Now You Can Link Your G+ Page with Your Google Maps Listing

Recently, Google introduced the facility to connect a verified Google Maps listing with your Google+ Business page. To be precise, if you have created a page for your local business or shop of any type in Google+, then you will be able to integrate this page to your Google Maps local listing. However, you must note that the changes you make will be permanent. Hence you need to ensure that taking advantage of this facility offered by Google will help your business.

Earlier, numerous businesses, restaurants and shops were compelled to manage their Google Maps listings and Google+ Business pages separately. Since the launch of Google+, pages for brands and companies remained separate from the listings in Google Maps. As a result most small business owners could not reap the optimum benefits these two Google products have to offer.

But all that is about to change now as Google has finally introduced the option to connect these two, which has made most web-masters and website administrators delighted.

Link Your G+ Page with Your Google Maps

Here is how you can connect these-

• First and foremost, you need to create an independent local Google+ page for your business. Then you must get verified maps listing on Google Maps for the business you created the Google+ page for.
• Now log in to Google+ and select ‘Pages’ from the left-hand navigation ribbon. Now you need to click ‘Manage’ this page on the local page.
• Now simply choose Dashboard > Settings from the top left corner
• Then you need to scroll to the ‘Profile’ section in the page. Now go to the option “This Page is connected to Google Maps” and simply click ‘Connect’ a different page.
• Now go to the ‘Link a Different Page to This Location’ dialog and select the Google+ page which you want to connect to Maps. Then just click ‘Next’.
• Then you will be able to see a list that describes the changes to the newly-created a business page which you will connect to Google Maps. You will also be able to see the local Google+ page which you want to disconnect from the Google Maps listing. Then click ‘Confirm’.

Now your Google+ Business Page, which has been connected to Google Maps, will-

• Show the name and verification badge for your previous local page.
• Show all the business information (like location, address, phone number, hours etc.). It will also display the reviews from the previous local page.
• Not display former owner responses to local reviews anymore. It will take a couple of hours for your current reviews to get displayed after you connect the page to Google Maps.
• Retain the managers, posts and followers of your page.
• Retain the custom URL (if you already have one).
• Probably get rid of ad campaigns associated with the page. If you wish to start a new ad campaign, then visit http://www.adwords.google.com/express. Then just follow the step-by-step instructions provided there.

Now your previous local page will:

• Not get displayed on Google Maps any longer.
• Not display your local business information and reviews any longer.
• Get renamed to “Backup of ”
• Still be detectable and visible on Google+
• Retain posts, managers and followers from the earlier local page.
• Retain the custom URL from the earlier local page (if you already have one).
• Not display AdWords Express campaigns linked with the page any longer.