Google Maps is used for everything related to locations in the system:
- Contact Details form
- Members choosing Service Areas in the Member Dashboard
- Members setting locations for posts when creating them
- Displaying maps on profile pages
- Displaying maps in the sidebars of profile pages or post pages
- Users searching for members and posts by location
- Users sharing their location to auto-fill location search fields (Detect Visitor Locations add-on)
Removing any of this functionality will impact the user experience, so it is a matter of deciding which trade offs to make and disable that functionality accordingly.
How To Remove Maps
There are various areas on the site using location search fields of any kind which use the "Places API (New)" and "Geocoding APIs".
Contact Details Form
This form is where the members will enter their location that displays on the profile and is used for completing member location searches.
With the Contact Details form, we recommend that it be left alone - as removing all of the other maps functionality will reduce costs. With this being said, it is possible to remove the maps from the form as well.
The setting to disable the map will be inside:
Content » Edit Post Setting » "Post Type" Edit » General Settings » Additional Settings
Set to "NO"
The form will have the Location Bar and Form fields without the interactive map:
The reason we recommend leaving this form alone is that this form helps provide the most accurate locations for the members when searching for them in the admin section:
SEO Template Location Breadcrumb
Instead, simply hide the location from the Breadcrumbs inside the SEO Template:
In one of the steps below, we shows how to remove the map and address from the profile as well, to remove all of the locations from the front-end.
Post Type Forms
Some post types will include a location field for the product or coupon being sold.
Post Forms
This example uses the Coupons form:
Additional Information:
» Toolbox » Form Manager Folder
Search Modules
A good step in removing Google Maps API usage is to remove location searches from the website.
Homepage
By default the website will come with the Category and Location search:
Do not use any of the "Location Search" or Maps.
Header Mini Nav & Sidebars
Sidebars
Do not use any of the Location modules shown below:
Additional Information:
Get Matched Forms
Location fields and/or rendering the Google Map in Get Matched lead forms (though this is probably minimal compared to searches).
Get Matched Page
The default Lead form includes a map for users to enter their location for location matching.
Profile Pages
The map is present in the form used on the Profile as well:
Remove Lead Forms Location Searches
The leads form has special settings that control the location fields, no need to edit the actual lead form.
1) Set the Location Fields to "NO":
2) Decrease usage by switching to "Only Input"
Additional Information:
» Leads » Manage Leads » Lead Settings » (Auto-Match Workflows) » Form Settings
Member Profile Pages & Search Results
The display of Google Maps themselves on profile pages and search results pages (JavaScript API).
Profile Pages
The member profiles will show a map with the member location.
Hide Google Maps in the Overview Tab: "Do Not Display"
Search Results Pages
With the Google Map Search Results Add-On:
First disable the maps inside
Content » Edit Post Settings » Member Listings » Search Results tab » Additional Settings:
Scroll all the way down:
Now inside the Design Settings » Search Results Design select either List or Grid view for the results:
The Map button no longer appears:
When trying to select Map view once this has been disabled, it will need to enabled again:
Detect Visitor Locations
If the Detect Visitor Locations Add-On, disabling this would reduce usage as well:
Additional Information:
» Detect Visitor Locations Add-On
