I'm building a site for a friend's auto detail shop. I want to make a get directions link or button but I can't find a service that will work.

This is map to physical location.

I thought there might be a way I can just punch it in on google maps and get a directions page or a punch in your address querry but it just doesn't work. Yahoo maps doesn't work for this either. Nor mapquest.

How can I do it. I don't want to post the address or phone number on the website becuase it will get junkmail and sales calls plus it gets old giving directions over the telephone.

Anybody have experience with this?

Seems like it would be something really easy to do with all the online maps serivces but I can't seem to find a single one that is suited to this purpose.

Thanks anyone who can help.

Let me get this straight...you have a BUSINESS that doesn't want to give out its address and phone number? Uh, huh. You do want business, right? Businesses can, AFAIK, get on the Do Not Call list to block telemarketers, and there are numerous ways to stop junk mail, ask any local environmental group.

Just use Google Maps or Mapquest like most other local businesses.

tim

Originally Posted by serandfae

Let me get this straight...you have a BUSINESS that doesn't want to give out its address and phone number? Uh, huh. You do want business, right? Businesses can, AFAIK, get on the Do Not Call list to block telemarketers, and there are numerous ways to stop junk mail, ask any local environmental group.

Just use Google Maps or Mapquest like most other local businesses.

tim

Dude are you kidding me? I'm putting the phone number and address on the site in image form. Have you ever put your number on a web site. Do you have any idea how unsolicited sales calls you will get.

Furthermore many telemarketers get your name and number directly from the do not call list. So by adding your number to list you are just going to get called more.

It's not stopping the junk mail it's about not getting any in the first place.

Anyway I tried a few of those services and it doesn't work so great.

The idea was to try get a button that a potential customer can click punch in their address and get directions without knowing the shop's address.

Originally Posted by webspace

The idea was to try get a button that a potential customer can click punch in their address and get directions without knowing the shop's address.

I understood that the first time. I don't know of any service that does this, and since this post has been up awhile it doesn't appear anyone else does. But there's a reason for that...why would a potential customer want directions that don't include the end location?

I can understand to a point. I put my email addy in an image on my website, but it's visible in an alt attribute, munged, to be visible to screen readers, for accessibility's sake. But putting all your info in an image is bad both for accessibility and SEO. You do want people to be able to find where you are when they type in detail services for your location, right? Honestly, though, I've yet to see a local business' web site that doesn't post its address and phone number. Do you really want to be so "secure" that you're not getting the full benefit of having the site up in the first place?

tim

Why not just get a screen shot from one of the map services with the target area in the center zoomed out far enough to encompass the geographics (major roads and such) of your expected clientele, photoshop in an indicator of your location (red dot, arrow, whatever) and the address and any other information you deem fit for public consumption and let your customers make their own directions? Seems like a simple, if not elegant, solution.

Originally Posted by Neophyte

Why not just get a screen shot from one of the map services with the target area in the center zoomed out far enough to encompass the geographics (major roads and such) of your expected clientele, photoshop in an indicator of your location (red dot, arrow, whatever) and the address and any other information you deem fit for public consumption and let your customers make their own directions? Seems like a simple, if not elegant, solution.

Probably what I will end up doing.

Originally Posted by serandfae

I understood that the first time. I don't know of any service that does this, and since this post has been up awhile it doesn't appear anyone else does. But there's a reason for that...why would a potential customer want directions that don't include the end location?

I can understand to a point. I put my email addy in an image on my website, but it's visible in an alt attribute, munged, to be visible to screen readers, for accessibility's sake. But putting all your info in an image is bad both for accessibility and SEO. You do want people to be able to find where you are when they type in detail services for your location, right? Honestly, though, I've yet to see a local business' web site that doesn't post its address and phone number. Do you really want to be so "secure" that you're not getting the full benefit of having the site up in the first place?

tim

I suppose I could make an app that will record the user's IP and gives directions automatically. If I had any idea how that stuff works.