Understanding eDirectory's Nearby Results Feature

Introduction

In today's digital world, users expect search experiences tailored to their immediate surroundings. eDirectory's "Visitor Location Detection & Nearby Results" feature is designed to meet this demand, empowering customers to effortlessly discover businesses and content in their vicinity. This powerful combination streamlines the search process and connects users with what's relevant, right where they are.

This feature operates through two key components:

1. Visitor Location Detection:

This intelligent option allows your eDirectory website to subtly identify the geographical location of users accessing the site. When a visitor grants permission to access their position (typically prompted by their web browser), the location field on the search bar is automatically populated with their detected address. This eliminates the need for manual typing and significantly simplifies the process of finding listings, events, articles, and more that are geographically relevant to them.

Example: If a user is currently in Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil, upon granting location access, the location field will automatically display "Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil."

2. Nearby Results:

Once enabled, the "Nearby Results" functionality ensures that searches performed with a specified location prioritize items situated within a defined radius of that point. For both "Visitor Location Detection" and "Nearby Results" to function correctly, it's essential to integrate a Google API Key, as these features rely on Google's geocoding services. If you require assistance in creating your Google Nearby Results API Key, please click here.

Note: To ensure accurate and relevant nearby results, it's crucial to understand the impact of the location specificity provided by the user. The system sends the user-provided location to Google Maps, which then determines the corresponding latitude and longitude to serve as the central point for the search. If a broad location, such as an entire country (e.g., "USA"), is entered, Google Maps will pinpoint a central location within that vast area.

This can lead to less relevant results as the search radius encompasses a large and potentially uninteresting area for the user. Conversely, providing a more specific address, such as a city or a ZIP code, will narrow down the search area, increasing the likelihood of the user finding satisfactory and nearby listings.

Example: Searching with just "USA" as the location will prompt Google Maps to identify a central point within the United States, potentially returning results far from the user's actual interest.

How to Enable and Configure This Feature:

Implementing the "Visitor Location Detection and Nearby Results" feature involves a few straightforward steps within the eDirectory Site Manager:

  1. Access Location Settings: After logging into your eDirectory Site Manager, navigate to the Settings tab, then select Language & Geography, and finally click on the Location Settings tab.

Radius Configuration:

When both "Visitor Location Detection" and "Nearby Results" are active, the system filters listings based on a predefined search radius. eDirectory offers three distinct radius configurations to cater to different search scenarios:

1. Specific Location Radius:

When a user selects a specific location from the search bar's dropdown suggestions or chooses a location from the "More Locations" box, they are directed to a dedicated Location search results page. This page can have its own unique search radius. To configure this:

  1. Within the eDirectory Site Manager, open the Configuration tab.
  2. Click on Language & Geography.
  3. Select the Location Data tab at the top of the page.
  4. Locate the specific location you wish to customize. Click to edit it, and you will find a Radius field available below the map tuning section.

2. Specific Keyword Radius:

Sometimes, users might enter a general location keyword instead of selecting a predefined location (e.g., typing "LA" instead of choosing "Los Angeles, California").

In such cases, you can assign a specific search radius to these typed location keywords as well. To access and configure these keywords:

  1. Navigate to the Configuration tab in the eDirectory Site Manager.
  2. Click on Language & Geography.
  3. Under the "Visitor Location Detection and Nearby Results" section, select the Customize Searched Terms link.

This will redirect you to a list of all location keywords that users have typed into the search bar. You can select any keyword from this list and assign specific geolocation coordinates and a corresponding search radius.

3. Default Radius:

If neither a specific location nor a typed keyword has a defined radius, the system will utilize a Default Radius that you can set within the main "Visitor Location Detection and Nearby Results" page (Settings > Language & Geography > Location Settings). Any searches using locations or keywords without a specific radius configuration will fall back on this default setting.

Conclusion

eDirectory's "Visitor Location Detection & Nearby Results" feature provides a powerful and versatile way to enhance local discovery on your platform. By automatically detecting user locations and prioritizing nearby results within configurable radii, you can significantly improve the user experience and connect customers with relevant local information. Understanding the nuances of location specificity and effectively configuring the different radius options will ensure that your users find exactly what they're looking for, right in their neighborhood.

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