How filters for Google Maps improve user experience

Time becomes more and more valuable, that’s why people prefer solutions that help to spend it as efficiently as possible. When users search for something, they know what kind of information they need. That’s why the filtering option is crucial to the resources that contain a large amount of data. It’s especially true for companies that work with many locations and place them on their websites’ maps. In this article we’ll outline the advantages of allowing customers to select objects by certain criteria and the key principles of how you can do it.

Benefits of filters for Google Maps

Though they are clear, let’s take a closer look at how this feature can improve the user experience of your website visitors. Here are the key ideas:

• More relevant results. If there are plenty of locations on your map, the search won’t turn into looking for a needle in a haystack. People will be able to set parameters for their request and the selection of objects will be much smaller.
• It saves time. With filters for Google Maps users won’t have to scroll for too long hoping to find what they need. They’ll get the intended information faster.
• Focus attention. It will help site visitors to concentrate on what is necessary at this moment. If they are looking for a hotel in Los Angeles, the chances are small that they’ll find themselves enjoying the view of Australian national parks. Again, filters contribute to efficient use of time.
• Consumer care. It’s more about increasing the loyalty of clients. You show that you think of them and their convenience during visiting the website or using your services.

Types of filters for Google Maps

It’s obvious that objects must be sorted and distinguishable. But by what criteria? It depends on the specificity of your company’s activity. If you deal with many kinds of objects (hotels, restaurants, museums, parks, etc.) then it’s better to filter them by category. If they are similar but in different places (chain of stores or supermarkets), the parameter will be ‘location’. So, let’s consider the key types of filters. 

By location

It means that users will select a country, state or city where they want to find something. This kind of filter for Google Maps is pretty convenient for travel companies. Clients select the place they intend to visit and see amenities only there. The same is with real estate: customers pick city and district (if it’s important) and chose among relevant for them options. You can see how it works here.

By category

In this case, people select one or several types of objects they need to find. It helps to prevent overloading with information. For example, if users want to look for universities, the markers of cinemas or cafes will only irritate and distract them. This is a live demo of a map with such a filter. Try it to explore all the benefits.  

Custom

It happens that category and location are not enough to form a relevant selection. In this case, you can set custom filters for Google Maps with the parameters that will characterize objects you work with in the best way. For example, tags, square (for real estate), number of rooms and facilities (for hotels), kind of cuisine (for restaurants and cafes), radius, etc. See what it looks like following the link. With the help of custom filters, the process of search becomes much faster and easier. 

The WP Map Pro plugin also allows attaching to locations and displaying below the map posts with information. These can be articles that describe some places, feedback, interesting stories about them or recommendations for visiting. They are also sortable and have tags for filtering. Here is an example of such an option. 

Filters for Google Maps help users a lot. They reduce the time for search and provide relevant results. What else do customers need? WP Map Pro plugin has all the necessary features from filters to directions and clusters to satisfy your clients. So, don’t miss this opportunity to win their loyalty. Here you’ll find what you need to do.