Google Maps and your business: getting the pin right

Your Google Maps pin should sit on the door your customers actually walk through, not the middle of the parking lot, the back of the building or the house down the road. You fix it from your Google Business Profile: edit your location, then drag the map so the pin lands in the right spot. While you are there, check the address, the directions a customer gets, and whether the map on your own website shows the same place.

Why the pin matters more than you think

When someone taps "Directions" on your Google listing, their phone navigates to the pin, not to your street address. If the pin is off, customers end up at the wrong side of a strip mall, in the alley behind your shop, or at a neighbor's house. Many of them will call you from the car, a bit annoyed. Some will give up.

Pins go wrong more often than you would expect:

Shopping centers and plazas, where one address covers a whole row of shops.
Buildings with several entrances, such as a medical office with a side door for patients.
Business parks and industrial units, where Unit 14 is three buildings back from the street.
Rural addresses, where the pin lands at the end of a long driveway or on the wrong side of the road.
New buildings and new roads, which Google's map may not know yet.
Shared addresses, such as a salon suite inside a larger building.

How to check where your pin is

Do this on your phone, the way a customer would:

Open the Google Maps app and search for your business name.
Look at where the red pin sits. Zoom in all the way.
Switch to satellite view (the layers button, usually top right) to see the actual building and parking.
Tap "Directions" and look at where the route ends. If you can, try it from a few different starting points.
Drop into Street View at the pin, if available, and look at what a customer would see on arrival.

Ask yourself: if a first-time customer followed this exactly, would they arrive at your entrance?

How to move your pin

You need to be a manager or owner of your Google Business Profile.

Sign in to the Google account that manages your profile and search Google for your business name, or go to business.google.com.
Click "Edit profile" and open the "Location" section (the business address).
Check the street address first. Correct it if anything is wrong, including suite or unit numbers.
Below or beside the address, look for an option to adjust the pin or the map. Drag the map until the pin sits on your entrance, then save.

Google may review the change before it goes live, which can take from a few minutes to several days. Some edits to the location can ask you to verify the business again. That is normal; keep an eye on your email.

If you do not manage the listing, anyone can suggest a fix: open your business in Google Maps, tap "Suggest an edit", then "Change name or other details", and move the pin. Suggestions from the owner are more likely to be accepted, so claiming your profile is worth it. How your Business Profile and website work together covers claiming.

Fixing the address itself

Sometimes the pin is fine but the address format is not. A few things to check:

Suite or unit number. Add it in the second address line, so delivery drivers and customers can find the right door.
Street name spelled the way the post office spells it. If you are unsure, check the official format on usps.com. Match it on your website and directories too.
A road Google does not know. For new construction, Google Maps has a "Add or fix a road" option under "Suggest an edit". Until it is fixed, a precise pin matters even more.
Rural addresses that will not find a match. Get the pin right by dragging the map, and give clear written directions on your website.

Help customers with the last fifty feet

Even a perfect pin cannot tell people which door, which floor, or where to park. Put that information where customers look:

In your Business Profile description or "From the business" section, briefly: "Entrance on the side facing the bank. Free parking in front."
On your website's contact page, with a short "Finding us" section: landmarks, parking, which door, whether there are steps or a ramp.
Photos. Upload a clear photo of your storefront and entrance to your profile. Customers use it to recognize you from the car.

The map on your own website

Many websites embed a Google Map on the contact page. Check it, because it is often set up once and never looked at again:

Does it show your business name, or just an address? An embed made from your business listing shows your name and lets visitors tap through to your reviews and directions. One made from a typed address shows a bare pin, which may sit in a slightly different place.
Does it match your pin on Google? If you moved the pin on your profile, the embed may still use the old spot.
Does it work on phones? Some old embeds are fixed-width and break the layout.

To make a fresh embed, open your business in Google Maps on a computer, click "Share", then "Embed a map", and copy the code. Most website builders have a "Map" or "Embed" block where it goes. Next to it, add a plain "Get directions" link for phones.

Also check that the address written on your website matches your profile exactly. Why name, address and phone must match everywhere explains why that matters.

Do not forget Apple Maps

iPhones open addresses in Apple Maps by default. A pin that is right on Google can be wrong on Apple. Claim your listing through Apple Business Connect and check the pin there as well. Apple Maps and your business listing has the steps.

If customers come to you, but not always

If you work from home or travel to customers, you may not want a pin at all. Google lets service-area businesses hide their address and show a shaded area instead. That has its own rules, covered in service-area businesses on Google.

What to do this week

Open your listing in Google Maps on your phone, zoom in and switch to satellite view.
Tap "Directions" and see where the route ends.
If the pin is off, adjust it in your Business Profile's location settings.
Add a photo of your entrance and a one-line "how to find us" to your profile.
Check the map and address on your website's contact page and update them if needed.
Check your pin in Apple Maps too.

If your website's contact page is out of date or awkward on phones, you can see your site rebuilt first, with a clear map and directions.