Adding maps can improve the effectiveness and usefulness of many kinds of websites. Plenty of WordPress map plugins can make developing and installing the perfect map a breeze.

For just a few examples:

• After customers find a store, restaurant, or office online, a map will ensure they also know how to find the physical location.
• Even online businesses that don’t expect people to visit can build trust by showing their physical location.
• Travel writers can use a map to enhance their content, even if they’re writing or video blogging about a destination halfway around the world.
• Real estate developers can use maps to help visualize completed projects or floor plans.
• Developers of fantasy worlds, such as within a video game, can even display maps of their invented worlds.

With the right plugin, it’s simple to add sophisticated, useful maps to WordPress websites. Mostly, a quick search of plugin directories will uncover so many options that it’s tough to know which one to choose. Some good sources of trusted map plugins include the official WordPress plugin repository and Code Canyon.

To save time and learn more about the kinds of map plugins, browse this list of the best map plugins.

1. WP Google Maps

Most website visitors have probably already used Google Maps on their PC or phone, so they’ll find this option very familiar. It’s simple to use and install, looks clean, and still offers plenty of features. It’s also possible to add routes to create a guide for travelers.

Even better, the free version provides plenty of Google Maps functionality to websites, including a responsive layout that works on desktops, mobile phones, and everything in between. WP Google Maps provides a great solution for people who just want to display a location and make sure people can find it from any device.

2. Image Map Pro for WordPress

On the other end of the spectrum from WP Google Map’s familiar appearance and functions, Image Map Pro provides website owners a way to use maps to make their sites more distinctive. You can use this plugin to display typical maps; however, you might choose it for your website if you need to create something different. For just a few examples, you could use this plugin to turn images into a map for a navigable floor plan, product prototype, planned development, or even a biological system or fantasy world.

Image Map Pro for WordPress sells for $39, and they charge extra for high-level support. Anybody who wants to make distinctive, useful maps out of images should consider this plugin.

3. WP Store Locator

This map offers the best choice for a simple map that can pinpoint multiple locations with pin markers. As the name suggests, it’s ideal for marking various locations of a store, office, or restaurant inside of a city. Some useful features include popup directions, custom labels, and the ability to limit the view by ZIP code or number of locations.

You can use the basic version of WP Store Locator for free. You can also pick and choose add-ons, which range from $19 to $99. WP Store Locator offers a great choice for anybody who wants to display multiple locations within a map.

4. Hero Maps Premium

Choose Hero Maps Premium when you want to control the look and feel of your maps. Some features include a drag-and-drop map builder, pin marker packs, and control of colors. You can create a list of various locations and then publish them on the map. Plus, you can even outline regions and routes. Also, users can filter out map elements, so they can see a version of the map that’s most useful to them. It’s fully responsive and integrates with Google Maps.

While there’s no free version, the paid version of Hero Maps Premium only costs $20. It provides website developers with a way to use the functionality of Google Maps to create their own unique, helpful maps.

5. Mapplic

Like Image Map Pro, Mapplic works with the user’s own images. While it comes with a set of geographical maps, it really shines when developers want to display such items as new developments, event layouts, resorts, or floor plans from their own images. Developers can even use Mapplic to create maps for video games. It also lets you add URLs to marker pins to take website visitors to another page.

The Mapplic plugin costs $46, and the developers charge an extra fee for support. Mapplic offers a streamlined experience for people who want to create maps from their own images or built-in maps.

What’s the Best WordPress Map Plugin for You?

Maps can help website developers improve their content by making the site more useful for visitors. In that way, they can attract and retain visitors, turn those visitors into customers, and even enhance SEO.

To choose the best map plugin, think about your goals. Do you want to help visitors find a location, understand a concept, or even visualize something that doesn’t even exist yet? Once you understand what benefits you want your maps to provide, you can choose the perfect plugin to support them.