As a tourism operator in Tasmania, you can easily claim, add, edit and optimise your website Google map listing.

When considering a destination, travellers need to get their bearings. Without them they’re lost - they won’t make a decision, may not even leave home.

One of the first things potential travellers do these days is consult an online map. If they’ve heard about your business, they’ll look you up. Your job is to be easy to find.

Online maps provide instant orientation, both during the decision-making process and once a visitor is on the ground. And it’s no longer only customers who know your name who can locate you this way.

Imagine you’re a hungry New Yorker standing on a street in Hobart. You may not know the name of the street, but you know you need a steak. You pull out your mobile phone, log onto Google Maps for Mobiles, and in seconds you have details of a range of restaurants within walking distance. It’s that easy.

In today’s connected world, customers are leading, not following. If they want your information, they want it on their own terms. They want to request it rather than have it pushed at them. This means you have to be available to them through all sorts of avenues. You have to be at their fingertips.

Associated with a reaction against heavy-handed marketing is an increasing tendency for customers to prefer the recommendations of people who have already eaten at your café, slept in your B&B or taken your tour. Listing your business on Google Maps enables you to take advantage of both of these trends.

Google Maps is the ultimate in word-of-mouth endorsement. Anyone can list a tourism business and write a review. If you haven’t registered your business yourself, go to Google Maps and search for it. If you’ve made an impression on a customer, chances are you’ll be there. By clicking on your listing on the map, you’ll be able to check your address, phone number and website.

The best thing to do if you find you are already listed is to click on ‘Claim your business’. This will enable you to correct any inaccuracies, add further information and ensure that no-one changes your information in future. Customers will still be able to add reviews, though, and it’s in your interests to read them. You need to know what people are saying about you, and reviews are invaluable feedback. Perhaps even encourage visitors who have expressed their satisfaction to you personally to record their praise on the site.

If your search returns no results, click on ‘Add/edit your business’. Detailed instructions are provided to help you create your free listing.

If you’re not on Google Maps, you’re handing a huge advantage to those businesses that are already listed. Conversely, adding your business will greatly increase the appeal of your entire community to potential visitors making holiday decisions all over the world. And, of course, you’ll be making it easy for your customers to find you – a great first impression in any language.