Common issues and fixes
Seeing a problem with your store locator map? This reference can help identify the specific cause and how to fix it.
If you don't see your problem listed here or would like assistance, please feel free to send us a message and we're happy to help investigate!
In this article:
The map doesn't appear or shows an error
There are a few possible issues that can prevent the map from showing up correctly:
The map isn't showing up at all on Shopify
If you've installed Stockist and your Store Locator page is blank or shows the wrong page (that is, you don't even see the "Loading store locator..." message), this is usually a configuration issue with your site's theme.
- We have the steps here to fix the problem, which will also fix any other new pages added to your site in the future.
- Alternatively, a simpler solution is to set up a custom template for the map page and install Stockist there.
The map's loading message never disappears
If the Loading store locator... message is never replaced by the map, this indicates an issue with the "embed code" snippet that loads the map. The fix is usually to copy and paste the correct embed code back into the page:
- Shopify installation steps
- Installation steps for other platforms
- We're also happy to help if you reach out
For Shopify, if you run into this issue frequently, a permanent solution is to install your map in a custom template in your theme, which won't be affected when editing other content on the page.
The map is greyed-out (Mapbox)
If you've set up a Mapbox key and the map section appears greyed out, this is due to an issue with your Mapbox key.
- Most commonly, it's because the list of websites allowed to use your Mapbox key isn't quite configured correctly. We have the steps here to ensure that your site is listed properly.
- If your map has had especially high traffic recently, this can also happen if your account exceeded Mapbox's free tier — more details here.
This map may not work correctly (Google Maps)
If you're seeing "This map may not work correctly" or a darkened map saying "For development purposes only", this indicates an issue with the billing information linked to your Google Maps key.
Google offers a free tier that supports ~10,000 views of your map each month, so most sites don't actually pay anything extra, but Google does require that your key have up-to-date billing details in order to work.
You can follow the steps in this article to resolve the issue with your site's Google Maps key, or consider setting up a Mapbox key instead, which is often simpler.
Oops! Something went wrong (Google Maps)
This error indicates a problem with the Google Maps key that's been set up in Stockist. The error code at the bottom of the message indicates the exact problem.
The most common error is RefererNotAllowedMapError, which means that your key's list of allowed websites is missing your site. You can fix this by updating the allowed websites for your Google Maps key.
If a different error code is shown, we're happy to help, or you can also check Google's list of error codes for the technical details.
Searches don't work as expected
If searching your map isn't finding the results you expect, one of the following could be the issue:
Searches show "Sorry, we ran into a problem"
This usually indicates an issue with the map key you've set up for your site in Stockist:
- For Mapbox, it's often because your site isn't properly configured in the list of websites allowed to use the key — we have the steps to check this here. This issue usually also causes the map section to be greyed-out as well.
- For Google Maps, it can be caused by the same problem that causes the darkened map and "This map may not work correctly" issue (steps to resolve here). If the map is showing up normally but you still see this error, check that the Geocoding API is enabled for your map key.
Searching by store name doesn't work
By default, the Stockist map on your site only searches for areas like cities and postcodes, in order to help customers locate nearby listings. If you'd prefer to let customers search using business names, we have two name search options that we can help enable for your map.
Searching doesn't show the results I expect
Stockist primarily searches by area — it first matches your search to a place in the world like a city, postcode, state, or other region. Then, it looks for nearby listings on your map. Some common things to check are:
- Is the area being searched correct? The map will focus on the matched area. If the map doesn't focus on the place you expect, your search might have been matched to a similarly-named place elsewhere. You can restrict the search to certain countries under Settings > Search behavior > Search restrictions to help with this.
- If the map is looking in the right area but you don't see the store you expect, editor the store in your Stockist dashboard and make sure the map pin is positioned correctly on the small map there. If the pin is incorrect, we have the steps to fix it here, as well as tips for ensuring your stores end up in the right spot.
Don't see your issue listed here? Please get in touch through the Support page of your Stockist dashboard and we'll be happy to help!