Google My Maps Update Improves Local Search with Custom Mapping Tool

For most of us, Google Maps has been extremely useful in helping us navigate to new places. However, you may feel frustrated or even lost when that place doesn’t turn up in Maps results. On Tuesday, Google updated its well-loved, but relatively unknown custom mapa tool called My Maps. Now, it’s a pretty powerful tool that can open new opportunities for businesses, customers and local search.

With Google My Maps, users can create a trip itinerary with noted hotspots to personalize Google Maps. Users can choose different colors for markers, create layers to organize places, add labels and even import locations from a spreadsheet. Users can even attach documents, photos, icons, and descriptions. They can even embed YouTube links right into their custom map!

What’s more is that users can share these custom personal maps to others or view custom maps others have created in the Google Maps Gallery for a little inspiration. Some custom maps found in the gallery include maps from governments, businesses, non-profits, and schools and include themes like “best hiking trails,” “breweries,” “ski options,” and more.

In the past, many business owners have taken advantage of My Maps for years, creating simple maps that list all the business’s stores and offices, for example. Or, they took it a step further by building travel guides for tourists. Both customers and businesses can take advantage of this new feature, which will be more robust and interactive than ever before.

The new and improve Google My Maps has been updated for web and Android, but it’s not yet available for iOS.