Sure it does that, but did you know it could do more? PrettyRoutesPro is one of our most popular add-ons and a perfect companion to MapifyPro. It works as a free-standing product, or combines with the features included with MapifyPro. Either way, it’s one of the most versatile route-building products for WordPress.

However, some features and uses of this awesome plugin aren’t extremely obvious. So, let’s shed some light on the “Top 5 Maybe you Didn’t Know It Could Do This” features of PrettyRoutesPro!

Unlimited WayPoints For Building Routes

Unlike competing map route plugins for WordPress, PrettyRoutesPro has no limitations on waypoints. Double click to add them manually, or enter the address in the field area, and the route is generated automatically via our GPS API. Drag and drop to perfect your routes, change the color and boom, insta-routes!

Off-Road Routes Mode

Showcase park trails, mountain-biking paths, and other “off the beaten path” adventures! Off-road mode let’s you create any route you like without relying on GPS data. PrettyRoutes will also reference the nearest street while you build off road, which is perfect for connecting to a separate GPD-based “On Road” road to guide your visitors.

Build an Automated Tour

Combined with MapifyPro, you can build a guided tour via the filter feature, which will walk visitors step-by-step through any route. This automated tour can be used on any mobile device in real-time, enriching each tour with photos, video, and detailed information on any landmark or experience along the way.

Poly lines and Custom Shapes

Off Road mode doubles as a “free draw” mode, allowing you to create virtually any shape. Use this feature to outline entire regions, countries and states, or to draw arrows and other shapes on your maps!

A Versatile Library of Routes for WordPress

The flexibility of a complete library of routes—each with their own colors, styles, and modes—that can be placed anywhere in your site can’t be overstated. Include relevant routes within blog articles to showcase a favorite hiking path, or collect a series of routes in a single map. It’s totally up to you as your route library can be combined any way you like within your library of MapifyPro powered maps.

Oh, it’s on sale! Get the best routes for WordPress for a single payment of $8.

That covers the “Top 5 Maybe you Didn’t Know It Could Do This” features of PrettyRoutesPro. Grab this handy little add-on, PrettyRoutesPro, right here for a single payment of only $8 bucks, and start enjoying these awesome features!

The post Top Five Uses For PrettyRoutesPro appeared first on MapifyPro.

Want to share your own adventures? We used MapifyPro and PrettyRoutes to build the map above, and so can you!

The post Our Trip to Key West appeared first on MapifyPro.

The short answer to this is that MapifyPro outgrew that model quite some time ago. Though there are some great plugins on CodeCanyon (we even have a few up there), for the most part it boils down to the fact that it is essentially filled with buggy, unmaintained, and simplified plugins that don’t hold a candle to the capabilities of MapifyPro.

MapifyPro, the software itself, has cost over $25,000 to develop, and that doesn’t even consider the Shopify version. That means if you wanted to hire a development team to build the exact same map plugin for WordPress, then you’d have to invest at least that amount, and that doesn’t count for the prototyping and design, which I took care of myself. At $19 per month, it would take you over 1300 months (109 years) to reach that cost.

In truth, we’ve priced our new model to be one of the most reasonable investments you can find when comparing to competitors. Of course each software bears distinctions, but for the most part the features are similar across the board and, if we’re being honest, none have as many features as MapifyPro, and all of them lock away features behind higher tier pay walls. Let’s have a look at a few competitors:

Storemapper: $19/month for the cheapest plan, which is very limiting in locations, AND site traffic. That’s a lot to monitor, and to unlock it you’ll be paying $59 a month. With Mapifypro we don’t mess with limitations: you simply get unlimited functionality for one low price.

StorePoint.Co: StorePoint bumps up to $25 for the minimum usage, and unlocks the full features at $69/month, and these are their sale prices.

StoreLocatorWidgets: Also similar to the previous 2 examples, with the very basic and limiting plan at $19/month, and full access at a blistering $199 per month!

With some Googling, you’ll see that this is a common model, and also see that MapifyPro is actually one of the most feature-rich solutions out there, with zero limitations, and more features than the competition. Even more important, it allows us to engage with customers more, add requested features, and provide the ultimate support scenario with our new team of support agents, who we are actively interviewing at the time of publishing this article.

For these reasons, and those shared by current customers, we hope you see the value and how MapifyPro is the best store locator plugin for WordPress.

The post The Value of MapifyPro appeared first on MapifyPro.

This means anyone using Google Maps, whether straight up or integrated in a plugin, will now face being charged, regardless if they are a commercial entity, hobbyist, or non-profit. Check out the details here.

Google Browser Key

Back in 2016, Google started requiring the use of a Google Browser Key, which was essentially a tracking code that let them monitor how many users viewed your maps on a minute-to-minute basis. MapifyPro customers may remember this from previous versions of our own software. If you didn’t create your code. Google Maps (and all plugins built upon the platform) simply didn’t work.

They Have Every Right to Charge for Their Products

It’s clear now that they had a master plan. Google loves to spin their cash-grabs as beneficial to their customers (“This new plan gives you more flexibility and control over how you use our APIs” ….No, they don’t actually.), but this is plainly that: A cash grab. Now, they have every right to charge for their products, and they offer a somewhat generous buffer before the pay wall hits, but it’s also very predatory in how they’ve rolled it out. They’ve essentially conditioned their users—many whom will not realize they may eventually be charged—into implementing and relying on their platform before hitting them with this new payment requirement. No grandfathering in on this one: you either pay, or you remove Google Maps from your site. Even if you fall into the “free zone” you’ll still need to monitor and hope your traffic doesn’t hit their numbers that require a charge. Hoping for lower traffic on your site anyone? Didn’t think so.

Our team at MapifyPro foresaw this back in 2016, and knew it was time to move our software to a new platform. MapifyPro no longer uses Google Maps as a foundation, and hasn’t since last year. While it was a scary (and expensive) move for us in the beginning, we’ve found that the new system not only ditches the creepy “big brother” surveillance from Google, but it’s also simply better in every way. It’s just as powerful, allows for more features, ditches Google branding and legal restrictions, and of course contains no monitoring. It just works, and it always will.

We’ve had multiple, direct discussions with Google and the path they were taking, and we’ve discovered that numerous plugins are using their platform (the Google Maps API) illegally per changes made in 2016. It is understandable however because Google releases updates to their terms of use as they see fit, and they contain game-changers, just like this new update, that suddenly mention previously nonexistent charges. Developers can’t keep up, and suddenly find themselves facing legal issues with the Google giants, who promptly tell them to pay up or shut down. On top of it, they give them 30 days to do so, lest face legal action. Again, we get it: We shouldn’t expect to be spoiled into thinking we should have everything at no cost, but this is a pretty shady “gotcha” tactic, coupled with straight-out bullying. Not the type of companies we want to work with.

But that is a thing of the past with MapifyPro, and we’ve made some serious lemonade out of those lemons. Better maps, just as powerful, and not a single entity tapping your shoulder asking for more cash. We’re the first plugin to move away from the giants that are Google Maps, but certainly not the last. Be sure to check out our demos to see for yourself.

FAQ

The post Yep, Google Maps Really is Charging Everyone. appeared first on MapifyPro.

Say goodbye to API Activation
We’ve been doing some deep meditation on the ongoing state of MapifyPro’s API Keys. After much thought and introspection, we have decided to remove the need to activate MapifyPro until a more user-friendly solution is available. You must still have an active subscription to our software (we have to keep the pesky pirates at bay after all) but after updating to the latest version of MapifyPro, you’ll no longer need to manually activate it via API.

Google Lays Down The Law

Ultimately we will always be under Google’s thumb when it comes to using their API, and recently they have released a new requirement: Each instance of MapifyPro must be associated with a Google Maps Key Code. This means you need to create a code and enter it in wp-admin in order to properly display any instance of Google Maps. That includes MapifyPro. Luckily, it’s as easy as can be. Just follow these simple steps:

1. After setting up a Google developer’s account, simply grab your key here.

2. In your WP-admin, navigate to the MapifyPro tab, and select “MapifyPro Settings”. You’ll see the field where you need to paste the code. It’s as easy as that. Note however that you MUST update to the latest version of MapifyPro to see this new field. Here’s a visual:

The post MapifyPro Version 2.4.6 Released appeared first on MapifyPro.

-Fixed an issue where pinpoint image urls were not linking correctly, causing them to be hidden.

-Updated for more compatibility for more themes. Fixed a common issue where some users saw a double scroll bar on their site.

-Optimized the speed of the plugin for better performance.

-Optimized the batch uploader for better performance.

-Misc. tweaks and optimization of the Google API.

The post Version 2.3.5 Release Notes appeared first on MapifyPro.

We’re extremely excited today. Why? Because we have something new for you, and it’s something that the MapifyPro community voted for. Perhaps the most highly requested feature in the two years MapifyPro has been around culminates into this new product, and we’re pretty sure it’s the only plugin of its kind.

Introducing CrowdMaps! This is an incredibly powerful plugin that allows ANYONE to submit locations to your maps. Any map in your collection can enable this powerful feature, turning your typical MapifyPro map into a user-generated powerhouse of traffic. It also works with images if you want to go that route.

How’s It Work

Simple: Anyone can visit your map from any device to add a location. After dragging the marker to the perfect spot, they can then add photos, a video, and details on the location. After that, they click “submit” and the location is sent to you for approval. It’s as simple as that.

Try It For Yourself!

We don’t need to talk about it really, just submit your location below to see how it works. Like it? Grab a copy here.

Within

Any Within All Within

5 km 10 km 25 km 50 km 100 km 500 km

of

of

(Multiple)

+

Default View Mapify Locations Visitor Locations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 

Default View Mapify Locations Visitor Locations

 

FAQ

The post Introducing CrowdMaps! appeared first on MapifyPro.

Vote On MapifyPro Next Product!

Details

MapifyPro is ready to create a new piece of software to make our maps even more robust, but we want your opinion! Though we’ll eventually get to both of these products, we’re asking our community which they would prefer us to build first:

1. Member-based Maps


This add-on will add the ability for the public, or members, to submit map locations to any active map. They simply go to the page where the map exists, select “Add a new location” and bingo: The location is added to the map. Settings will allow the admin to specify if they must first approve locations, or require member sign-up before the user can add a location. This add-on will bring full community-built maps to MapifyPro, and means your visitors can add locations to the maps and include location details, pop-up information, photos, and more!

2. A Map Focused Theme


This will be our first theme focused specifically for map-focused websites. Perfect for small businesses, realtors, event-coordinators, and more. This theme will have multiple templates that will present full-screen maps within a cutting edge design. It will be fully responsive, and 100% optimized for MapifyPro, and our other plugins. This means you will have everything you need to build an extremely powerful website and ensure the optimum map-based experience.

[poll id="1"]

FAQ

The post Vote On Our Next Product! appeared first on MapifyPro.

MapifyPro WPLift Review

The kind folks at WPLift have published a thorough MapifyPro review. Check out the snippet (picture).

The Snippet

This is a great example of a plugin that makes something quite complicated and simplifies it for the user – it was extremely easy to install and intuitive to setup. I like the fact you can use custom images for the map and markers etc – this gives you the option to really make your map unique and match it in with your site’s design. Give [MapifyPro] a go if you are looking for something to add customized Google maps to WordPress for you.

A special thanks to WPLift and Oliver Dale for the nice writeup! Check out the full review of MapifyPro here.

FAQ

The post MapifyPro WPLift Review appeared first on MapifyPro.

MapifyPro 2.2.2 New Features!

Tooltip Transparency Control

Now, not only can you specify the color of the tooltip, but also the transparency level. This means you can have a fully-solid tooltip of any color, or go for a more sleek look like on our demo, which uses a slight transparency with a black tooltip. Any color can be applied just as in earlier versions, but this provides another level of customization.

Duplicate Locations With a Single Click

Many locations added to the map have very similar content. MapifyPro is fully compatible with Duplicate Post, a separate (free!) plugin that allows you to easily “Clone” locations and posts. By clicking the clone option under a location, it will create exactly that: an exact duplicate of everything you created while adding the initial location.

This means that the title, all info, photos, video, map marker icon, and the map location will be duplicated, making it MUCH easier when posting similar locations. Even the filters used with the location are duplicated, meaning you only need to tweak the details instead of creating everything from scratch. Trust us, this is an AWESOME feature and we used it when we made the home page demos maps.

Free MapifyPro Features: June 2015

Updated Features

Based on customer feedback, we realized that a few features needed some, er, tweaks. Here’s what we’ve updated to make life easier:

Accent Color Updated Functionality

The “Accent Color” setting in the Map Settings now applies to the Directions button and links on all variations of ther pop-up. Previously it only applied to the Article format when adding a blog post to the map.

No More Repeating Locations in Custom Image Mode

This was a pesky setting in the Google Maps Image Mode that forced locations to repeat indefinitely to the left and right of your map in Custom Image Mode. This has been addressed and locations will only appear on the actual map portion, and no longer repeat. Check out the Image Mode demo on the home page to check it out.

Shortcode Update

A small but useful tweak. Shortcodes now support height and width values of 100%, rather than only pixel dimensions. This will help those off you who want fullscreen maps.

Miscellaneous Tweaks and Fixes

• Just some standard updates to make sure things run smoothly:
• Updates to ensure compatibility with WordPress 4.2+
• Misc. stability fixes and compatibility updates for various themes.
• Updated the fonts to be more self contained and not use those from the theme. This keeps it more self-contained and less conflict-y with themes.

PrettyRoutesPro Update:

We’ve updated PrettyRoutesPro to ensure compatibility with WordPress 4.2+ and the updates applied to MapifyPro in this update. We’ve also address an issue where icons were not appearing, and maps were not showing.

That’s all for this update! As always, all updates are free to subscribers (Meaning customers) and we’ve got more in the works. Again we want to extend a huge thank you to the community for offering these suggestions, and for bearing with us during our transition to the new website. Luckily the tough times are behind us and we’re focusing on build the best team of developers around. Good things ahead

—Josh
Owner and Traveler :::: MapifyPro.com

The post Free MapifyPro Features: June 2015 appeared first on MapifyPro.