A frequently asked question:
How do I add my hotel, restaurant, shop, medical office … as a Point of Interest (POI) in the "official" navigation maps, so that my customers can find me better with their navigation devices or in online maps?
The two major map manufacturers HERE and TomTom offer practical online tools through which a POI can be added with reasonable effort. But beware, until the new POI actually appears on the maps, experience shows that it takes quite some time – the maps or new POIs must first reach the manufacturers of navigation systems such as Garmin and TomTom, where they are processed and then find their way onto the GPS devices or into the navigation apps!
Regardless, it makes sense to add your new or existing business to the free OpenStreetMap maps (OSM) and add a business listing on Google My Business, Yelp and TripAdvisor.
POIs for HERE & TomTom Maps
The HERE and TomTom tools can be accessed via these links (login required):
- HERE: Map Creator
- TomTom: Map Share Reporter
TomTom writes about the Map Share Reporter:
MapShare Reporter is an online application for reporting changes to TomTom maps using your mobile phone, tablet, desktop or laptop computer. MapShare Reporter enables you to use a larger monitor or laptop screen for reporting changes and provides plenty of space to add comments to your reports. Our Review Team will check your reports carefully and consider including them in future updates to our maps. Note : For truck-specific map changes, add a note in the report’s comment field to say that the change is only applicable for trucks.
Source and more info: TomTom
Add your business to OSM
The following website can be used to add a POI to the free OSM (OpenStreetMap) maps. All you need is an OSM account.
OpenStreetMap has two distinct advantages: A new POI is displayed very quickly on new OSM map versions and OSM-based maps are also very common.
- www.openstreetmap.org (click on "Start Mapping")
List your business on Yelp and TripAdvisor
Google My Business – Important for your shop
An entry in Google My Business is made via the following page. With this you can improve your presence on Google Maps (Google-Account necessary).
