How Google Maps features can help your business

Though online services let you get almost everything staying at home and just clicking a couple of buttons, we still use amenities, business offices and other destinations. To find them, we often use a map. Companies that have it on their website, respond to this need, letting customers know where they are. But what if it’s not enough and your business requires more options? Let’s see how Google Maps features can help.

What you can do using Google Maps

This navigation service allows users to make their trips to any place faster and more convenient. With provided directions, various routes for different kinds of transport, time of getting to the destination, street views, objects nearby, information about traffic jams and plenty of other features it’s almost impossible to get lost. Below are the most useful options that customers may use.

Google Maps account

You don’t need to create a new one, just sign in with your Google account. It allows saving the places that you like and find them or get directions there faster. The information will be synchronized and available on any device. Using this Google Maps feature, customers will be able to add your company to favorites and see it on a map in a second.

Trip details

Apart from showing just the way to some place, users can also choose the type of transport or a walking mode. The route may depend on this parameter. The service will also show the distance to your company, busses and bus stops, traffic jams and the time needed to get to it. It’s also possible to measure how far objects are from each other. Another feature is tracking the current location. All these options are beneficial for businesses dealing with traveling, transportation, real estate and other industries that use a lot of locations. They help to get a better understanding of where some object is and how long it will take to get there, as well as create custom routes even in other cities or foreign countries. 

Customized route with stops

Apart from choosing among several ways, you can create your own itinerary. To apply this Google Maps feature, drag or create new pins drawing the route that you need. It’s also possible to add stops to it if you walk or go by car. After setting the start and finish points, click on the button with ‘+’ and add one more location. This option is useful if customers want to visit your office on their way to another place, get directions while exploring a new city or look at several apartments to compare them.  

Nearby places and street view

Using this feature, people can see what objects are close to the destination or their current location. They include amenities like restaurants, theaters, malls, sports centers, etc. Clicking the marker, you’ll see detailed information about each of them. If your company has a Google My Business account, it will also be on the map, attracting new customers.

To prevent getting lost and recognize the building, there is a Google Maps feature that allows viewing the streets. All you need is just to switch to this mode or place the pegman (a yellow man in the right bottom corner) in the point you want to see. The latest development, released this year, applies AR: the Google Maps app uses the smartphone’s camera to locate where a person is and display directions straight on the screen. These options will help customers to see what your office or store and objects around it look like, as well as orient themselves in new cities or districts.

Information about objects

If you click on any location on the map, there will be displayed details like address, description, contacts, pictures, sometimes prices, opening hours, feedback, ratings and even visiting statistics in the left sidebar. It helps to provide the most important information about companies and catch the interest of potential clients. Travel agencies don’t need to create guidebooks with the description of places of interest, they already exist. It’s pretty convenient that tourists know in what days and hours certain amenities are open and sometimes even how many people visit them.

Want to have Google Maps features on your website?

If you consider adding a Google map to your website, you can do it in 4 ways. They are described here. The simplest option for a live map is embedding a code that will show a certain location. In this case, there will be shown a marker for one address, zooming and shifting possibility, other objects like parks, museums, hotels, restaurants and even bus stops, as well as two modes of displaying and street view. But these features seem so basic and usual in comparison with the mentioned above. Is there any way to extend them? The WP MAPS PRO plugin can help with this. 

Create multiple routes and locations

Applying this plugin, you’ll be able to place more than one marker on the map. It’s useful if your company has several subsidiaries or deals with many objects. Users will also be able to get directions, setting the start and finish points. Our software allows showing a few routes straight on your website. We created different map layers to meet the needs of both those who prefer bicycles and those who go by cars.  

Add a description of objects

The WP MAPS PRO plugin provides options that substitute Google Maps features. Applying it, you can post any information about places on the map. The fields help to arrange details and display them in the proper order. You’ll be able to add names, short descriptions, addresses, contacts, opening hours, kinds of services, extra options, prices, etc. Customers won’t have to search for this data on other websites. Working with real estate, you may mention the area of apartments, number of rooms, floor and some extra features like furniture or remodeling.

Set filters for objects

If you work with many locations, not all of them may be necessary for your clients. To improve their user experience, the WP MAPS PRO plugin has an option of filtering places by categories and in ascending or descending order. Companies that work, for example, in the tourism industry, can apply it to choose from theaters, museums, cafes, parks, etc. Hotels owners can arrange search by the number of beds in a room or type of accommodation. This feature can be used to set a radius for showing nearby objects. It allows focusing on a certain area and prevents distraction of attention. 

Provide street view and tracking

Applying our plugin, you’ll have these Google Maps features on your website. Just upload pictures of places and customers will see them clicking on the map. This information is important for tourist attractions. Tracking current location will also keep users on your page: they’ll have all necessary details in one place. This option can be useful for finding any kind of object from an apartment to a cinema or a bus stop.

Google Maps has a lot of features that make life easier. They can help your business as well. If you’ve decided to add a live map to the web page, its basic features may not be enough. Using the WP MAPS PRO plugin will let you add almost all options that Google Maps service has. It will make your website user-friendly and give customers more opportunities. Start upgrading your business here.