The new easy-to-use software makes any website more interactive and engaging for users or customers with the addition of interactive maps or diagrams. Interactive maps can be used to show the geographic locations of sales offices, show photos on a floor plan, present location or site maps for real estate, or add diagrams or illustrations with more detailed explanations.
An interactive map may have “hotspots,” which are locations on an image or map that you can move your mouse over or click to display more information about a location or to link to other web pages. For example, a map of a shopping mall can come to life with pop-ups that display a photo of the store front, information about the products the store offers, the store’s phone number, website, and more.
We’ve all seen world maps that ask us to click on a country or country maps that ask us to click on a state to get more information. But new generations of interactive map software offer more advanced features. In the old days, you had to be a web programmer to make an interactive map. With new interactive map software, it’s easier than ever to create them.
These are great for guided tours of museums or college campuses, both on the web and at on-site kiosks. They can be valuable in teaching students and learners of all ages about geographic locations and encouraging exploration of countries, regions, communities, and cities.
Other uses of interactive maps include diagrams of complex or technical machines that can show what each part does, physical or electrical characteristics, or other technical data aimed at a target audience. Some companies are using interactive diagrams to help customers find replacement parts: the user can hover over the part on the diagram and find its part number, cost, if it’s in stock, and can even click to buy it.
People who create websites don’t always think, “I need a map on my website.” But adding an interactive image or “map” to a web page can attract visitors and keep them on your site longer. Interactive maps can help people understand business products and services and make them easier to understand and more desirable.
Increasingly, web designers, businesses, nonprofits, and others are turning to MapsAlive (www.mapsalive.com), which recently released version 3, with even more user-friendly features. In fact, MapsAlive has a free trial version that lets you see how easy it is to use and how well it can work for you.
Interactive maps created with MapsAlive can be embedded directly into your web page as a YouTube video or you can use the map as a stand-alone website with its own URL. Maps, images and other content can be updated at any time and changes will be visible on the web immediately.
