Earlier this week, Apple launched a self-service listings portal designed to get local businesses to enter data directly into Apple Maps. The free service is targeted at small business owners who currently don’t have any presence on Apple’s mapping service.

All users sign in with their Apple IDs and passwords with a real-time verification process, as noted at SearchEngineLand. Users receive an automated call with a code that’s entered into the Maps Connect site.

While the service is clearly intended as a powerful tool for small businesses to literally be placed on an Apple map, some have speculated future implications for mobile advertising.

Most notable for indoor location and mapping, Apple Maps Connect includes an “indoor” section where the company appears to be allowing businesses to sign up for iBeacon-based services. This tool is currently limited only to locations that meet specific criteria, such as Wi-Fi throughout the building and at least 1 million visitors per year.

Going forward it’ll be interesting to see how Apple will solicit building owners to upload maps of indoor spaces and what opportunities abound for that data.

Categories: Articles, Mobile + Location

Tags: Apple, Mobile Advertising, indoor location, Maps