Quantcast | Not Available |
|---|---|
| value for Compete | 435,133 |
| value for Alexa | 1,446,209 |
Date Last Crawled
| value for Google | May 21, 2011 |
|---|---|
| value for Bing | Not Available |
Social Visibility
Check this site's presence on news sharing and community sites.
Social Media Visibility
| value for Digg | 3 |
|---|---|
| value for Dmoz | 0 |
| value for Google Groups | 6,580 |
| value for Yahoo Answers | 27 |
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Redirectory
Below we show domains that redirect to GoogleMaps.com.
We survey every domain on the Internet ending in .com, .net, or .edu to see if any redirect to this website. Large or famous websites like Amazon.com often have many sites redirecting to them.
Domains that redirect to the home page of GoogleMaps.com
A website owner can point one domain to the home page of another. Learn more ...
Capture visitors who type the wrong name
It can make a lot of sense to redirect a domain to an existing web page. For example, many people are likely to type wikipedia.com when they are really looking for wikipedia.org. Creating a redirect from wikipedia.com to wikipedia.org helps these people get to the site they want.
Domains that redirect to a page within GoogleMaps.com
A domain can point to any page within another website. Learn more ...
Get people to a specific web page
Creating a redirect from a simple domain name helps people find an existing web page that has a long, hard-to-remember URL. For example firefox.com redirects to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/.
We have not found any domains that redirect to pages within GoogleMaps.com.
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