Quick Fix: How to Check Your Map Pin Accuracy in 60 Seconds

There is a small thing on your map listing that can easily confuse searching customers...your location pin! It’s that little marker sitting on the map.

What’s annoying about it is your address can be 100% correct, but your pin can still be in the wrong spot. They are two separate things!

But did you know fixing this takes about a minute, and you can do it right from your phone? Grab it and follow along now!

The 60-second check to see if your map pin is accurate

We recommend you do this on your phone, not your computer, because a phone is what your customers mostly use.

1. Open Google Maps on your phone.

2. Search your business name, exactly as it appears on your listing.

3. Tap your business to open your listing, then tap Directions.

4. Zoom all the way in on the end of the route. Right in, until you can see individual buildings.

5. Then ask yourself one question: if a customer followed this, would they now be standing at your door?

If the answer is yes, you are done. Nothing to fix, and now you know!

If the answer is no, keep scrolling.

How do I move my pin to the right spot?

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your business.

2. Search your business name on Google. Your management tools appear at the top of the results.

3. Click Edit profile, then find Location (it is sometimes labelled Business location).

4. You will see a map with your pin on it. Drag the pin to your actual entrance. Not the middle of the roof. The door people walk through.

5. Save.

Then wait. Sometimes the change is live within minutes. Sometimes Google takes a few days to check it. Both are normal, so resist the urge to keep editing it.

If the pin snaps back or refuses to move, that usually means Google is not confident about the location yet. Adding a nearby landmark to your address line often sorts it out.

A few questions people always ask

Can I really move my own pin?

Yes, as long as you have claimed and verified your business. That is the whole point of owning your listing rather than letting it sit there unmanaged.

How long until the change shows up?

Usually quick, sometimes a few days. Check back later rather than editing it again and again.

Does a wrong pin actually cost me anything?

Yes, and more than people expect. Customers who cannot find you do not call to ask for help. They go somewhere else, and you never hear about it. Search platforms are also less confident recommending a business whose details do not line up across the web.

My address is correct, so surely that is enough?

The address is what people read, but the pin is where they’re actually guided to on map apps. Fix the pin!

A delivery rider, a taxi driver, a customer tapping Directions: every one of them follows the pin, not your address.

Why is my pin wrong when my address is right?

Because nobody put it there on purpose.

When your listing was created, nobody went out and stood at your door. Google read your address and made its best guess about where that address sits on the map. Most of the time it guesses well. In Thailand it guesses badly more often than you would think, and usually for one of these reasons:

• Sois are not always numbered in order, and a long soi can have its entrance a very long way from the address itself.

• Moo ban and village addresses often land on the front gate rather than your actual unit.

• Plenty of buildings have no clear street number for Google to work from.

• New buildings, new roads and new lanes take a while to show up properly.

• Other people can also suggest changes to your listing, and sometimes those changes go through. So, a pin that was correct last year might not be correct today.

How often should I check this?

Once every three months or so is good! And set a repeating reminder on your phone to help keep track while you’re at it.

Of course, if you move, change your entrance, renovate, or a new building goes up next door, you might want to check immediately to make sure things are still accurate.

One last thing: Google is not the only mapping platform! Apple Maps and Bing each keep their own pin for your business, and they can be wrong too. But at least you can test and fix it the same way as on Google Maps!