Inbound Marketing Blog

Love them or loathe them, fruit-based devices are here to stay.  And, because there are now so many iPhone and iPad users, Apple are secure enough to be able to stick up two fingers to Google and load their own Apple Maps app as default rather than Google Maps.

To take advantage of users searching on their iPhones or iPads, manufacturers, solicitors, insurance brokers, estate agents and all other business owners need to register with Apple Maps.

You enter your details - Name, Address, Phone, etc - and request that Apple Maps calls you on the Phone number you have entered to verify.  

An automated voice then gives you a PIN number to add to your listing so that you can confirm that you are the owner of your business.

Apple Maps Telephone Verification Problems

We have written about Apple Maps for Solicitors, Manufacturers and Insurance Brokers and now we take a look at why Estate Agents need to be have a presence on this new platform.

With record profits for the third and fourth quarters of 2014, Apple decided that they were now big enough to be able to say no to Google maps as the default map app on their mobile devices.   Henceforth, all Apple devices would come pre-loaded with their own maps app by default.

In January 2015, Apple Maps Connect was rolled out for iPhones and iPads and with 30% of the smartphone market and 50% of the tablet market, businesses in the UK need to get themselves a listing!

If you have a Yelp listing, then the chances are that you will already have a listing on Apple Maps.  BUT you do need to make sure that you make sure it contains the correct, Name, Address, Phone Number and categories.  And also that the map pin marking the business is actually in the right place.

Why House Buyers and Sellers Might Go Elsewhere

Further to our posts on Apple Maps for Solicitors and Insurance Brokers, we have been asked about whether Manufacturing businesses should get a listing?

Jo, customers don't come to my factory/premises, so why do I need to tell them where I am so they can see me in a mobile search?

Even if people don't regularly come to your premises, a link from Apple Maps is a good one to have for your local SEO.  It's a backlink from a reputable source that Google trusts, so it could help your business to rank for some of your keywords.

You are a physical business that has a real world premises that people could visit if they wanted to.  It's an entity that can be seen on a map and via satellite.

So, even if customers don't visit to buy from you direct, it's still very important to get your manufacturing business listed on this platform.

Make sure you use the same Name, Address and Phone number that you have listed for your business in any other directory.

In January 2015, Apple announced that, henceforth, all their mobile devices would have their own Maps app - not Google's - by default.  So it is vital for local business owners to get themselves listed if they want to be seen on local mobile searches on iPhones and iPads.

Insurance Brokers and Apple Maps

If you are an insurance broker who only has a presence online or you do not have a dedicated office, then you cannot list your business on Apple Maps.

Their rules say:

We currently only accept businesses whose customers visit them and where we can confirm a physical presence.

Businesses that may not be approved include: