How to turn a printed or PDF local guide into an interactive map

Start with the material you already have

A hotel concierge list, vacation rental welcome PDF, neighborhood brochure, restaurant roundup, or shopping leaflet can be a useful starting point. You can share the original document, an exported PDF, or the text and links you already maintain.

We review the material with you to understand which recommendations still belong and what readers should be able to do. You do not need to retype the guide into a special spreadsheet first. If a scan is unclear or an address is ambiguous, we ask for clarification.

Review the recommendations before mapping them

Converting a document is a good opportunity to remove closed businesses, replace broken links, and decide whether a place still fits your audience. Keep the recommendations you stand behind and flag details that need checking.

MapEdition can help research agreed gaps. A list that says “the bakery near the station” needs a confirmed name and location before it becomes a pin. You can also ask us to suggest nearby essentials that the original guide missed.

Give each place a useful description and link

The strongest place cards preserve your point of view. Explain why you recommend the café, who would enjoy the attraction, or what makes the shop worth a visit. A link can lead to the official website, reservations, directions, or your own longer article.

Provide photos you have permission to use if you have them. If you do not, we discuss a suitable approach rather than treating every image in the original document as available for reuse. A map can still begin with well-written descriptions and helpful links.

Add location context that a flat list cannot show

Choose a starting point if the guide serves a hotel, Airbnb or Vrbo property, home listing, or development. Nearby amenities and points of interest can then be understood in relation to that address.

Where included in the project, route estimates can distinguish walking time, driving time, and mileage. A five-mile driving route is different from a five-mile radius. We agree the source, labels, and display rules so the numbers help readers plan.

The map can be embedded in your website where supported, or published on a dedicated page. See how website integration works.

Keep the useful parts of print

A printed guide can remain useful at a front desk, in a rental, or at an event. A QR code and a written website address can connect that physical guide to the map. People who prefer a paper overview can keep using it while opening the map for location details.

Keep the public local-area map focused on recommendations. Guest access instructions and other private stay information belong in the appropriate guest communication.

Refine the map and give it a stable home

You review the working version, then we revise the selection, descriptions, links, and design with you before approval. The first PDF is source material, not a requirement to keep its old layout or wording.

Once published, keep linking to the same map address as recommendations change. Tell us when places need adding, correcting, or removing, and we agree any substantial update work before proceeding. Plan who will maintain the recommendations so the guide stays useful after launch.