How to add value to your Localized posts

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How to add value to your Localized posts - Tip #1

You are most likely creating localized blog posts to gain additional search engine exposure for your local area. Yes, this is a great motivating factor but you also want to grab the visitors that find your post and keep them on your page or at least give them something to remember you by. This is the first tip of a series that I will write on ways you can add value to your Localism posts.

Google Maps - Add Google maps to your posts. People love interactive maps. Go to http://maps.google.com/ and generate a map based on local area searches. For example a good map to generate would be a map that includes local restaurants. To accomplish this do a search for restaurants in your city such as "San Luis Obispo CA restaurants". See below screen shot…

Now that you have the desired map results you can easily get a code snippet of this map to place into your post. Google makes this really easy! From the map results click the "link to this page" hyperlink and click "Customize and preview embedded map" as shown in the below screenshot.

From the customization screen you will be able to control the size of your map and will be provided with HTML code like seen below.

google map widget code

Paste the map into the HTML view option in your ActiveRain post.

ActiveRain HTML view

That's all there is to it. This is a great way to offer visitors to your localized pages an interactive map that they will appreciate.

NOTE: If you are unsure whether your blog will abide by Google Maps TOU you should fill out the permissions form at http://services.google.com/permissions/application

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Posted by Real Estate Advertising - Misty Lackie on 07/04/2008 02:28 AM

Comments (102)

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102 Comments on How to add value to your Localized posts - Tip #1

JUL

2008

Misty, Great advice! Thanks for sharing! I will be following your posts! Have a great 4th!

Mike Kelly

LOVE THE IDEA.. and yes I will be using it soon...

Hmms should I do hosiptals

Schools, Vets all my listing

Hey what a great tip! I'm going to try ths in my next blog! Thanks Misty! -Jeff

Great Insight Misty! Thanks for the information. I'm going to have to install this idea in my upcoming posts

Misty: Wonderful and helpful post! I have been putting google maps on many of my posts, but didn't know about the customizing, etc. Thanks so much!

First of a series? Great. This was very useful and I look forward to your next post.

Hey Misty,

Great advice, I love sharing my great restaurant finds with others, this is one other way I can show them where the places are.

Thanks!

RJH

Misty: GREAT post! I am definitely going to have to use this one! You've been bookmarked!! Also, you may want to know that your blog is loading at a snail's pace! I commented on two other posts while I was waiting on yours to load and nearly forgot that I hadn't commented on yours!!!

Debe in Charlotte

Great info thank you very much

Nice little tutorial..Thanks. I will give it a try.

Misty - Hate to be a spoil sport, but before you advise people to put Google maps on their blogs and websites, they should be aware of the Terms and Usage. According to Google (I've added the bold emphasis):

Google Maps, including local search results, maps, and photographic imagery, is made available for your personal, non-commercial use only. For business users, Google Maps is made available for your internal use only and may not be commercially redistributed, except that map data may be accessed and displayed by using the Google Maps API pursuant to the API terms and conditions.

Before you can legally use Google Maps API, you need to open a Google account and have Google issue you an API key. The account and usage of the maps is free.

Lenn Harley has written often and extensively on copyright issues. Her latest blog on the subject, "How to Stake Yourself Out and Wait for the Copyright Stampede" , was written yesterday.

Hello Marilyn- don't think this is considered a Google map API. The API is a way you can programically add Google maps and other technologies into your own applications (business websites and other aps). Yes, to use the API you need to apply for an API key. The map code I am describing above does not use any API programming and does not require an API key. It is iframe HTML code that Google publicly makes available on the http://maps.google.com/ pages. I will post something to Google Groups though to see if someone over there can confirm this.

Hi Misty, Thanks for this info. You really broke it down for those who need it step by step!! I certainly want to add value to my localism post. Thanks again,

Thanks Debe - I reduced the size and quality of some of the photos in this post, which will hopefully help with the speed issue. They don't look as crisp but the page seems to load faster.

Hello Marilyn - I did find something on Google answers that confirms my thinking. See http://local.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=68480

See specifically the "Sharing Maps" section http://local.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=68480#share

You can share this URL with your friends by sending it in an email or posting it on your blog or website.

I still posted a thread to Google Groups though to get more of a confirmation.

Misty,

Great advise for generating additional search engine exposure. I will try this out with one of my upcoming blogs! Thanks for sharing this valuable information.

Just to confirm even further. See "Add customized maps to your blog or website in 3 easy steps" straigt from Google at http://maps.google.com/help/maps/share/embed.html#utm_source=en-mapshpp-na-us-google-gm

Sorry to be redundant but I think this is very valuable for localized blog posts and I don't want Agents to be scared to use it.

Misty: You're right--it came right up this time! YEAH!

Debe in Charlotte

Misty, thank you for the information, I need all the help that I can get to set up and looking good!

Misty, thanks for adding great tips! I can't wait to get to work. Have a great weekend!

JUL

2008

Misty.. this is GREAT INFO ! Thank you for taking the time to share this information

This is great, I will add it to mine and to listings I send my clients!!!!

Thank you for the tip. I really like the mapping idea as there are lots of things to map to provide benefits to my clients.

Very interesting and helpful! Thanks for the idea and the easy to understand walk-through!

Great tip Misty. Think I know what I might post on tomorrow morning.

Really like what you've done with Google Maps, Misty! Looks like I have a lot of homework ahead of me. Thanks for sharing this tip!

Thanks for sharing the idea Misty, I've used google maps on property sites but not when posting to Localism and what a great idea! Cheers!

MISTY - Thank you for sharing this excellent tip. I never realized that you could do a search like that and then embed it into posts. I think that I have a new toy to play with! Thanks again.

Great idea....and you have done a super job of explaining how to do it for those of us that may be a little technologically crippled...the more info the better and most of us are great ambassadors for the areas we serve...good addition to those blogs !

Thanks for the tips on how to do that. I am going to print out this blog so I have it and I can do it any time.

What a great tip! I think it looks pretty easy also. For the HIlton Head area, it would be a great restaurant post.

Misty- When you go to Google maps, in the lower, right hand corner of the map, there is a link to "terms of use." That is where it states, the maps are made available for your personal, non-commercial use only. Business use is allowed, using Google Maps API.

I think users should be made aware of the terms of use, before using anything they lift or link. Then, they can decide for themselves, if they want to use it.

thanks for sharing this..I will have to try this out..

Great tip! I am still trying to navigate through localism so I look forward to more information.

Thanks

Misty - This is a great idea. Thank you for taking the time to show us. We're all ready for the next great tip in the series. Thanks a bunch!!

Great tips, Misty! I have used the maps many times in the past and they are great - you are right, people love them!

Misty, awesome tip! See the embed option all the time and never thought to use it on my blog!

Misty - That is great advice... Can't wait to try it out.

Thank you for the tip. I just started using Google maps myself this last month. I've used them mostly on my website

Misty - love it. Makes a great addition to a community localism post. Restaurants are always a great thing to promote and map out. Then there's schools, parks, retail shopping etc. This is a handy tool for those who see the value and choose to use it. Google Earth has some really cool tools also, and is very pleasing to the eyes. Have a great weekend, happy 4th! :-)

OK, you just made my day. I have Google Maps on my "other blog" but i wanted to be able to do multiple maps (different maps for different places). And you just showed me how.

Thank you.

Wow ! I didn't expect all these comments and didn't expect this to be featured. Cool! Thanks everyone for commenting and I am glad so many are finding the value in this. Can't wait to see all the different maps on your localized posts each of you come up with.

Thanks Misty. I'm off to try your directions ! Have a terrific 4th !

Misty- Congrats on your gold star, you go, girl! This is a great tip, it has been on my list for over 6 months now:( Just getting to it! You just reminded me to put it higher on my list. As far as the terms of use thing goes, I think that google would ask you to take it down first before they go through the hassle of sueing you.

Thanks Katerina for your feedback. Yeah, I don't think Google would provide detailed instructions on how to add these to your blog like they have here http://maps.google.com/help/maps/share/embed.html#utm_source=en-mapshpp-na-us-google-gmon if they had issue with you adding them to your blog. Looks like they are encouraging it and the sample screen shot Google provides is of a restaurant map embedded on a blog for New York restaurants.

Just imagine the possibilities. If you are blogging about local schools you can add a map of the surrounding schools. Same thing with shopping, beaches, parks, attractions, coffee houses, etc.

Even the question over Google API has helped me know there is such a question to consider.

Google has an abundance of tools that are available. It just takes someone like you to help point them out.

We can never be satisfied with the present state of what and how we offer our service and information.

I feel so far behind the curve, I really feel for those who have not started yet.

Thanks,

Richard

Misty,

Thanks! I have a lot of places that I'd like to post about and google maps would be an excellent way to go!

Misty, this is a great illustration of how to use Google Maps for non-commercial purposes. Google says you could use it in your blogs, provided they are not commercial. I did not use them because of this restriction and was trying to figure out how to do the API. I think people have to carefully read the terms before using the maps. I may be too conservative, but I would not want to run into problems with Google:)

There is a site that doesn't have these restirictions ZeeMaps.com and I have used them.

Hi Misty. Thanks for sharing the great tip! Keep them coming.

Thanks for sharing Misty,

I never thought about the Google maps. An excellent suggestion - thank you! I can't wait for your next blog!

I am going to check this out later. I've been trying to use google maps on my blogs for a while and have found ways to work around embedding, but this looks so much easier than what I was doing.

JUL

2008

Thanks for Tip #1; I will certainly think about adding this feature. Can't wait for some more tips!!

Happy 4th!!!!!!!

Great advice and how to. Appreciate you taking the time to make this info. All the best.

Misty, this is great information. I have bookmarked this post so that I can have your step by step instructions.

This is great, thank you for your post and for the future ones that you plan to add to this series..I am joining your blog so I can see what is next

Misti,

Is this like a link on the Localism page or does the map automatically appear when you go to the post? Thanks for the tip and help!

Valerie in Berkley, MI

Thanks so much for sharing, I had seen these and I do think they are great for posting listings or talking about an event or restaurant in your area.

Hello Valerie- if you use the HTML embed code Google provides and paste it into the HTML view then the actual map will appear in your post.

Thanks Faina for sharing the zeemaps suggestions. Looks like they use the Google API to generate their maps. I could be wrong here but I don't think your localized personal blog on AR is considered commercial use. Same thing if you started your own personal blogger blog or wordpress blog. Now if you started to charge your visitors to use or view the maps or started to integrate the maps into applications that you were redistributing then that would be considered commercial use. You are not commercially redistributing it when adding it to your personal local area blog. Examples of commercial use are Trulia, Zillow, ZeeMap and other businesses who use and redistribute them in their commercial applications. That's at least how I see it but again I could be wrong.

Thanks for the useful tip. I'll use this concept for many things. I look forward to the rest of this series.

Bookmarked for use as soon as I have a free minute. I need to go back to some of my posts and add this level of detail to the posts. This is a lot easier than I thought too! Thanks again.

Great information, I sure will try it and see the results. Thanks for sharing

Misty, don't want to be spoiling the fun, but IMHO real estate blogs are for commercial purpose, since the ultimate intent is to attract consumers. The platform of the blog is not a factor, it could be Blogger, Wordpress, or any other one. What's important is the intent of the blog. The non commercial blogs are the ones writing about their families, pets, or anything else, without the intent of any business deriving from their writing. It is clearly different for most on AR. That's why everyone is so happy, when they get a client from their blogs:)

Those not wanting take extra risks could consult an attorney to make sure. Don't mean to be a party pooper, just being cautious:)

Thanks Misty for the post. Great info. I appreciate it...need to make my site more sticky.

Thanks for the timely post--I'm adding neighborhood stats today and maps will appreciated!

Faina- I submitted a request to Google at http://services.google.com/permissions/application to get some clarification on what they consider to be commercial use. I will post an update here when I hear back from them.

If anyone else has concerns if they can use embedded Google maps in their localized real estate blogs I suggest submitting your own request through http://services.google.com/permissions/applicationand include your blog url.

Misty,

As I just found out Localism is going to get a new look in a few days and should then be all powerful. Combining your tip here with that makes Localism even more so. Good idea.

Right on! I have neglected adding maps lately.... we tend to take a lot for granted don't we?

Thanks Misty I have a menu planner on my blog but I think I like the idea of a map- point out the restaurants...who cooks anymore anyway

JUL

2008

It amazes me how much info I don't know about bloging :) Thanks for the info.

JUL

2008

Just wanted to update everyone on Google's response from the permissions form I submitted at http://services.google.com/permissions/application. When I made the request I detailed out what type of blog it would be (Real Estate), informed them the blog would include the Real Estate Agents contact info and information about their services and the maps would be included in blog posts that discuss local area information. Following is the response I got back from them...

"Thank you for your interest in Google Maps. Your request has been approved. If you want to create your own mashup, you can use the Google Maps API for free. You can go to http://code.google.com/apis/maps to learn more about it"

So it appears we are safe here. If you still have further concerns, I suggest requesting permissions for your blog at http://services.google.com/permissions/application

Thanks for the tips. Localism is the next phase in building my name up just a little. It's nice to see your name pop up on google for as many search criterias as possible, even if I dont have that many.

Misty,

Woo-Hoo- glad to see you are working on a series of posts for localism tips. Awesome. I just love it when service providers show they can add value as well. If real estate agents are expected to give out free information, than we service providers need to as well:-)

JUL

2008

Misty, I missed this and love your tips. You are always such a great resource of information for our websites, and more. ;-)

JUL

2008

What a great idea! Thanks for the tip.

Misty, Thanks for the terrific mapping information. I've bookmarked it for future reference. Mike

Thanks Rebecca! I 100% agree.

Teri thanks for the nice comment

JUL

2008

Great Post I am going to try it right now!

Thanks Misty, I am off to have some fun with this!

Great, great post. Thanks you so much...I am really looking forward to this series!

Great Information. I marked this and will look forward to all the many ways I can utilize that information!! Thanks for the post!!

supurb idea........

This is an awesome idea. Thanks.

You've been bookmarked! Some late night soon, I MUST try this. I want to be the EXPERT locally providing LOCAL resources! Thanks for your helpful info!

This is a great idea. Thank's for the info. I do a similar post to my personal web page with http://walkscore.com/

Misty, great idea to help promote a Localism targeted post. AJ

Misty, I don't think the final word has yet been written about what constitutes commercial use. If a particular use may irritate the owner, then it's probably not worth the hassle to try to use it.

BTW, what's Google Maps API?

Sweet I am going to try this right now!!!!!!!!!!!YEA

I love to get these tidbits of info. I'm definitely going to bookmark this.

Great Tip! I would love to continue to receive them.

Thanks for showiing us how to do this step by step. It's been bookmarked.

JUL

2008

Hey Misty,

Thanks I have used your "Restuarant" tip.

Please visit my blog when you get a chance, and any comment is greatly appreciated!

Best regards,

Anoir

Anoir's Blog

Your Hoboken Property Expert...........Experience you can bank on!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Perez Redouane Property Partners

Anoir Redouane, Realtor

email: Anoir@DeRuggiero.com

Robert De Ruggiero Inc., Realtors

89 Washington St

Hoboken, NJ 07030

201.222.7550 ext. 12

JUL

2008

Hello Anoir - I would suggest adding some content along with the map. Both quality content and the map will be of more value to your visitors and will perform better in search engines. Please also avoid the long signatures when you comment on posts. Most AR members don't like that. Just thought you should know.

Great post Misty. As an example of this at work, here is a blog post I did on my non-AR blog a couple of weeks ago where I plotted all the farmers' markets in Calgary on a GoogleMap:

http://www.andrewkyle.com/blog/2008/06/calgarys-farmers-markets/

I hope it gives everyone some ideas.

JUL

2008

Awesome! Thank you for the info.

JUL

2008

Great Post! I think I will use that to show the location of my seminars.

John Thomas - Certified Mortgage Planner - Primary Residential Mortgage

Thanks for sharing Andrew. The map looks great on your blog.

Thank you so much for this! This was written in a way that makes it soooooooooo easy to be able to follow the steps. I can't wait to try it.

SEP

2008

thats a great idea....the area I live in is primarily family based but more single folks like me are moving here...I thought of doing great happy places locally and this map would be great! Thanks.

SEP

2008

What a great idea and excellent way to add more "value" to my posts in addition to all that good google juis\ce tht everyone is talking about!

SEP

Thank you so much for the tip!!! I will have to keep my eye on your blog, this sure is helpful.

-Stephanie

Thanks so much for this tip. You've explained it so clearly it makes it easy. I've already tried it and love it! Great info. Sue

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San Luis Obispo, CA

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