Business With Two Entrances, a Back Gate or a Large Campus? How to Get Google Maps Directions Right

Quick answer: Put your Google pin at the entrance customers should use, not the centre of the building or the back gate. Mention the entrance in your address lines and description ("Main entrance on MG Road; parking entrance from 5th Cross"), upload photos of each entrance with signage, and share Plus Codes for specific gates with visitors and delivery riders. Large campuses can use separate listings for departments or facilities with their own entrances where Google's guidelines allow. Test directions from several directions.

Google Maps directions end at your pin. If the pin is on the wrong side, customers end up at a locked gate, the staff entrance or a road with no access (directions wrong, fix map pin).

Common problems

• Pin in the middle of a large building, so navigation ends on a road behind it.
• Directions lead to the back gate or loading bay.
• One-way roads make the main entrance hard to reach.
• Malls and complexes with multiple entrances and parking levels (shop inside a mall).
• Hospitals with separate emergency, OPD and visitor gates (hospital departments).
• Colleges and factories with security gates.

Step 1: place the pin at the customer entrance

Edit your profile's location and drag the pin to the main customer entrance. Zoom in on satellite view to place it precisely at the gate or door.

Step 2: describe entrances in text

• Address lines: "Main gate, opposite City Bank".
• Description: "Visitors enter from MG Road. Parking entrance from 5th Cross. The back gate is for deliveries only."
• Q&A or posts: "Which gate should I use?" (questions & answers).

Step 3: photos of each entrance

Upload photos showing the main entrance with signage, the parking entrance and any landmarks. Label them clearly in captions on social media and your website (photos guide).

Step 4: Plus Codes for specific gates

Give each gate a Plus Code and share the right one: visitors get the main gate code, suppliers get the loading bay code, emergency patients get the emergency gate code (Plus Codes).

Step 5: separate listings where allowed

Large organisations may have separate listings for departments with distinct entrances and hours, such as a hospital's emergency department or a mall's specific stores. Follow Google's guidelines; don't create duplicate listings for the same business at the same entrance (multiple locations, duplicate listings).

Step 6: fix the map itself

If the road to your main entrance is missing or wrong, suggest a road or edit on Google Maps (add a missing road).

Step 7: guide people before they arrive

Send your location link with gate instructions on WhatsApp (share location link). For delivery riders, specify the delivery entrance (wrong delivery locations).

Signage on site

Clear signs at every gate: "Visitors → Main Entrance", "Deliveries only". Security staff should redirect politely (signboard).

Test from several directions

Ask friends to navigate from different parts of the city. One-way systems and turns can lead navigation to the wrong side.

Parking and entrances

Many complaints about entrances are really about parking: customers park at the back and can't find the way in. Mark parking entrances clearly in your description and photos, and put signs from the parking area to the customer entrance (parking complaints).

Accessibility

Customers using wheelchairs, elderly people and parents with prams need to know which entrance has ramps or lifts. Mention accessible entrances in your profile attributes and description, and keep them unblocked (attributes).

Example: a hospital with three gates

A hospital's pin was at the centre of its campus, and patients reached a closed back gate. It moved the pin to the main OPD entrance, created a separate listing for the emergency department at its own gate, and added gate photos. Complaints about directions dropped sharply.

Example: a showroom on a corner

A furniture showroom on a corner had its pin on a side lane with no entrance. Moving the pin to the main road entrance and adding "Entrance on Main Road, parking behind" fixed most "couldn't find you" calls.

Checklist

• Pin at the customer entrance
• Entrances described in address and description
• Photos of each entrance
• Plus Codes for specific gates
• Separate listings only where allowed
• Gate instructions in WhatsApp messages
• Clear signage and accessible entrance information

Key takeaways

• Directions end at your pin — place it at the customer entrance.
• Text, photos and Plus Codes guide visitors to the right gate.
• Signage and parking guidance complete the journey.

Sources and further reading

• Google Business Profile Help — edit your location: support.google.com/business
• Upper-floor and hidden shops

Check your listing on different apps

Customers use Google Maps, Apple Maps, Mappls and ride-hailing apps that rely on different map data. Check that your entrance is correct on the ones customers use most, and update listings on Apple Business Connect and Mappls too (Bing and Apple, Mappls). Cab drivers often follow their own app, so a clear landmark in your directions helps when apps disagree.

Tell staff the standard directions

Receptionists and phone staff should give the same directions every time: the main road, the landmark, which gate and where to park. Write them down and keep them by the phone.

Frequently asked questions

Where should my pin be?

At the entrance customers should use.

Can I list two entrances?

Describe both; separate listings only for distinct departments where allowed.

Do Plus Codes help?

Yes, for specific gates and large campuses.

Why do directions go to the back gate?

The pin may be in the middle or back of the building.

Should I mention parking?

Yes — parking entrances often confuse visitors.

How do I test directions?

Navigate from several parts of the city.

Should I update Apple Maps and Mappls too?

Yes, if many customers use them.