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Tuesday, July 07, 2009
With the new
directions gadget
from Google Maps, any business can offer customized Google Maps directions to their business
locations. With the directions gadget, you no longer need to type and update multiple sets of
text directions. Let's face it: customers are only looking for directions from their specific
location.
Last week, I looked up directions to the hotel in Sacramento that I had booked for the 4th of
July weekend. As I had never been to that part of the state before, I was puzzled by the limited
directions offered by their website - I had no idea whether I was approaching from the North,
South, East or West or where the major highways were. What I needed were step-by-step directions
from my exact starting point to the hotel that I could easily print and go.
Google has made this process easy for you. By copying and pasting a single line of code, any
website can offer customized door-to-door directions powered by Google Maps to their users.
The gadget allows you to pre-fill the "To" field with one or multiple addresses. Customers are
able to print their directions with a single click. And for those who prefer not to drive, the
gadget also provides walking and public transit directions.
If someone enters a vague starting address, they have the option to specify a more exact address,
which will then fly into the "From" field.
Providing directions from Google Maps is very flexible; in addition to run-of-the-mill addresses,
you can give your customers directions to everything from a generic ZIP code to a specific set of
latitude-longitude coordinates for any of your locations. Example destinations:
123 River St, Woods, MA
90210
42.06782° N, 71.756963° W
You can also give your address an alias, or a name that everyone will understand. You can
do this by putting the alias in parentheses just after the address:
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],[],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe Google Maps directions gadget allows businesses to easily embed customized directions to their locations on their websites.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eBusinesses can provide directions from a user's specific location to one or multiple pre-filled destinations, including addresses, zip codes, and coordinates.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe gadget supports driving, walking, and public transit directions, and offers printing capabilities for user convenience.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUsers can refine vague starting addresses for more accurate directions, and businesses can use aliases for destinations (e.g., "Grandma's House").\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe directions gadget is available in 23 languages, making it accessible to a global audience.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Google Maps' directions gadget allows businesses to offer customized, door-to-door directions to their locations. Users input their starting point, and the gadget provides driving, walking, or public transit routes. Businesses can pre-fill destination addresses, including multiple options, ZIP codes, or latitude-longitude coordinates. Addresses can also have aliases. Customers can easily print directions with one click. The directions gadget is available in 23 languages and is showcased by examples from Legoland California, Emeril Lagasse, and Harvard University.\n"],null,["| It's been a while since we published this blog post. Some of the information may be outdated (for example, some images may be missing, and some links may not work anymore).\n\nTuesday, July 07, 2009\n\n\nWith the new\n[directions gadget](https://maps.google.com/help/maps/gadgets/directions/)\nfrom Google Maps, any business can offer customized Google Maps directions to their business\nlocations. With the directions gadget, you no longer need to type and update multiple sets of\ntext directions. Let's face it: customers are only looking for directions from their specific\nlocation.\n\n\nLast week, I looked up directions to the hotel in Sacramento that I had booked for the 4th of\nJuly weekend. As I had never been to that part of the state before, I was puzzled by the limited\ndirections offered by their website - I had no idea whether I was approaching from the North,\nSouth, East or West or where the major highways were. What I needed were step-by-step directions\nfrom my exact starting point to the hotel that I could easily print and go.\n\n\nGoogle has made this process easy for you. By copying and pasting a single line of code, any\nwebsite can offer customized door-to-door directions powered by Google Maps to their users.\n\n\nThe gadget allows you to pre-fill the \"To\" field with one or multiple addresses. Customers are\nable to print their directions with a single click. And for those who prefer not to drive, the\ngadget also provides walking and public transit directions.\n\n\nIf someone enters a vague starting address, they have the option to specify a more exact address,\nwhich will then fly into the \"From\" field.\n\n\nProviding directions from Google Maps is very flexible; in addition to run-of-the-mill addresses,\nyou can give your customers directions to everything from a generic ZIP code to a specific set of\nlatitude-longitude coordinates for any of your locations. Example destinations: \n\n```\n123 River St, Woods, MA\n90210\n42.06782° N, 71.756963° W\n```\n\n\nYou can also give your address an *alias*, or a name that everyone will understand. You can\ndo this by putting the alias in parentheses just after the address: \n\n```\n42.06782° N, 71.756963° W (Grandma's House)\n```\n\n\nTake a look at how\n[Legoland California](https://www.legoland.com/Plan-your-visit/directions.htm),\n[Emeril Lagasse](https://www.emerils.com/restaurants/), and\n[Harvard University](https://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/visit/directions)\nare using the gadget. And then\n[test and create your own directions gadget](https://maps.google.com/help/maps/gadgets/directions/).\nFor the many locations outside of the US, the gadget is available in 23 different languages.\n\nWritten by Julie Zhou, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps"]]
