Create categories and filters

Create categories

Open Categories and create the choices visitors genuinely use to narrow the network. A category can represent product availability, store type, service, accreditation or an amenity. Give each one a concise public name.

Avoid creating a category for facts that nobody will filter by. A long toolbar makes the visitor interpret the data model instead of finding a location.

Group related options

Put related categories into groups such as Store type, Services or Amenities. Groups render as separate filter sections instead of one undifferentiated list. Set their visitor-facing labels and ordering from the category manager.

Assign locations

1. 1

   Open a location

   Choose the categories that are true for that record.
2. 2

   Repeat or import

   For large networks, map category values during CSV import or Google Sheets synchronization instead of editing one location at a time.
3. 3

   Test representative combinations

   Check one location with several tags and one with none so the visitor result is predictable.

Configure filter behavior

Open Configure → Filters after the category records exist.

• Dropdown per group keeps many options compact. Inline checkboxes expose a small set immediately.
• Match any returns a location carrying at least one selected category. Match all requires every selected category and narrows more aggressively.
• Filter counts show how many locations each choice can match before the visitor selects it.
• Filter headings are useful with several groups and redundant when only one group exists.
• Filter placement can keep filters in the top toolbar, place them above the results or hide them when the surrounding page owns filtering.
• Refit map adjusts the visible map after a filter changes, while Ungrouped filters controls whether categories without a public group remain available.

Keep match-any as the default unless the visitor is building a precise combination such as a stockist carrying several required product lines.

See the complete custom filters capability for worked examples, visitor outcomes and the boundaries of category-based filtering.