Store locator FAQ
Including the ones with awkward answers. If you are comparing locators, the pricing and the Storepoint comparison are the sections worth reading.
What it is
What is a store locator?
A store locator is a searchable map on a business's own website that shows visitors where its locations are and which one is nearest them. A visitor types a town or postcode, and the locator sorts results by distance, shows opening hours and contact details, and links straight to directions. The same tool is called a dealer locator, stockist finder or "where to buy" page depending on the industry.
How do I add a store locator to my website?
Import your locations from a CSV, choose a layout, and paste one line of script into the page where the map should appear. On Shopify that is a page in Show HTML mode, on WordPress a Custom HTML block, on Squarespace a Code Block, on Webflow an Embed element, and on Wix an Embed HTML element. There is no plugin to install and nothing to redeploy when you later change a setting.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. The only technical step is pasting one line of script into a page, which every major site builder has a block for. All 86 available settings, including colors, fonts, layouts, filters, map styles, markers and wording, are controlled in the dashboard. Custom CSS is available but not required.
How long does it take to set up?
Setup follows three steps: import and review your locations, choose and style a starting design, then paste the embed into your site and check the published page.
Pricing and trial
How much does a store locator cost?
Handled Locator starts at $19 a month for 200 locations, with $39 for 2,000 and $79 for 10,000. Competitors that include the map in the price typically run $25 to $99 a month for comparable tiers. Above 10,000 locations, pricing is scoped per customer rather than published.
Is there a free store locator?
There is a 7-day free trial with no card required, but no free plan afterwards. When the trial ends the locator stops serving on your site until you choose a plan. Nothing is deleted, and picking a plan restores it immediately.
What happens when the trial ends?
Your locator stops serving on your website and visitors stop seeing it. Your locations, settings and styling stay exactly as you left them, so choosing a plan brings everything straight back. We would rather say this plainly than let a site go quiet unexplained.
Can I change plans later?
Yes, in either direction, from the billing screen. Moving down is only blocked if you currently hold more locations than the smaller plan allows, in which case you would remove some first.
Maps and keys
Why do I need my own Mapbox or Google Maps key?
It keeps map usage between you and the provider. Mapbox or Google bills that traffic directly at its own prices, while the Handled subscription covers the locator product, location capacity and team seats.
How do I get a Mapbox key?
Create a free Mapbox account, open the Access Tokens page, and copy the default public token. Restrict it to your own domain before you use it, since a public map token is visible in any page's source. The dashboard walks you through these steps at the point you need the key.
Can I use Google Maps instead of Mapbox?
Yes. Both providers are supported and you can switch without changing the embed or location data. Start with streets, light, dark or satellite, then connect a published Mapbox Studio Style URL or Google cloud Map ID when you need a custom base map.
Can I upload a custom store locator marker?
Yes. Handled can draw transparent PNG, WebP or safe SVG artwork instead of a pin, with a configurable 16 to 96 pixel size and either a centered or bottom-edge coordinate anchor. Pins, dots, logo markers, numbering and three cluster shapes remain available too.
Is my map key safe?
A public map key is designed to be visible in page source; that is how the map loads in the visitor's browser, and it is true of every locator product including the ones that supply the key themselves. Safety comes from restricting the key to your own domain in the provider's console, which we prompt you to do.
Platforms
Does it work with Shopify?
Yes. Create or open your locations page, switch the editor to Show HTML, and paste the embed. It is a plain script rather than a Shopify app, so there is nothing to authorise and no app permissions to grant.
Does it work with WordPress?
Yes, through a Custom HTML block in the page or post editor. There is no plugin to install or keep updated, which also means nothing to break on a WordPress core update.
Which website platforms are supported?
Shopify, WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow and Wix each have a step-by-step install guide, and any page you can paste HTML into works identically. The locator is a single custom element that renders in a shadow root, so it cannot collide with your site's CSS and your site's CSS cannot break it.
Limits and scale
How many locations can a store locator handle?
Up to 10,000 per account on the published plans. That is a tested figure rather than a marketing one: 5,002 locations returned in 4.0 seconds in testing, with the first result on screen in 1.65 seconds. Past the ceiling the API reports that it has truncated rather than silently returning less.
What if I have more than 10,000 locations?
Enterprise covers 10,000+ locations or custom requirements. Handled scopes volume, seats, support, integrations and engineering around your data and customer needs. Email hello@handledlocal.com with a rough location count and the behaviour you need.
Will it slow my website down?
The widget stays under 95 KB gzipped in total, including search, filters, results and the map adapter. It loads after your page rather than blocking it and has been verified on a third-party origin in Chromium, Firefox and WebKit.
Can visitors search by service area rather than address?
Yes. A location can be a coverage zone rather than a point, with a radius the map draws, which is what a mobile, delivery or installation business needs. Visitors searching inside that zone match the location even though there is no shopfront at a specific address.
Comparisons
How is this different from Storepoint or StoreRocket?
Handled starts at $19 and asks you to connect your own map-provider key, so Mapbox or Google bills map usage directly. Self-serve plans differ by price, location capacity and seats, with every working feature included. One initial done-for-you brand match and one revision are included after activating any paid plan. What established alternatives may have that we do not: generated location pages and a public REST location write API.
What does Handled Locator not do?
There is no generated page per location, no public REST API for writing location data and no scheduled promotional-banner rules engine. The widget does emit documented, privacy-safe browser events for search, selection and visitor actions.
Your data
Can I keep locations in Google Sheets?
Yes. Connect one spreadsheet, choose a stable location-ID column and map the fields Handled should control. Every manual run previews creates, updates, conflicts and rows missing from the source; hourly or daily sync applies safe changes while leaving conflicts and missing rows unchanged. Handled reads the selected file and never writes back to it.
Can I export my locations?
Yes, as CSV at any time, in the shape you put them in. Your data is not the lock-in and you do not need to ask us for it.
Do you track visitors to my site?
No. The locator sets no cookies on your visitors, does not track them across sites, and builds no profile. It sends the request needed to answer a search, and a place name typed into the search box goes to a geocoding service to turn it into coordinates. Neither is stored.
Still unsure?
Open one of the examples and use it as a visitor would. It is the real widget, so it answers most of what is left faster than another paragraph would.