Google Maps Strategies – Keep Users On Your Website

A lot of websites offer their users a map of some sort showing where their offices are located, where an event is going to be or even a route or travel plan. Google Maps is getting used more and more often to achieve the desire or need of a map. They offer a robust API and you can pretty much do everything you need/want with it. The possibilities are almost limitless. The biggest limiting factor does not come from Google though, but from your website.

The Need/Problem
You need a map, but are not sure where to put it, there is just not enough real-estate on the site to accommodate a large enough map for your needs. How about the side bar, not big enough, just use a static image and link out to Google Maps. OOF! The user is now off your site and tiny maps stink. So, is there a solution to this problem? An easy place to put the map that keeps your important information prioritized, as well as giving the user a large enough map to use? Luckily there is!

The Solution
Slap that bad boy in a lightbox. A nicely designed, large, full page view of the map with all the functionality you can give it, customized to your needs. Not taking up 90% of the precious viewable area on your beautiful site, keeping your important information prioritized, not having to figure out where it should go, not having your users leave and losing valuable conversion tracking. Just a nice lightbox that can be accessed from anywhere on your site, however you want.

Putting your map in a lightbox is beneficial to the website owner as well as the user.

For the website owner:

1. Users do not leave the site or current page
2. Not constrained to the layout of the site
3. Can customize and add features to better the experience of the user
4. You do not need to worry about competitors ads in the sidebar of the map

For the users:

1. Everything is on the site
2. No leaving or feeling lost, looking for the map etc.
3. Can be accessed from anywhere on the site
4. Looks nice – pretty overlays
5. Can find the content they need or want and get the map when they ask for it

In conclusion
Putting your map in a lightbox makes sense. It adds benefits to the website owner, and also increases the experience of the user. You are not constrained to the layout of your site, it is easy to include on every page. And it looks good.

Related Reading
Lightbox options:

• Prototype/Scriptaculous
  • Lightview
  • Lightbox 2
• jQuery
  • FancyBox
  • jQuery Lightbox Plugin 0.5
• Example in action

Articles:

• Getting Lightbox and GMap to Play Nice Together: How? Slimbox
• Why another light -’whatever’?
• CSS Tricks – jQuery Lightbox and Google Maps