Episode 3 - When to use maps on your website

In this episode, we talk about maps on your website and if you should place maps on your website? Understanding how to properly use maps on a website can enhance the user experience.

Not everyone talks about when to use maps on a website, however, no one ever talks about the function of maps on websites. Maps show a user where the physical location of a company or business is. If you have a physical store or retail store, having a map that displays your Google listing can establish trust with a visitor on your website.

When I was young, I remember that we still used physical maps to navigate and find our way around. Today, we use our smartphones and map apps like Google Maps or Waze to find a location or directions. It is interesting to look at where we come from, how we evolved, and how this translates to the way people use and interact with maps on a website.

We discuss how many websites frustrate the site visitors by obstructing information with a map. Many times, the important contact information on a page is at the bottom of the page and a map is placed at the top, sometimes filling the entire screen. Most of the time, the telephone number, email address or contact form is more important and should be displayed to the user before the map since it is useful to the end-user.

Another important point that we discuss is the additional resources and loading times that result from embedding a map on your website. Your website has to make external calls to the Google API or map service being used and this can severely impact the loading time on a page. Maps can still be used in a good and resource-friendly way if implemented correctly. Sometimes your website speed is more important than embedding a map, especially if the map serves no purpose.

There are however many cases where maps can and should be used on a website. One good example is to display route information, for example in the case of a cycling race, where a cyclist can view the route online. Another good example is for a retail store with multiple locations where a map is used to display different physical stores and locations.

There are also many cases with back end applications or web applications where maps are used as a tool to visualize specific geo-location information.

Always think about what the purpose of the map is on a website and what value it adds to the user experience. How important is the map and is it really necessary to display your location on a map? Always think about what the impact will be when adding a map on your website.