How-To: Putting Google Maps on Your Blog

To create any map, you first need to go to maps.google.com and sign in with your Google ID. Click the “My Places” button, then click the big red “CREATE MAP” button and give it a title. Once that’s done, do the following steps.

Markers

1. Enter the address of the spot you want to map in the field at the top
   • Search markers will not show up in your final map – only the ones you place
   • I’ve noticed an issue where the first point sometimes doesn’t appear (but can’t be deleted). I’m not sure why. If it happens to you, just leave it blank and move on.
2. Select the marker and click “Save to Map” in the pop-up window
   • You can also drag a marker to the point – use the tools in the top left of your map
3. Click the marker to provide a title and description, change its appearance, and add rich text (e.g., bolding) or HTML (e.g., links)
   • You may need to switch to “Plain Text” to get rid of any existing content

Other tools

1. You can draw lines (e.g., past or future routes) with the line tool at the top left. Click each point where you want the line to stop or bend, and double-click to end the line. You can edit the description just like with markers.
2. You can also draw shapes (to designate two-dimensional areas) by holding down the mouse on the line tool. You can complete a shape by double-clicking or clicking on the first point, and can edit it as usual.

Collaborating

1. More than one person can work on a single map. They will need a Google account.
2. Once in Edit Mode, click the “Collaborate” link in the top left.
3. In the window, enter the gmail addresses of the people to invite (separate with a comma)
   • You can also decide whether new people can invite others
4. Click “Send Invitations”

Embedding (this is how you get the map to post on your blog)

1. Once finished, click the link icon at the top of the left-hand side
2. In the window that appears, click “Customize and Preview embedded map”
   • Don’t copy the HTML from this first window – it won’t look right
3. In the new window, zoom/scroll the map to how you want it to look on your blog
4. Copy ALL of the HTML text from the window below the map
5. In a new blog post, paste this text at the point in the post where you want the map

Troubleshooting

• If you don’t see the tools in the top left of your map, you may need to re-click the map name (you MUST add these pointers) and click “Edit” again.
• Test your post. If the map doesn’t look right, try re-copying and pasting the link. You may need to go into the embed > customize window again to get it right.