Please note - This feature has just received a major upgrade. The article is being updated to reflect new functionality. The Import information is currently correct.
Need to display a Google map on your site with a list of your locations? This app will allow you to insert a Google map on your page, specify its center point, and allow you to enter a list of locations that can be displayed on the Google map. This is ideal for businesses that may have retail locations throughout your city, state, or the country.
Find what you Need:
Install the Locator App
To get started with the locator app, access and edit the page that you want to add the map to. Next, click on the install page part button where you would like to add the locator app. Choose the option for your beginning content, to start from scratch, copy an existing page part, or clone an existing page part.
Please note, in order for your locator app to work, you must set up a Google API key.
Locations
You can add locations one at a time here using the "Add New Location" button at the bottom. This allows you to enter the different data that will be associated to the individual location. You can edit this information at anytime later if a location's information should change.
Settings
This settings tab allows you to enter the necessary data to position your map and set its size and display options.
- Width / Height - The size of the overall map that will display on your page when viewed live.
- Zoom Level - How far zoomed in / out that you want your map to be. The default is 11, and you can edit / change this at anytime.
- Center Point - The center of the map (say your city, headquarters, etc). If you do not know the center point numerics, click the 'Find it for me' link.
- Default Map Type - Choose to start displaying your map in a normal, satellite, or hybrid mode.
List Options
The default option to display your data is through the Locator Map. If you are a ShopKit client using the Store Directory page part, you can choose to pull in the data from your Store Directory rather than recreating it all in this Locator Map page part.
With the Options, you can also prompt your user to allow the website to find their current location so that the map will populate with the user's zipcode and load the locations closest to the user.
With List Options, you can set the locations view options to include a list of locations, list of categories, location image, and to allow the full address to display with each location.
Map Options
Generally, you want to allow the first option to 'Show Map'. Next, you can set options to allow Map type options and a Navigator Option.
You also have the option of enabling a custom map image in place of the standard map views we offer to every user. This custom map image is something our design team would have to design for you, so please get in touch with your account manager to discuss options and receive a quote.
Managing your Google API Key
You will need to click this button to enter your Google API key for your map to work. If you do not have a key, we've got a link there for you to register to get one. The process is quick and easy.
- Get your key
- Go to your Settings panel and select General at the top
- Populate the key into the Google Maps API key
Categories
You will setup your map location categories under this tab. This allows you to setup 'categories' that your locations can be added to when they are created or imported. If you want to use custom markers for the Icon and its shadow, you can enter the url to those icons in the indicated text fields when creating or editing the category.
Import
Using the import process allows you to import a list, small or large, of locations into your locator app. Be sure to use the Import Template file to properly format your data. The export file feature found in the bottom left-hand corner of the Locations tab produces a CSV matching this format so you can use it to make changes to your data and then re-upload it. You can not add fields or take away fields that is in the template file. If you do not have the data associated with a field in the template file, just leave the field data blank. Malformatted data will result in an upload failure. If your spreadsheet doesn't include a category (or categories), you can select a category for all your new locations on upload (3), as well as, decide if you want to delete the existing locations within your locator app during the import process (4).
1. Templates
The Import Template is a CSV file that will help you get your data into the right format for upload. In that template there are fields used by Google My Business. Each of these fields have specific values required for Time Zones and Google My Business categories. The corresponding templates contain Google's acceptable values for these fields.
2. Select the CSV file that you've created using the Import Template to upload.
3. Allows you to add all locations in the current upload to a specific category if you choose.
4. Selecting this option allows you to replace all of your existing locations with the locations contained within the file you are importing.
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