News | Page 16 of 35 | Store Locator Plus®

Protecting Google API Keys

Posted by lcleveland in Store Locator Plus, WPSLP

For those of you in the self-service Store Locator Plus® WordPress plugins camp you are going to want to spend time protecting your Google API Keys. For those using our Store Locator Plus® managed SaaS service, this is yet another article you can skip.

The basic configuration of Google API Keys tells you to turn off ALL restrictions on the first API key you setup with Google. Turns out a lot of people have issues with configuring the keys properly and getting them put in the right place.

To make matters more complicated, some lower-end web hosting companies don’t understand security and in turn shut off critical web services that do nothing to improve security; Like disabling all communication between the web server and Google. That breaks things like the ability to Geocode locations in Store Locator Plus®.

This article is here to tell our WordPress plugin users how to properly secure their Google API keys for web hosts are configured properly.

WordPress Google API Key

Posted by lcleveland in Store Locator Plus, WPSLP

If you are using the WordPress plugins for Store Locator Plus® you will need to manage your Google API keys on your own.

Thankfully our MySLP SaaS service users don’t have to deal with this nonsense, a benefit of having us manage the locator software for them. MySLP users login to their MySLP account, manage locations and map settings, and when they are ready copy the “generate Embed” code and past it into any page, post, or widget on their WordPress site — no plugins needed.

If you are using My Store Locator Plus® pat yourself on the back and take an extra 5 at coffee break today. You don’t need to read this article.

Secure Geocoding Comes To WordPress

Posted by lcleveland in MySLP SaaS, Store Locator Plus, WPSLP

The Store Locator Plus® WordPress plugin gets an upgrade to the geocoding process that the MySLP SaaS service users have been enjoying for the past month. With the release of 5.0 version of the Store Locator Plus® plugin for WordPress, all geocoding requests including those coming from the JavaScript embedded map are now routed through the web server to Google.

Security Through Anonymity

Prior to Store Locator Plus® 5, every time a user visited your map page and typed in an address to be searched — typically the zip code for their town or their home address, this request was sent directly to Google. That means Google now has all kinds of great information they are going to store about your site visitors. They know that the user visited your site, when they visited, that they were looking at your location map, and the address where they were looking for your shop.