It used to be that if you did a business search on Google Maps you would only pull up 10 businesses at a time. Recently Google has improved on this highly annoying and barely relevant feature by adding dots to the map for ALL listings. Now you get 10 listings on the left hand side BUT all the listings they have are represented on the map with a single dot.
So why is this a big deal?
Well now you can immediately see the density of listed businesses on the map. In the past the search feature had been so incredibly poor that if you did a search for a web designer in Philadelphia you would pull up ten listings, randomly placed throughout the city. Now all you have to do is do a business search and then zoom into the are you intended to originally. Ignoring the 'top ten' results, which are vaguely ranked at best, you can click on any dot you like to get more information.
So you can now find all the businesses listed in a particular area.
You can see IF you're listed at all and you can sign-up if you are not.
I've been playing around with this feature and it's very cool. I can now find the density of coffee shops in my are with great accuracy as well as places to cut my hair. I can located 'dead spots' where no businesses are listed for a particular category, not just in my city, but at the state and national level as well.
Looking for a part of Pennsylvania that is devoid of insurance companies? Type in 'insurance' at google.maps.com and zoom in on PA. The dots will multiply as you zoom in closer and closer and so reveal an area of the state you may want to pitch your services to.
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