Judging by the number of unclaimed businesses in Google Maps, it seems many business owners do not know that they need to claim their business.

What happens if a business is not claimed?

Before a business is claimed, the listing is open to editing by the community at large. This means that ANYONE with a Google account can edit the location of the business and add information that is not correct. This can potentially leave room for business listing to be hijacked.

This is an excellent post titled Microsoft’s listing in Google Maps Hijacked (oops by me) which discusses the possibilities of foul play with listings.

How do I know if my business is vulnerable?

When you go into the detail for the listing, you will either see ‘Provided by the business owner’ or ‘Claim your business’.

Once your business is claimed and verified by Google, it is locked and can only be edited by the authorised business owner.

Business is too important to leave these details unattended.