As a geographer and geography teacher, I have always loved maps.  So one of the most fun parts of developing Quoakle’s UK Web Directory was designing the regions and working out how to organise the information from a geographical point of view using regions and counties ( and having to decide how to deal with new unitary authorities, ceremonial counties etc in a way that works for our users).

More recently as we have been launching a lot of new websites using the WordPress content management system, it has been fun to incorporate great maps using Google Maps. With the launch of the new Quoakle restaurant directories such as Oxford Restaurants  we have wanted to have a lot more flexibility in adding new pins or markers to our restaurant location maps.  Using the basic Google Maps was complex, so it was fantastic to find a really good plugin to do the job a few weeks ago!

The one we found was:   WP Google Maps
This is how Jean Galea describes it on the  WP Mayor blog:

The easiest to use Map Plugin! Create custom Google Maps with high quality markers containing locations, descriptions, images and links. Add your customized Google map to your WordPress posts and/or pages quickly and easily with the supplied shortcode. No fuss. no iFrames and super easy to use!

Key Features

• WP Google Maps uses the latest Google Maps API (V3)
• Super easy to use, no coding required!
• Create as many map markers as you need by simply typing in the address.
• Edit your markers with the click of a button.
• Google Maps Streetview supported.
• Define your own width, height and zoom level for your Google Map.
• Create a map in less than a 30 seconds!
• WordPress 3.0 friendly.
• No advertising or links.

Have a look at some of the new maps the Quoakle team have been creating:

Map of Oxford Restaurants 
Map of Cheltenham Restaurants 
Map of Gloucester Restaurants
Map of Hereford Restaurants
Map of Worcester Restaurants
Map of Days Out in Gloucestershire