Maps are one becoming one of the most basic elements on websites, and for good reason. If your business has a brick and mortar location(s), your online customers need a way to find how to get to your establishment. However, maps can provide other functionality too, and today there are modules that make the inclusion of maps so easy anyone can embed a map, graph, or chart into their website.
Maps Description: What is it?
Everyone knows what a map is, but not everyone knows some of the applications and features modern e-maps provide. Furthermore, everyone has visited one of the online sites dedicated to maps, either to find directions, plan a trip, or see what their house looks like from outer space, and if you spend any time at all online; inevitably, you will land on a page that has a map. There are maps that display weather data, satellite views, geographic and demographic data. Maps can show your visitors where you, and/or where your establishment is, and even where your online visitors are located.
Maps Users: Who needs it?
Obviously, every business owner with a website who also has a brick and mortar establishment has a need for customers to find their location; however, maps are also one of the easiest ways to jazz up a website, and they can be any size or placed anywhere on the site. Other business models that have a need for maps are operations based in real estate, builders, companies with multiple locations or branches, and any business that has restrictions/limitations based on geographical locations – free delivery within a certain range to name one example. Museums, news organizations, blogs, corporate websites all have a need for a map at some point. Entertainers or bands on tour can allow fans to keep track of their upcoming gigs. It’s harder to define a website that won’t need a map, than it is to name those that do. It’s a much shorter list. Maps can even be used to display where your subscribers or members are located, and they are a neat/sexy way to show other visitors who is online. Maps are quickly becoming one of the required features any website should have to meet the visitor’s expectations.
Maps Features: What does it do?
Although maps are typically inserted into websites utilizing their most basic feature (to show where the site owner or physical location is), but with a little imagination and research maps can do much more to enhance the overall appeal of your website. Modules are available that interface with a GPS enabled cell phone that allow your visitors to see exactly where you are in real time. The same extension could also be used to track outside sales personnel. With map extensions your customers can easily obtain driving or walking directions to your establishment, or they can have unlimited destinations on your map. Additionally, you can display address information, text (for exact directions or identify special features (look for the giant cowboy boots), and a thumbnail picture on a map marker. If your site is more scientific or technically oriented maps of the moon and mars are possibilities. Other map types include satellite, infrared, elevation, terrain, and other hybrid maps are all available.
Although many of these modules approach how they embed maps into your website differently, most share many of the same features and include:
• Ability to insert one of more Google Maps within content items or components.
• GIS map creation and publishing
• Zoom Controls and ability to select map type
• Ability to show public ip over the internet and the geographic location
Maps Benefits: What is achieved?
It is hard to overlook the obvious benefit maps in websites provide – your customers know how to find your establishment to do business with you. That alone is a good reason to include a map of some type in your site; especially when it’s so easy to do. They are arguably the only filler content that doesn’t annoy the viewer, and every site has an awkward position on the page that would benefit from something to keep the reader’s eye moving around the page.
Other advantages are maps present information in ways that we still use to teach our children today. Don’t forget charts can be substituted for maps, and charts and graphs are other proven methods to communicate valuable and important information. Today it is possible to animate each one of them - effectively creating an animated cartoon.
If the animated cartoon game seems too childish for your business, consider how many of today’s brightest rocket scientists love video games so dearly, and then look at the multibillion-dollar comic book, cartoon, and anime industry; it works for them very well. Tell me the last time you couldn’t go watch a new superhero movie in a theatre. People part with money for stuff that on a basic level is just an animated map, graph, or chart. That’s my kind of kid’s play.