Create a map with multiple locations - free and without code

You can create a map with multiple locations for free in two ways: as a simple pin map, for example with Google My Maps, or as a searchable location map, which the My Store Locator Free plan offers for up to 25 locations. A pin map is enough if visitors only need to see where you are. If they need to find their nearest location, you need a search by town or postcode.

This guide helps you choose, then shows how to build the map, put it on your website and keep it current.

Pin map or searchable location map?

Both show your locations as markers. The difference is who does the work.

With a map with multiple pins, visitors search themselves: they zoom into their area and click the right marker. That works while you have a manageable number of locations that are not packed closely together.

With a searchable location map, visitors enter a town, a postcode or their current location and get the nearest locations sorted by distance. They usually add opening hours, filters and actions such as calling or getting directions. More on what such a store locator does: What is a store locator?.

These questions help you decide:

• Do visitors search on their phones while out and about? Then "use my location" saves them zooming.
• Are several locations in the same town? Pins soon overlap, and a list sorted by distance is easier to read.
• Does it matter whether a location is open right now? Then the map needs maintained opening hours.
• Do you have different kinds of locations, such as branches and partners? Then filters help.

The more yeses, the more a searchable location map pays off. Typical examples are a care service with several sites in one region or a franchise system with many partners.

Ways to create a map with multiple pins, compared

Where My Store Locator fits: with two or three locations in one town you don't need a store locator - an address list or a pin map will do. My Store Locator is worth it once visitors should find their nearest location on their own, with a search by town, postcode or their own location, filters, opening hours and a link for directions. Up to 25 locations, it costs nothing.

Create a map with multiple locations in Google My Maps

Google My Maps is the free way to make a Google map with multiple pins. You need a Google account:

1. On a computer, sign in to My Maps and click Create a new map.
2. Click "Untitled map" at the top left and give the map a name.
3. Add your locations: search for an address and click Add to map, or set a point with Add marker. For a whole list, click Add layer, then Import; according to Google (external link), CSV and XLSX files work, with at most 2,000 rows per file.
4. In the left panel, click Share or the menu and choose Embed on my site. The map has to be public for this (Google's help page (external link)).

When an embedded Google map loads, your visitors' browsers send data such as their IP address to Google. In Germany, the common practice is therefore to ask for consent before the map loads. Where such a map reaches its limits, and what a self-built Google map involves, is covered in Google Maps DIY vs. a store locator.

Create your location map step by step with My Store Locator

This is the route to your first map on the Free plan; the walkthrough with every menu is in Getting started. To look around first, try the layouts with sample data on the templates page, no account needed.

1. Create an account. Sign up with your name, e-mail address, company name and a password. New accounts get a 14-day trial with all Pro features, then continue on the Free plan or upgrade. To stay free for good, plan for 25 locations and one map from the start.
2. Add your locations. Create each location with its name, street, postcode and city. Add phone, e-mail, website and opening hours right away, including two time slots per day and special days such as public holidays. On the Free plan you enter locations one by one. Which details are worth keeping is covered in How to add a store finder to your website.
3. Check the pins. An exact position needs latitude and longitude. Look at each pin and correct the position if a marker is off. With 25 locations this is quick, and it saves visitors a wasted trip.
4. Create the map and pick a layout. Create a map, name it, for example "Our locations", and choose which locations it shows. The Free plan includes three templates: List + map (list left, map right, for wide pages), Single location (one location large with all details and a switch to the next, for contact pages) and Mobile sheet (full-screen map with a list that slides up, for mostly mobile visitors). Colours, font and corners can be matched to your site on every plan.
5. Publish. New maps start as a draft, and visitors only see "Map not available". Set the map to "Published (live)" once everything is right, then embed it or share it as a link.

Already have your addresses in Excel?

With the CSV import you don't have to retype anything. It is not part of the Free plan but included from Starter, and the trial includes all Pro features, so the import too. You save the sheet as a CSV file and map the columns during the import. How to prepare the sheet is explained in Plot addresses from Excel on a map.

Embed a map with multiple locations on a website

Copy a ready-made code from the app's Embed Studio and paste it into an HTML or embed block on your page - no coding skills needed. Step-by-step guides for WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Webflow, Jimdo and plain HTML are on add a store locator to any website.

You don't even need a website of your own. Every map has a direct address and a QR code to download as SVG, for flyers, business cards or a shop window. Scanning it opens the map straight on the phone.

Keep the map up to date

A location map is only as good as its data. These points keep maintenance easy:

• New locations appear automatically on every map they are assigned to. Nothing changes on your website.
• A new look is no problem: if you change the template, the colours or the selection of locations, the embed code stays the same and your website picks up the change by itself.
• Planned or closed locations can be hidden via their status, so a location marked "Opening soon" can be maintained without appearing on the map.
• Public holidays and closures go in as special days in advance, so the map shows the right hours.
• The statistics show how often your map is viewed. The Free plan includes 1,000 map views per month. If you need more views or more than 25 locations, you upgrade and your data is kept.

Once several people maintain the data, you need a plan with more users (Starter: 2, Pro: 5); roles and permissions are part of the Business plan. A fixed maintenance routine helps on any plan.

Privacy: load the map only after a click

With My Store Locator, map tiles and the address search run through our server, and your visitors' IP address is not passed on. Hosting is in Germany, and the DPA is available on every plan. If your consent setup requires it, switch on "Load the map only after a click (GDPR)" in the Embed Studio, and the map loads only once the visitor clicks. This changes the embed code, so copy it again and replace the code already on your website. The legal background is covered in Store locators and GDPR.

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