Google Maps: practical guide

Satellite maps are a great resource to use when announcing a location, or determining what a location’s neighborhood and street will look like. Is it an address you’ve never been to before? Do you want customers to know what the front of your building looks like? Is there parking nearby? This is the way to use Google Maps to your advantage.

The first step is to open a web browser and go to Google, then click on the link at the top of the page labeled Maps. Then enter a business name or address in the search bar at the top of the web page. Be sure to include a city and a state, if possible, to help narrow your results. You can also enter a business name and an address at the same time to find a business near that location.

Once you’ve mapped a business, address, or place of interest, you’ll have the options to read and write a review, learn more about the location, get directions, find a nearby location, zoom in, save the location to My maps and sending the information. There will also be information such as the address, phone number, and website of the location you searched for.

Google Maps also allows users to view traffic, a simple map, a satellite map, and a terrain map. While viewing a satellite map, it is possible to view the map from a street view by dragging and dropping the small stick figure at the top of the zoom in / out bar, or by clicking on a specific direction to view the road at that stage of your trip. Feel free to drag the photo from Street View, as this will rotate the photo so you can face the street and behind you. It is also possible to move up and down the street to see what the neighborhood looks like, just click the arrows in the center of the photo (on the white line where the street name is provided). From the street view, you can also zoom in by double clicking on the photo.

At the top right of your map, you will always see three options: Print, Send, and Link. Print will allow you to print a basic map of the location you entered. Send will allow you to email or send to a phone, car, or GPS. You can send to multiple destinations and include a personal message. Link will provide you with a link that can be used in an email or instant message, or with HTML that can be used for a website.

Using the Print, Send and Link functions, as well as the zoom and street view functions, is a powerful tool for both marketing and personal use. Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) is an easy-to-use, free and useful tool.