Do I need a Google Maps API key?
No. The map uses OpenStreetMap, which needs no key and no account.
Is there a video tutorial?
Yes: Every setting, explained (2:06). Jump to a part:
- Add a store and find it on the map
- Import and export CSV
- Search box, Near me, distance and radius
- Directions, layout, map height and colors
- Load the map on click, starting zoom and tile server
The empty block, the CSV import and the Help panel in the block’s settings link to it too.
Where do I add my stores?
In the block itself. Select the block and open the Stores panel in the sidebar: add a store, fill in its address, and press Find on map. You can also click on the map to place a store, or drag its orange pin.
How should my CSV file look?
One store per row, with the column names in the first row. The block recognises common names such as name, address, city, postcode (or zip), country, phone, email, website, hours, lat (or latitude) and lng (or lon, longitude), and you can match any other column yourself. Commas or semicolons both work. Save the sheet as “CSV UTF-8” so accents stay right. If the file has no coordinates, press Find the places of … stores after the import. See an import in the video.
A store’s pin is in the wrong place
Place search is free but not perfect, especially for new streets or some countries. Open the store and drag its orange pin to the right spot, or type the latitude and longitude. Stores found without their postcode are marked in the list so you can check them. See it in the video.
How many stores can one block hold?
Up to 500. For more, add a second Store Locator block, for example one per country.
Is it GDPR friendly?
It sets no cookies and tracks nothing. Turn on Load the map on click in the Map settings so nothing is loaded from OpenStreetMap until the visitor asks, and mention OpenStreetMap in your privacy policy. You can also turn off the place search for visitors. See it in the video.
My site has a lot of visitors
OpenStreetMap’s own tile server is meant for light use. For a busy site, set the address of another tile server in the block’s Map settings (many providers offer free plans), with the credit they ask for.
Does it work with caching and optimization plugins?
Yes. The block uses no AJAX calls, and it finds its own files even when an optimization plugin combines or moves its scripts.
Can I use my own marker?
Yes: pick a picture (your logo or an icon) in Colors and marker. Or keep the pin and choose its color.
Can developers change the map or the place search?
Use the alsl_config filter. For example, to use another tile server and geocoder on the whole site:
add_filter( 'alsl_config', function ( $config ) { $config['tiles'] = 'https://tiles.example.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.png'; $config['geocoder'] = 'https://geocoder.example.com/search'; return $config; } );The geocoder must answer like Nominatim’s /search (JSON) or Photon (GeoJSON).