Most people use Google Maps every day without ever dropping a pin. Then the moment comes when you need to mark a spot that has no address — a hiking trailhead, a construction site, a field where you're meeting someone — and suddenly you're not sure how.

It's simpler than you think. Here's exactly how it works.

## What Dropping a Pin Actually Does

When you drop a pin in Google Maps, you're placing a manual marker at a precise geographic location. The app captures the exact latitude and longitude of that spot, even if Google has never indexed a street address there.

Once a pin is dropped, you can get directions to it, share it with someone else, save it to a list, or measure the distance from one point to another. The pin stays until you remove it or tap somewhere else.

This matters a lot for businesses too. If your entrance, parking lot, or service gate is in a slightly different spot than what Google Maps shows by default, a dropped pin can guide customers to exactly the right place.

## How to Drop a Pin on iPhone or Android

Open Google Maps and find the general area first — either by searching or by dragging the map manually. Then press and hold your finger on the exact spot you want to mark.

A red pin will appear, and a panel will slide up from the bottom of the screen showing the coordinates and any nearby address information Google can pull. From that panel you can get directions, save the location, share it, add a label, or measure distance to another point.

One tip: zoom in as far as you can before dropping the pin. The closer you are, the more accurate your placement will be. Switching to satellite view also helps — you can see actual ground features rather than just the street grid.

## How to Drop a Pin on Desktop

Go to maps.google.com in your browser. Navigate to the location either by searching or by moving the map manually. Then left-click on the exact spot.

A small marker appears and a card pops up at the bottom of the screen. You'll see the coordinates, a label if Google recognizes the area, and options to get directions, save the location, or share it. Desktop gives you better visual control for planning routes across larger areas.

## Using Pins Without Internet

If you travel frequently or work in areas with poor connectivity, Google Maps lets you save map areas for offline use. Open the app while connected, find the region you need, tap your profile picture, select Offline Maps, and download the area.

Once downloaded, pins still work. You can drop a new pin, access saved locations, and use basic navigation — all without a cell signal.

## Sharing a Pin

After dropping the pin, open the bottom panel and tap Share. You can send it through any messaging app, email, or copy the link directly. Anyone who receives the link taps it and is taken straight to that exact location in their own Google Maps — no address needed, no confusing directions.

## Saving Pins for Later

Tap Save in the bottom panel after dropping a pin. Google lets you add it to an existing list like Favorites or Starred Places, or create a new custom list. This is useful for organizing locations you visit regularly or places you're planning to visit.

## Measuring Distance with a Pin

Drop a pin at your starting point, open the panel, and select Measure Distance. You can then tap additional points on the map and Google will calculate the total distance between them automatically. This works well for planning walking routes, checking property boundaries, or estimating travel paths through areas where roads don't exist.

## When Businesses Should Use Dropped Pins

If you run a business with a physical location, check whether Google Maps is directing customers to your actual entrance. Many businesses find that the default pin placement puts customers at the wrong end of a building, a back parking lot, or even an adjacent property.

Dropping a pin at your correct front entrance and sharing that link — on your website, in confirmation emails, and in your Google Business Profile — can significantly reduce missed visits and customer frustration. It's a small thing that makes a noticeable difference.

Need to mark a location that has no street address? Here's exactly how to drop a pin in Google Maps on your phone, computer, and even offline — plus how to save and share it.

How to Drop a Pin in Google Maps (Mobile, Desktop & Offline)

When someone needs a dentist, they're usually not browsing casually. They have a toothache, they just moved to a new city, their kid needs a checkup, or they've been putting it off long enough. They open Google, type something like "dentist near me" or "emergency dentist open now," and they call one of the first three practices they see.

If your practice isn't in those first three results, you're not being considered. That's not an exaggeration — the research consistently shows that the majority of clicks go to the top three local results and most people never scroll past them.

Here's what actually moves the needle for dental practices in 2026.

## Your Google Business Profile Is More Important Than Your Website

Most dental marketing advice starts with the website. That's not wrong, but for local search, your Google Business Profile does more heavy lifting. It controls where you appear in the Google Maps 3-pack — the map section that shows up above all organic results and captures a massive share of local clicks.

Getting your profile fully optimized means more than just filling in your address and hours. Choose your primary category carefully — "Dentist" is almost always right, and you can add specific secondary categories like "Cosmetic Dentist" or "Pediatric Dentist" only if those are genuine services you offer. Upload real photos of your office, your team, and your treatment rooms regularly. Write a clear, honest description of what your practice does and who it serves. And keep your hours accurate — nothing loses a potential patient faster than showing up to a closed office.

## Reviews Are a Ranking Signal, Not Just Social Proof

Google uses your review profile to determine where you appear in local results. More reviews, higher average rating, and recent activity all contribute to your ranking position.

The most effective way to get more reviews is also the simplest: ask. After a successful appointment, a quick mention that you'd appreciate a Google review goes a long way. Most patients who had a good experience are willing to leave one — they just don't think to do it unless someone asks.

Respond to every review. Good ones and bad ones. When you respond professionally to a negative review, it actually builds trust with prospective patients reading your profile. It shows you're paying attention and that you handle problems like an adult.

## Your Website Needs to Do More Than Look Nice

A good dental website in 2026 needs to be fast, clear on mobile, and specific about what you do and where you do it. But the SEO work happens at the content level.

Each core service deserves its own page — not a section on a longer page, but a dedicated page with real depth. Emergency dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, pediatric services — each one should answer the questions a patient would actually have before calling. What does the procedure involve? How long does it take? What should I expect? These aren't just good for patients; they're exactly the kind of content that ranks.

Your location needs to be woven naturally into your content. Not jammed in repeatedly, but present where it makes sense — in your page titles, your headings, your descriptions of what you do and who you serve. A Chicago dental practice and a Phoenix dental practice should have noticeably different website content.

## Local Content That Actually Works

Most dental blogs are a waste of time because they cover the same generic topics everyone else covers. "Why flossing is important." "Foods that damage your teeth." Patients aren't searching for these, and other dentists have already covered them thousands of times.

What works is content that answers specific local questions. What does an emergency dental visit cost in your city? How long is the wait at dental offices in your area? What should a new patient in your neighborhood know about their first appointment? These are things people actually search, and almost no dental practice bothers writing about them.

## The Bigger Picture

Local SEO for a dental practice isn't a single project you complete. It's an ongoing process of keeping your profile active, building your review base, adding content that answers real patient questions, and making sure your information is consistent everywhere it appears online.

The practices that do this consistently — not perfectly, but consistently — end up with a sustainable flow of new patients from organic search. The ones that don't are left competing on paid ads or relying entirely on referrals.

The foundation isn't complicated. It's just work that most practices never get around to doing.

Patients searching for a dentist today don't flip through directories or ask neighbors. They go straight to Google. Here's what it actually takes to show up first.

Local SEO for Dentists: How to Get More Patients From Google in 2026

Your GBP category is one of the most important ranking factors in Google Maps. Most businesses get it wrong. Here's how to choose correctly — plus a full reference list.

Google Business Profile Categories: How to Choose the Right One

If you use Google Chrome, you've seen the placeholder text in the address bar: "Search Google or type a URL." Most people treat both options as the same thing — they type something in, hit enter, and end up where they need to go. But they're actually two different actions with different uses, and knowing the difference can save you time.

## What Happens When You Search Google

When you type a phrase, a question, or anything that doesn't look like a web address and press enter, Chrome sends your text to Google and brings back search results. You're asking Google: "What is relevant to this?" and Google shows you a list of pages it thinks match what you're looking for.

This is the right approach when you don't know the exact website you need, when you want to compare multiple sources, or when you're looking for something recent — news, current prices, updated information. Search is also better when you're not sure if a website exists or what it's called.

## What Happens When You Type a URL

When you type an address like localseostation.com directly into the address bar and press enter, Chrome takes you straight to that website without going through a search results page. No middleman, no list of options — you land directly on the page you asked for.

This is faster when you already know exactly where you're going. If you visit the same sites regularly, typing the URL directly skips one loading step and gets you there immediately.

Chrome also has autocomplete, which helps with this. After you've visited a site a few times, typing the first few letters of the domain usually brings it up as a suggestion. One click and you're there.

## Which One Is Actually Faster?

It depends entirely on the situation.

If you know the exact URL: typing it directly is faster. You skip the search results page and go straight to the destination.

If you're looking for something and aren't sure where to find it: searching is faster. Trying to guess the right URL is slower than letting Google find it for you.

If you want to find the best option among several: search always wins. Typing a URL assumes you've already made your choice.

## A Note on Security

One practical reason to type URLs directly rather than searching for certain destinations: for sites where security matters — your bank, your email, financial accounts — typing the URL directly reduces the risk of landing on a fake page that appeared in search results. If you're accessing anything sensitive, going directly to the address you know is the safer habit.

## How This Connects to Local SEO

This distinction matters for local businesses more than most people realize. When someone searches "dentist near me" or "plumber in Houston," they're using the search path — and that means Google decides who shows up. The businesses that have invested in local SEO appear at the top of those results. The ones that haven't, don't.

Very few people know your website address by heart. Almost everyone finds local businesses through search. That's why showing up at the top of Google search results — not just having a website — is what actually drives new customers through the door.

That placeholder text in Chrome's address bar prompts two different actions. Here's what each one actually does and when one is genuinely faster than the other.

Local SEO Blog

How to Drop a Pin in Google Maps (Mobile, Desktop & Offline)

Local SEO for Dentists: How to Get More Patients From Google in 2026

Google Business Profile Categories: How to Choose the Right One

Search Google or Type a URL: What's the Difference and When to Use Each