Address mapping takes an address and translates it into coordinates (latitude and longitude). This process is called geocoding.

Geocoding is necessary because a simple address actually has no coordinates data — so it can’t be plotted on a map or GIS.

That's why if you’d like to plot an address on a map, the first step is to use geocoding to get the coordinates of the address.

Then you can use the coordinates for routing or to plot the address on a map with a marker.

In this article, I’ll show you exactly how to do both!  

Step 1. Create an Address List

First let's create a list of addresses.

If you’d like, you can save this list as an Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheets — it will come in handy later.  

Step 2. Choose a Tool

There are countless tools on the internet for address mapping.

In this tutorial, we’re going to use a tool called Atlist.

Atlist has some benefits:

• Easy to use — No programming required.
• Embeddable — You can embed your map on any website.
• Routing — There’s a Google Maps routing integration included.
• Styling — The style of just about anything on your map can be customized: marker colors, map styles etc.
• Search & Tags — Search and tag overlays add powerful filtering to the markers on your map.
• Geocoding Included — With Atlist, you don’t have to worry about geocoding because addresses are automatically geocoded using the Google Maps API.

If you'd like a simple and free alternative, I'd suggest trying this simple Map Maker.

Full disclosure: I’m a cofounder of Atlist — so I think it’s a great tool but I’m a bit biased!

Step 3. Upload the Address List

First, let's create a new map on Atlist:

Now let’s map some addresses!

There are two ways to plot addresses:

We can add markers by searching each physical address in our list one-by-one...

... or we can upload a CSV spreadsheet with multiple addresses. This allows us to upload our list in bulk.

Here’s how our list looks once it’s uploaded:

Wait — what’s a CSV spreadsheet?

Did I lose you? 

Not familiar with CSV spreadsheets?

CSV stands for Comma Seperated Values and it’s a universal spreadsheet format.

You’ll need to save your spreadsheet as a CSV before importing it to Atlist — fortunately all spreadsheet programs let you save as a CSV:

Microsoft Excel
‍File -> Save As -> CSV

Google Sheets
‍File -> Download -> CSV

Apple Numbers
‍File -> Export To -> CSV

Still confused about importing a CSV? Read this article.

Step 4. Customize the Map

There are plenty of ways to customize your map on Atlist — here are just a few:

• Map Styles — Choose between Atlist’s library of map style templates or import your own JSON map style to customize the map layer. (More Info)
• Routing — Add buttons to modals that let you automatically find optimized routes with Google Maps. (More Info)
• Set an Initial View — Choose the zoom and center location for when your map first opens. ‍
• Photo Galleries — Upload photos to attach to each location. ‍
• Groups & Tags — Organize your addresses into groups and tags. (More Info)‍
• Overlays — Add powerful overlays such as Search and Tags that let you filter your markers. (More Info)‍
• Current Location — Let your visitors plot their current location on the map. (More Info)
• ... And much more!

I made a few customizations to my map and here’s how it turned out:

Step 5. Publish

Now that we’ve created our map with multiple locations, it’s time to publish it.  

There are two ways to to publish with Atlist:

1. ‍Embed — You can use the embed code to add your Atlist map to any webpage. ‍
2. Link to Map — If you just want a shareable link to your, you can use this link. embed webpage  

And that's the end of the tutorial!

Still stuck? I'd love to help more. Email me at hello@atlist.com.

FAQ

Is there a limit to how many addresses I can upload?

You likely wouldn’t want to add more than 5,000 markers. Atlist tends to run slow with that amount of markers.

One tip: Turn on clusters if you plan to have many markers.

Is Atlist free?

No. Atlist uses Google Maps to create maps and Google charges almost 1 cent every time a map is loaded — so a free version of Atlist isn’t possible. See the pricing page for more.

What are some common use cases for address mapping with Atlist?

Atlist is used for everything from a store locator to a simple visualization of physical addresses.