Apple recently announced the roll out of “Maps Connect”, a self-serve portal that allows small business owners to submit or correct their local listings. The service is free and intended to streamline the process of adding or correcting business information on Apple’s Maps application.
Business owners or representatives seeking to use Maps Connect should start by visiting https://mapsconnect.apple.com/. Users are then prompted to either create a new listing or update an existing one.
The next step is to enter or correct basic information about the business (name, street address, phone number, etc.).
Much like many other listing platforms, verification is required via phone or e-mail (email address must contain business domain). From here, a minimum of one business category is required to proceed. Up to three categories can be selected, or a new one can be suggested if the choices are unsatisfactory.
Next, users are asked to provide information about business hours. Business owners or representatives can then add links to a corresponding Facebook, Twitter and Yelp profile.
According to Apple, new or updated listings should appear in its Maps application within a week.
Currently, Maps Connect is only available in the United States, but Apple has said that the portal will be available in other countries “soon”.