Hey everyone! We recently sent emails about updating both Google Things to Do and featured locations for your tours. We’ve noticed some confusion about these two features, so wanted to clear things up and explain why both are important for maximising your tour’s visibility and sales.
Google Things to Do (GTTD)
Google Things to Do connects your tours to Google Search and Google Maps, putting you in front of millions of potential listeners every day. This is your external distribution tool - it helps new listeners discover your tours when they’re searching online.
When properly set up, GTTD:
- Makes your tours more visible in Google search results
- Connects your tours to relevant landmarks on Google Maps
- Helps new audiences find you
Setting up GTTD takes just 5-10 minutes per tour but makes a huge difference in visibility.
If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to link your major landmarks and set your starting point. You’ll find the instructions in my recent email or on our documentation.
Here’s and example of two tours linked on Google Maps
Featured Locations
Featured locations appear as previews within our app, improving the in-app browsing experience. This is your internal marketing tool - it gives listeners a chance to preview your tour before they buy, and listeners who preview a tour are 3.6 times more likely to buy it!
This new feature (which was released with Version 14):
- Lets listeners sample your audio and see images of a key stop on your tour
- Gives listeners a better idea of what to expect from your tour
- Showcases a unique aspect of your tour, helping it stand out
Without a featured location, your tours will show a blank space instead of a preview button, which could reduce the amount of listeners who click on your tour while browsing.
You can find more details on setting up a featured location on our documentation.
Why You Need Both
These features might seem similar, but they work at different stages of your tour’s distribution and marketing:
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GTTD gets new people to discover your tour online. It’s your “Hey, I exist!” tool.
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Featured locations helps turn those browsers into buyers once they’re in the app. It’s your “Try before you buy” tool.
Think of it this way: GTTD brings people to your door, while featured locations helps convince them to come inside.
How to Check If Your Tours Are Set Up Correctly
Not sure if you’ve already set these up? Here’s how to check:
You can make sure that your tour is linked to GTTD and your featured location is updated correctly through your dashboard:
- Scroll down to your Tours section
- Look for the green check mark under Featured location and Google Things to Do
- A green check mark indicates it has been updated
- A grey dash means it still needs to be set up
- If needed, click the Distribution button to make changes
You can also preview your featured location on the app to verify that the location and images appear correctly.
- Open the VoiceMap app and go to the Explore tab (not your Library)
- Find your tour and look for the Preview button next to your name on the tour card
- If you see and can click this button, your featured location is set up correctly
- If the preview button is missing, you still need to add a featured location
The small amount of time spent on these updates can make a big difference in your tour’s visibility and sales! Update both today, if you haven’t already.
Feel free to ask your questions below and our community will help out!
