Is Apple publishing your correct business information?

If you have your own business, you may have created a profile on Google Business. This service allows you to keep your data on Google Maps current, whether it's to update hours, offer deals, add photos, or indicate what services you offer. And probably also Yelp for Business. What many business owners don't realize is that Apple offers their own similar Apple Business Connect to keep your data current with services like Apple Maps, Siri, and Apple Mail.

While Apple Maps is not nearly as popular as Google Maps, you may be surprised how many people use it. Even if people don't think they use Apple Maps, it does provide information to Siri for questions like "Siri, what's the closest pizzeria that is open right now?" Personally, I find Apple Maps to be much more useful than Google Maps unless I'm looking for business information, which is often incorrect because the vast majority of businesses don't both updating their data there.

In addition to the obvious things like the ability to update business hours and add holiday closures, Apple recently announced that they are taking Apple Business Connect to a new level with updates coming over the next year. If you verify the details of your business, your logo can be displayed on calls, on emails in Apple Mail, and on Apple Wallet transactions, reinforcing your branding and making it clear that your customer really is communicating with you.

When setting up all of these services, you may be asked to do things to verify your identity and relationship to the business, such as send copies of bills or make changes to DNS records.

Because your Apple Business Connect account will be tied to your own Apple Account, you should not give your login information to employees who need to keep your data updated. Instead, invite them through the "Teams" function. Then they can update the entry using their own account, and when they leave your company you can remove their access.

(featured image by Apple Inc.)