Chapter 1. Standing Out on Google Maps
In This Chapter
Exploring the features of Google Maps
Using Street View
Searching with Google Maps and with GOOG-411
Using Google Maps to promote your business
Sweetening your deal with Google Map coupons
Embedding Google Maps in your Web site
When you first open Google Maps, you see a huge layout of the entire United States, a simple search field, and some basic choices for how you want to view the map. Like most things Google, this simple presentation belies the vast amount of information and potential that lies beneath. With this seemingly simple tool, you can show your potential customers the way to your product or service, entice them with offers, and generally enhance your presence on the Internet.
In this chapter, we discuss the ins and outs of Google Maps and show you how best to use it to benefit your business. At its heart, it may just look like a collection of maps. However, the features that Google uses to enhance these maps make them so much more. It's not just the map that makes Google Maps so useful — it's everything that Google allows you to do with those maps.
The Basics of Google Maps
To get started, point your browser to http://maps.google.com and examine the screen shown in Figure 1-1.
The search box at the top allows you to search for specific locations, and how specific you make the search is totally up to you. Type in San Francisco, and you may choose between San Francisco in Argentina and San Francisco in California. Specify an ...
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