• Too many fields?

  There is no fixed limit on the number of fields you can add to MetaLocator.  However, some customers can create enough fields to exceed the maximum size of a row supported by our underlying database system. This row size limit reflects the total combined length of all fields. The solution to this problem is to more properly size the fields to accommodate the data.  The default field size is 255 characters.  However, this can be more than enough for columns that contain very short data. To mFew readers

• How do I setup my account to display locations for specific brands?

  A frequently answered question is “I want to have an Interface display certain Locations and another Interface to display other select Locations – how do I do this?” MetaLocator allows you to have numerous Interfaces. This capability allows one to have differing Interface for different pages or websites. It also allows you to display select locations on an Interface. You needn't have another database or establish another account. Customers often use MetaLocator's powerful Category feature to rFew readers

• Country Value Missing or Changed

  Country Dropdowns in MetaLocator are created using the data provided through imports and manual entry. When compiling a country dropdown MetaLocator first looks for TLD fields and selects the first value in an alphabetical order to be used as the name for that country. This can cause issues when the ideal value for example is "United States" but a different records states "USA". USA will be chosen for the default value anFew readers

• How secure is MetaLocator.com?

  At MetaLocator.com we take security very seriously.  This article outlines the major areas where we focus on application security. Database Security: Each customer's data is stored in an individually secured MySQL database, with a unique, highly secure password assigned by our systems.  Database permissions are assigned such that only that user may interact with that database.  All operations within MetaLocator.com are executed under a usFew readers

• How can I delete my data and start over?

  If you would like to reset your account to "factory settings", you can delete your data, custom fields and Interfaces.  This will restore your account to the original state. To do this, begin by deleting all of your data: Click Data, then All Records. Select Delete All Records from the Bulk Actions menu Click Go [](https://downloads.intercomcdn.cFew readers

• What if the location provided by MetaLocator is not correct?

  MetaLocator gets its latitude and longitude directly from a variety of data providers based on the address provided. The process of converting a written address into a latitude and longitude is called geocoding, and it can contain subjective ambiguities.  Correct and complete address data is essential to a reliable geocoding result. The geocoder is provided the following fields Address City State Postal Code Country TLD Incorrect or incomplete information provided in these fields can throFew readers

• Unable to Access My Account

  Troubleshooting Access Issues in MetaLocator If you're having trouble seeing your account data or accessing the MetaLocator interfaces, there are a few potential reasons for this. Below are some common issues and numbered steps to help you regain access. Billing Information Needs Attention One of the primary reasons you may not see your account data is that your billing information needs to be added or updated. If your payment method is expired or missing, your account access could be reFew readers

• Search geocoding overrides

  MetaLocator includes an administrative tool that allows you to override the geocoding results for specific search terms. This feature is useful in cases where standard geocoding services return inaccurate or undesired coordinates for known search terms such as city names, postal codes, or other regional identifiers. This guide explains how to add, edit, and delete search geocoding overrides within your MetaLocator control panel. What is a Search Geocoding Override? When a userFew readers

• Deleting data from a specific import

  MetaLocator tracks the filename from which each record originated and you can search by that field to help isolate and delete a bad import.  To search for a specific source file, go to "Data > All Records".  Then, expand the Search & Select control as shown here: ​ [](https://downloads.intercomcdn.com/i/o/54635513/3edf4e9ca48c3a9f8c283542/2018-04-05_14-00-34.jpg?expires=Few readers

• Why are there duplicate values in the state, city or country fields?

  When there is inconsistent data in the country and state fields, you might see doubling up of data in the country and state fields, limited choices when chaining city, state and country fields or repeating regions in SEO location pages. This article shows you how to address the problem. Background MetaLocator understands that a state lies within a country, and a city lies within a state. When the system builds drop-down lists of state values, it considers them them by country because therFew readers

• MetaLocator caching explained

  If you are not see the changes to your interface reflected on your website, delete your browser cache.  You must delete the browser cache to see the latest on your Website.  Clicking reload and/or shift+reload is not sufficient. To clear this cache, follow these instructions on clearing your browser cache. MetaLocator uses a browser-based cache and a server-side cache to improve performance.  This can sometimes affect the ability to see the most recent cFew readers

• Data Sharing Agreement

  MetaLocator is now a Trusted Data Contributor for Factual.  Factual provides location data directly to Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, FirstData and other top-tier location marketing channels.  For those MetaLocator customers that choose to opt-in, MetaLocator can now automatically publish your location data directly to Factual and in turn to hundreds of Web sites and applications that use Factual as their data source.  This is a voluntary data sharing program provided asFew readers

• What are interfaces (a.k.a locators)?

  Interfaces, also known as "locators", comprise a complete search solution for your Web site.  Most customers only require one Interface which displays their complete store locator.  Each Interface yields one line of code that you can copy and paste to a page on your Web site which then becomes the MetaLocator Interface used by your visitors. Depending on your needs, you may require additional Interface, or locators.  Consider the following example:  A manufacturer of bicycles has distributors aFew readers

• Can I create a small search box on my site?

  Yes. To create a simple, compact search form, you can create a simple HTML form that passes information to a MetaLocator Interface installed on our Web site.  This technique should be used when adding a location search to your website template for use on all (or many) pages. This simple example shows a postal code entry box, with a button that redirects to "locator.html". This example assumes that you have installed your Metalocator Interface within the locator.html page on your WebFew readers

• Can I charge for listings in my MetaLocator database?

  Yes.  MetaLocator provides a Crowdsourcing Form where users can submit data to your database through your Website.  Once submitted it can be reviewed, moderated or even automatically published from the MetaLocator control panel or our programmable API. MetaLocator has no eCommerce component, and cannot accept credit cards or payments on your behalf.  However you can protect access to the FormFew readers

• Why is a particular location not appearing?

  If you have added a location, and it's not appearing on your Interface (e.g. on the map or in the listing) there may be a few reasons why: Has the location been Geocoded, (assigned a latitude and longitude) as indicated by a green checkmark in the geocoded column? Are your Interface settings limiting the number of results displayed under Data Settings?  If you can search for the location and find it, but it's not displayed by default, increase the total number of records displayed by defaulFew readers

• What if I don't have any locations, can MetaLocator provide some?

  MetaLocator is a locator service for your locations.  We do not provide the actual location data. Location data can be obtained from a variety of sources all depending on what type of data you want to display. Some location data vendors are available including: POIPlaza Oddity Software POI Factory MetaLocator does not endorse or certify the data available from these vendors.  MaFew readers

• Special Characters Not Importing

  To ensure that your CSV file displays international and special characters correctly across browsers and systems, it's crucial to save it with UTF-8 encoding. Here's how to handle this in both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets: Using Microsoft Excel Current Versions of Excel: Open your CSV file in Excel. Go to the "File" menu and select "Save As." Choose "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv)" from the "Save as type" dropdown menu. Click "Save." [![]Few readers

• Autocomplete shows "This page can't load Google Maps correctly"

  If the following conditions are true: an interface is configured to use the Google Maps API and Autocomplete is enabled under Search Form > Location and the provided API key does not have access to the Google Places API The interface will display this error: [](https://downloads.intercomcdn.com/i/o/603185629/8191a744c8e60523e700fa34/image.png?expires=1794513600&sFew readers

• How do I cancel my subscription?

  To cancel your MetaLocator subscription, first log in to your account by going to https://admin.metalocator.com.  If you have forgotten the account password, it can be retrieved from this page. Once logged in, click the account icon in the upper right and select Plan & Billing: [![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/a/e/5/9/ae59e24805695800/bf83fe82-a2ea-4c18-bfb0-e321e8_asFew readers

• Code.MetaLocator.com refused to connect

  This error is displayed when the Bind to domain setting uses the a different domain then the one the interface is installed on. For example the Bind to Domain can be set to "www.metalocator.com" The interface can be installed on a number of pages such as https://www.metalocator.com, https://metalocator.com/locator. In this case the locator on www.metalocator would wFew readers

• How can I search by a street address instead of a postal code?

  Our search system displays a Postal Code search field by default.  This field is actually more powerful than just a postal code search.  This field can accept any geo-spatial reference point understood by Google, including a full street address, city or country name. To reflect that power, consider changing the label of the postal code field to: "Street Address or Postal Code".  Instructions on how to do that are here.Few readers

• Error Code 426

  Introduction If you've encountered error code 426 while using MetaLocator, you might be wondering what it means and how to resolve it. This article will clarify the nature of this error, why it occurs, and provide guidance on how to address it. What is Error Code 426? Error code 426 is a notification that your searches have been blocked for a determined amount of time. The system has found your searches suspicious and therefore has blocked the IP. How Does Error Code 426 Work? MetaFew readers

• How is the TLD used?

  The TLD, or Top Level Domain is a two-letter standardized code that helps MetaLocator consistently identify the intended country of either a user's search term, or a location in your database regardless of language.  This is used in geocoding, which is the process of translating free-form text into a latitude and longitude. The accuracy of the geocoding results of both your location data and user searches is essential to getting quality results from MetaLocator. An authoritative list can be foFew readers

• WCAG and Section 508 Compliance

  MetaLocator is committed to providing accessible products. Our templates are updated regularly to ensure ease of use for those users with visual and physical impairments. WCAG AA Compliance is a standard part of our Enterprise implementation. MetaLocator interfaces are accessible off-the-shelf. However, customer changes to the software, such as color choices with insufficient contrast or images without descriptive text can introdFew readers

• Data Sharing FAQ

  MetaLocator can optionally publish your location data to 3rd party location data aggregators.  This service is entirely optional, and opt-in.  MetaLocator never shares customer data unless specifically requested and permitted by our customer. Frequently Asked Questions I don’t want my data shared or published, can I opt out of this program?  There is no need to opt out, only users who specifically opt-in to this program will be included.  All other customers will not have any daFew readers

• How can I add images, links or video to locations?

  This page highlights the various methods of adding rich media to your records. These three methods allow you to upload images or video as part of the description, as the contents of an image field, or as an interactive gallery. 1. Description Field The Description field supports a wide range of HTML content, including YouTube videos, images, and custom links—on a per-location basis. To edit a location, go to Data > All Records and click on any entry to open the Record Editor. ThFew readers

• Google Maps API "Oops something went wrong"

  Google has switched to a pooled quota for the Google Maps API used without an API key. As a result, you might see an error from Google like this: Oops! Something went wrong. [](https://storage.crisp.chat/usFew readers

• Why is some of my data cut off?

  When fields are created automatically as a result of a data import, the system tries to guess an appropriate length based on the first few rows of sample data. Sometimes this results in a field too short to contain the data. To avoid this guessing process, create the fields before importing data. To review or create fields, click Data, then All Records, then Fields. If you have a field that's getting cut off, edit the field and view the actual field length as shown here: [![](httFew readers

• SEO Location pages do not load or produce a 500 server error

  When MetaLocator builds SEO landing pages and directory pages the URL includes a hierarchy such as: https://yourhostname.locationlandingpages.com/United-States/MO/Butler/YourLocationName/1111/1 This path is built from the Country, State and City values of the location.  The order in which the values appear is controlled by the Parent and Child settings of the Country, State and City fields. If the fields do not have correct Parent and Child settings, this can cause problems with your SEO laFew readers

• Why is the country drop-down empty?

  Be sure to provide a TLD value for each country. This is a required field in a multi-country implementation. If the dropdown is missing country values or a county value is incorrect this article will help fix that issue. Additional information regarding [international deployments can be found here](https://support.metalocator.com/en/aFew readers

• Strategies to avoid automated and manual content scraping

  One ubiquitous risk to posting content online is that others might use it in manner for which it was not intended. The same issue exists with online directories, locators and partner networks. Why Locators are a Target Locators are commonly a target for competitors to harvest detailed information regarding distribution, sales and referral networks. They commonly contain direct contact information regarding the target brand's distribution, sales, referral or stockist networks. Competitors cFew readers