Creating a custom branch locator on a WordPress website is now a necessity for businesses with multiple branches, dealerships, or service points. Customers want to find the nearest location quickly and easily, while businesses need to make sure the map displayed is brand-appropriate and easy to manage.
One practical solution for creating a custom branch locator is to use the WP Location Finder plugin. The plugin features location categories, advanced search filters, and a customizable map design to keep it aligned with your brand identity. How do I set up and display this locator in WordPress? Check out the full explanation below!
How a Custom Locator Improves Local SEO and Store Visits
Installing a custom branch locator on your website not only makes it easier for customers to find your nearest branch, but also has a huge impact on your business’s performance in local search results. Google is increasingly prioritizing results that display complete and easily accessible maps, addresses, and location information.
Some of the key benefits you can get with a custom locator in WordPress include.
- Increased Visibility on Google Maps and Local Searches – By displaying complete, structured, and interactive location information, your website is more likely to appear in Google Maps search results or local searches such as “nearby dealers” or “service center in [city name]”.
- Encourage More Physical Visits to Branches or Dealerships – Locators with interactive maps, directions, and search filters make it easy for customers to find the nearest branch they need. The easier the access to information, the more likely they are to visit your business location in person.
- Increase Brand Trust and Professionalism – A website that provides a modern and responsive locator feature shows that your business is credible and prioritizes customer convenience. This indirectly improves your brand image in the eyes of potential customers.
Designing a Custom Branch Locator with WP Location Finder
Creating a custom branch locator that fits your brand’s needs doesn’t have to be complicated. With WP Location Finder, you can add business locations such as dealerships, branches, or service centers and organize them so that customers can easily find them.
Adding a New Branch Location
To add a new location, navigate to All Locations and click on Add New Location. The editor is split into two main sections: on the left, you’ll input all relevant details for the location, while the right side provides a real-time map preview.
Begin by entering the Location Name, then use the Search Address feature to set the map coordinates (latitude and longitude) automatically. If needed, you can also reveal the full address fields by clicking the arrow beneath the map and filling them out manually.
As you scroll down, additional customization options are available.
- Featured Image: Upload a primary image that represents the location
- Image Gallery: Add more images to provide visual context
- Marker Icon: Select an icon for the location marker or upload a custom one
- Contact URL & Override URL: Include links for additional information or to redirect visitors
- Tags: Assign tags to better categorize and filter locations
- SEO Settings: Optimize the location’s visibility with an SEO title and meta description
Finally, you can assign one or more categories to each location to maintain clear organization and simplify management.
Organizing Your Locations with Categories
After that, you can organize the categories of your locations. The category feature makes it easy for you to group different types of locations. For example, you can separate authorized dealers, service centers, and regular store branches into different categories. When users open the locator, they can immediately select the type of location that suits their needs. This category management can be accessed directly from the WordPress dashboard, making it convenient and efficient.
WP Location Finder supports this grouping through the Location Categories feature. You can add categories directly from the WordPress dashboard as needed, as shown in the following image. On this page, you can fill in the category name and slug and select a parent category if needed. This way, all locations on the map can be displayed in a structured manner according to their respective categories, making searching easier and improving user experience.
Customizing Map Design to Match Your Brand
Apart from content, the locator’s visual design is also important to maintain brand consistency. WP Location Finder allows you to customize the appearance of the map, from marker colors and custom icons to map color themes. That way, the locator that appears on the website is not only functional but also in line with your business’s visual identity.
Don’t worry, WP Location Finder also provides an easy-to-use design settings panel, as shown in the following image. You can change the color of the search button, select category-specific marker icons, and customize the appearance of other elements right from your WordPress dashboard. This feature makes it easy to create a locator that is not only informative but also consistent with your business’s visual identity and design preferences.
Enabling Search by Distance, Branch Type, or Service
One of the advantages of WP Location Finder is the flexibility in search features that you can customize directly from the WordPress dashboard. You can activate in the Settings menu for various filter options such as radius or a certain distance, so that users can search for the nearest location automatically based on the distance of choice, for example, 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, up to 100 km as needed.
In addition, you can also create and add new filter categories, allowing you to filter by location, branch type, country, service, and custom tags. This feature is especially useful for businesses with multiple service points or dealerships, as users can filter search results according to their preferences, without having to view the entire list of locations.
How to Display the Locator on Your WordPress Website
Once all the branch or dealer data has been inputted, the next step is to display the locator map on the website. With WP Location Finder, this process is very flexible. You can choose to use shortcodes, integrate with the page builder, or create a dedicated page that focuses on the locator feature.
WP Location Finder automatically provides a shortcode every time you create a location or map configuration. This shortcode can be copied and pasted into pages, posts, or even widgets on your website.
For example, if you’re using an editor like Gutenberg, Elementor, or WPBakery, simply insert the shortcode in a text block or custom element, then insert the shortcode you got. The locator will instantly display according to your settings.
Best Practices for an Effective Branch Locator
To get the best results from the custom branch locator feature in WordPress, there are some recommended practices when managing and displaying location maps.
Keep Location Data Accurate and Up to Date
The accuracy of location data is key to the success of a branch locator. Make sure all information such as location name, full address, coordinates, operating hours, and available services are always updated. Inaccurate or outdated data can misdirect customers and lower the credibility of your business.
Also, update service categories or filters if there are changes at a particular branch or dealership. That way, users who search for locations through the website will get relevant results and according to the latest conditions, thus increasing their trust and comfort.
Use Map Design That Matches Your Brand Identity
The map display you use should be in line with your brand’s visual identity. WP Location Finder allows you to customize elements such as marker colors, category icons, and map color themes to make it look professional and business-appropriate.
With a consistent map design, your website will look more organized, modern, and trustworthy. Harmonious visuals also make users more comfortable when using the location search feature, so they can stay longer on your website.
Maximize the Use of Smart Filtering
Filtering is an important feature to make it easier for users to find locations that suit their needs, especially if your business has many branches or service points. Make sure all categories, service types, and search distances are well organized so that search results are more relevant.
Intuitive and easy-to-use filters will speed up the search process, so users don’t have to scroll through the entire list of locations manually. Besides improving efficiency, this feature also gives the impression that your website is user-friendly and organized.
Create a Dedicated “Find a Dealer” or “Our Locations” Page
Providing a dedicated page that lists branches, dealerships, or service points makes your website more structured. Pages such as “Find a Dealer” or “Our Locations” can be the main hub of information, making it easy for users to access all locations and interactive search features.
These dedicated pages make navigation easier and provide greater opportunities to optimize local SEO. You can add supporting text, business descriptions, and local keywords on these pages, increasing your website’s visibility in Google search results.
Conclusion
By utilizing WP Location Finder, you can create a custom branch locator in WordPress that is not only functional but also improves user convenience, visual consistency, and local SEO performance. There is no need for complex technical skills, just a few configuration steps, and the interactive map is ready to go.
Make location search easier and more interactive to increase trust and drive business growth.
Snehil Prakash is a serial entrepreneur, IT and SaaS marketing leader, AI Reader and innovator, Author and blogger. He loves talking about Software's, AI driven business and consulting Software business owner for their 0 to 1 strategic growth plans.
