{"id":15767,"date":"2013-11-01T08:58:12","date_gmt":"2013-11-01T12:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/?p=15767"},"modified":"2013-11-02T09:35:53","modified_gmt":"2013-11-02T13:35:53","slug":"step-by-step-guide-to-enhancing-multi-lingual-listings-on-google-mapmaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blumenthals.com\/blog\/2013\/11\/01\/step-by-step-guide-to-enhancing-multi-lingual-listings-on-google-mapmaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Step by Step Guide to Enhancing Multi-lingual Listings on Google MapMaker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google has never fully supported multi-lingual listings in Places very well. At one point Google was suggesting<\/a> that you create a separate listing in a different dashboard in the alternative language. Unfortunately Google was unable to keep those listings from merging<\/a> and the practice was ultimately prohitibited. The current dashboard offers no real alternative. MapMaker however does offer limited support for multiple languages in a single listing. While the user experience with this is still not ideal (for example you can’t direct a user to a specific landing page) it is better than leaving the translations to chance. I asked Dan Austin to write up a guide to using MapMaker. Here is a link to a PDF Cheat Sheet<\/a> (without images) of the process.<\/p>\n

As a side note, MapMaker is not for the faint of heart and is very quirky and often bug ridden. Caveat emptor<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n

*******************************************<\/p>\n

If your listing has international customers or your country is bilingual, a good way to attract their favorable attention is to add accurately translated names to your listing. These will show up in the search results better, since the searcher may be viewing your listing through their native language web portal.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve selected a famous brand listing, The Hilton Club New York<\/a>, in a world-renowned city\u00a0that brings a lot of tourists from around the world to illustrate what you can do to enhance your listing with additional languages for display on\u00a0Google Korea<\/a>.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to use Google Map Maker to do this, since it offers an opportunity to not only explore MM but also enhance your listing in a way that your Dashboard or Support may not be able to accomplish.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Open\u00a0MM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Find the\u00a0listing<\/a>\u00a0by typing it in the search field (the more details, the better)\u2014it works just like Maps.<\/p>\n

\"image01-mm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2a. (Alternately, find the listing in\u00a0Google Maps<\/a>\u00a0then open it in MM by clicking on the\u00a0Edit in Map Maker<\/a>\u00a0link on the bottom.) \u00a0If you can’t find it using search, use the address, then right click,\u00a0Find near this point<\/i>. \u00a0It will usually turn up.<\/p>\n

\"image02-maps-listing\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"image04-report-problem\"<\/a><\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Click\u00a0Edit<\/i>,\u00a0Edit this place<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"image05-edit-this-place\"<\/a><\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Click on\u00a0Name<\/i>, then\u00a0Add more names<\/i>\u00a0below that.<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Click on\u00a0+1<\/i>\u00a0(or more; total number can vary, from 1 to 100)\u00a0more names<\/i>\u00a0if it’s available (that shows all the names)<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0Start adding names, or correct existing names\/tags. \u00a0Each name should be language specific (English: \u00a0The Hilton Club of New York), and should be tagged with the following tags:<\/p>\n