The Divi builder includes a map module. Which works just fine if you want a simple Google map for your site. It looks nice, you can include as many markers as you like, but it offers a limited range of styling options. Divi Map Extended Module is a plugin by Divi Web Design that adds an extra map module to your Divi builder that offers a wide range of possiblities for customizing the appearance of your map when a plain map just won’t do. This is a Divi Map Extended Module plugin review — but it offers an additional bonus: I’ve used the module extensively on another website and it always takes me a while to choose the style I want. Sadly, Divi Web Design did not offer a tutorial featuring the styles. So I did it here — at least to help me as a future reference!
What does the Divi Map Extended Module Do?
The Divi Map Extended Module plugin adds a couple of extra modules to your Divi builder — a regular and a fullwidth map module. If you’re familiar with Divi, the module in the builder looks just the same as any other Divi builder module with columns for:
- Content: where you can set the location for the center of your map and enter the details for each map pin including — and this is a part I love and something that the native Divi map module lacks — a custom pin icon for each and every pin if you so desire.
- Design, where you can customize the appearance and size of your map and any tooltip map windows, choose what kind of controls you want, add driving directions, if you so desire, and
- Advanced, which has the usual Divi options for any custom CSS for the map, the ability to toggle viewability on different types of devices, and the ability to add CSS ID or class to the module.
Features of the Divi Map Extended Module
I have tried a number of other map plugins in the past, as well as simply embedding a Google map via iframe on my website. As I was already using the Divi builder, this seemed to be the perfect fit and it has been, mostly. One thing this is is a simple map plugin. It’s packed with features but, for a while, I was using a separate plugin as I wanted to add the ability to draw routes and have user geolocation.
However, multiple map plugins on a site can be problematic and I finally decided to just use GaiaGPS embeds for those few times I got the urge to upload GPX routes and share them. If it was an all the time thing, I may have opted to persist with that feature, but Divi Map Extended was perfect for what I actually needed.
So, what do I love about this plugin?
- Easy to configure, if you’re familiar with Divi already.
- MANY styling options for the map. It provides somewhere around 70 flavors of roadmap designs as well as satellite, hybrid and terrain maps. The module provides so many map options that I added them into this post as a reference to myself when I need to choose a map style. I get confronted with decision paralysis just browsing through all of them and I hope this will help me (and, maybe, you.)
- The ability to add a custom map pin and a custom size for that pin. If you dont want to, you can choose the default pin and give it any color you want. But if you get into creating little map pins with soot sprites like I did here, this plugin is for you!
- The ability to list your map markers and locations below the map. This is a feature I don’t really use, but may at some point in the future.
- The ability to size your map any size you want.
- Responsive design; it scales nicely on mobile devices.
- The ability to style the tooltip window that pops up when the pin is clicked. Add text, an address, a link, make the whole thing linkable, add an image, a dropshadow…the list goes on.
- The plugin offers the ability to add driving directions.
- Customize your map tools, the way the map scrolls (i.e. is it dragable, can you use your mouse scroll wheel, etc).
- You can set the zoom level of the map on load. Do you want a close up or a wide view when your site visitor first loads the map?
Any Problems With the Divi Map Extended Module Plugin?
When I’m deciding whether to get a plugin, I always want to also hear about any problems a user experienced with it. When you look at review numbers on this site, keep in mind that the way I rate things, it is very difficult to ever get 100% and that a rating of 75 and up is MOST EXCELLENT!
Overall, I had very few problems with this plugin. Here’s my “two cents” on the issues I did have:
- Caching issues:
Map plugins, in my experience, tend to be very susceptible to issues with caching plugins or cookie bars that automatically block cookies, and this one is no different. A few times, I’ve found that my maps had, simply, disappeared, and I’ve had to find ways to exclude the map script from time to time with various caching plugins I’ve tried. Likewise with cookie blockers.
Even now, when I think I have any issues mostly solved, I sometimes find that I cannot actually SEE the map in the Divi builder on the back end of the site. This issue seems to come and go, and also seems to be related to caching. When this happens, I’m still able to configure the map and see it on the front end, but it makes map styling choices more difficult (thus the images below.) - Cost:
This is not really an issue as the price for this plugin is extremely reasonable and I think plugin developers deserve to be paid for their hard work. But I do need to point out that this is a premium plugin and is not free.
Plugin Features
Divi Map Extended Module Map Designs
This plugin offers an extended array of map designs to choose from — so much so that when I go to choose a map design I’m confronted with decision paralysis. So, here are all of the design choices for this plugin and what they look like (at the time of this writing.) Please note that these are the designs for the ROADMAP choice. The plugin also offers the choice of satellite (which always looks the same), hybrid, or terrain maps. The map here was of geeky places to go in Kyoto. The map pins here with the soot sprites were custom ones I made and uploaded, the others are default map pins I set in different colors. For that map in action, you can visit the page here.
Google Default
This goes without saying; it’s the Google map we’ve all come to know.
Shades of Grey (note that there are not 50 shades here)
Blue Water
Marcus Withman Map
Table de Bellefois
Style 04
Mapa Blanco
Decola
Flex
Kent Outdoors
Transport for London
Paper
Light Monochrome
Midnight Commander
Avocado World
Glasgow MegaSnake
Chundo Style
Bates Green
mikiwat
Bright Dessert
Coy Beauty
Shades of Conservation
pixmix
Icy Blue
Even Lighter
Bold Black and White
Dropoff 3
Simply Golden
Pirate Map
Unsaturated Browns
Orange
OC
Vintage
Calver
Bright and Bubbly
Red and Blue
Argo
Hopper
The Propia Effect
Cladme
DarkDetail
Pale Dawn
Light Green
iovation map
papuportal
Savagio Yellow
Light Rust
inturlam Style
Alibra
Dharani
Primo
Cotton Candy
O35 Print
Retro
Gowalla
Old Timey
Mondrian
Neon World
Old Map
Flat Pale
Candy Colours
Old School Maps-Posters
Camilo florez estilo de mapa modificado
Lemon Tree
Greyscale Yellow
Presto Map
Best Ski Pros
Purple
Green
Squarespace Style
Blue Essence
Summary of this Divi Map Extended Module Plugin Review (or scroll below for the breakdown):
So, overall, I give this plugin a definite thumbs up! It’s one that I’ve stuck with for a long time because it offers many design choices, meshes well with the theme (Divi or Extra) that I already use, and it’s just fun. It’s keeping me (usually) map happy.
Review Breakdown
Please note that we’re in the midst of changing our rating system currently, so this post has a bit of both and we’ll be filling in the new rating soon.
