First decide whether customers should be directed to an address
A directions button is helpful when a customer can genuinely visit a place: a salon, studio, clinic, shop, office, classroom, or appointment-only workspace with staff present. It removes a small but important piece of friction for someone who has already decided to come. On a local website, the button should answer one practical question: how do I reach this business location? It is not a decorative map pin, and it should never stand in for a clear explanation of whether walk-ins, appointments, collections, or consultations are actually available.
Do not add a directions link simply because a business operates from an address. A plumber, home cleaner, freelance photographer, or consultant may work from home while visiting customers or working remotely. Sending visitors to that private base can create a safety and customer-service problem. Google’s current Business Profile guidance makes the same distinction: businesses that do not serve customers at their address should remove the address and use a service area instead. In that case, describe the normal service area and give an honest enquiry route rather than offering directions to a place a customer cannot visit.
Start with the location customers can recognise
Use the exact customer-facing destination, not the billing address, an old office, a nearby landmark that happens to be easier to find, or a staff member’s personal address. Compare the location shown on the website with the public business address, map pin, phone number, and hours. If the business has moved, correct those core details before promoting the link. A visitor who arrives at the wrong building will not care that the page had a beautiful map.
Make arrival expectations visible beside the action. A studio could say ‘Visits by appointment, Monday to Saturday’; a tutor might note which entrance or floor to use; a shop can state its regular hours and whether parking is limited. Keep this concise and only include details that help a visitor complete the trip. Do not publish door codes, a customer’s name, private access instructions, or any information that should be shared only after an appointment is confirmed. The destination and the surrounding words should describe the same real-world experience.
Create a stable directions URL
Google Maps URLs offer a simple, cross-platform way to open directions from a website. A basic pattern is https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination= followed by an encoded business address or place name. The api=1 part matters: Google documents it as required for Maps URL parameters to work. For a fictional example, a destination could be encoded as ‘14%20Example%20Road%2C%20Kochi%2C%20Kerala’. Use the site editor or a developer’s standard URL tools to encode spaces and punctuation correctly instead of manually guessing at symbols.
When the exact establishment matters, a Google Place ID can make the destination less ambiguous than a common business name or a broad street address. It is worth considering for a building complex, a location with a similar name nearby, or a business whose entrance is difficult to identify. Do not add a Place ID just because it sounds technical; a complete, tested address is often enough for a small business. Keep the link focused on directions. It does not need tracking parameters, a customer name, booking reference, or other information that could be copied into browser history or logs.
Give the button a clear place and label
Place the action where a visitor has enough context to use it: near the address and hours on the contact page, after an appointment explanation, or in a short visit-us section on the homepage. Use visible language such as ‘Get directions to our Bengaluru studio’ or ‘Open directions to our Kochi office’. A lone map-pin icon is easy to overlook and vague for screen-reader users. If the business requires an appointment, say so in the label or the line immediately above it rather than letting the map button imply that a walk-in visit is welcome.
Keep a second contact route nearby. Someone may need to check accessibility, parking, lift access, the right entrance, or whether the business is open before travelling. A clickable phone number, a short enquiry form, or a monitored WhatsApp option gives them a way to ask without starting a journey based on an assumption. On a narrow phone screen, ensure a floating chat button does not cover the directions action. Important links should work with a keyboard as well as touch and should have enough space to tap accurately.
Test the journey as a first-time customer would
Before publishing, open the website on a phone that is not signed in to the business account. Tap the directions link and check that it opens Google Maps or the browser’s Maps view with the intended destination. Then look at the pin, street name, locality, and displayed business name. Try the link on a desktop browser too. Google says Maps URLs can launch the relevant Maps experience across platforms, but a practical test still catches a copied typo, an incomplete address, or a link that points to a previous tenant.
Repeat the check after a move, a renamed road, a changed entrance, or a new appointment policy. Keep the website, Google Business Profile, social profiles, booking confirmation, and any QR code aligned with the same public location. Ask a person unfamiliar with the business to try the route once if possible; they will notice unclear wording that the owner has learned to overlook. A directions link will not create footfall by itself, but it can turn a ready visitor into a well-informed arrival and prevent a very avoidable bad first impression.
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