Today I'm going to show you how to create a custom Google Map from any spreadsheet— doesn't matter if it was created with Google Spreadsheets, Microsoft Excel or Apple Numbers.

Here is the map we're going to create:

You are not able do this with plain, ol' Google Maps— instead we'll need to use the free version of Atlist.

Step 1: Prepare Your Spreadsheet

To begin, organize your spreadsheet into 5 columns: Name, Address, Latitude, Longitude and Notes:

Now there are a few rules:

• Each row must have an Address or Longitude and Latitude— but you do not need both. That's why Longitude and Latitude are blank in the above example.
• Notes and Name can also be left blank.

You can also download a sample spreadsheet for reference.

Step 2: Export To CSV

Next you need to export your spreadsheet as a CSV.

CSV's are a universal spreadsheet format. Here's how to export a CSV from Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheets and Apple Numbers:

Microsoft Excel

Click File -> Save As and select Comma Separated Values (.csv) as the File Format:

Google Docs

Click File -> Download and select Comma Separated Values (.csv):

Apple Numbers

Click File -> Export To and select CSV:

Step 3: Upload CSV To Atlist

Now we're going to upload our CSV to Atlist.

First you'll need to create a free account. Then create a new map...

... Then click + -> Import CSV...

... Next click Upload CSV and upload your CSV...

... Finally make sure everything looks right. For example make sure "CSV Includes a Header Row" is clicked if you have a header row.

If everything looks good, click Looks Correct! Start Import...

‍
... Success!

Now you should have all your rows uploaded as markers in Atlist!

Step 4: Publish Your Map

Atlist lets you do lots of interesting things with this map— for example, you can style markers, modals and the map and even add photos for each marker.

Here's how I've customized my map:

Now you can publish this map several ways. To start click the Publish tab:

Embed

You can embed your map on any website. For example, I've embedded my map on a Squarespace website:

Link To Map

Atlist also provides a URL that you can link directly to:

Save Map As An Image

And you can always save your map as an image to your computer:

Tip: Set Privacy

You can set the permissions to Private or Password Protected if you would like your map to be private:

Tip: Adding Additional Columns In Spreadsheets

So what do you do if you need more columns than Name, Address, Longitude, Lattitude and Notes?

I suggest combining columns into the Note.

For example, let's say we have an extra column in our CSV called Neighbourhood:

You could combine it within the notes column like this: