Start with the buyer task rather than the map
A buyer may want to purchase a new unit, find a replacement part or request support for equipment already installed. The nearest map pin does not necessarily serve all three needs. Define these routes before drawing the directory, and decide which information is needed to distinguish an eligible partner from one that merely has an office nearby. The directory should make those distinctions visible before someone chooses a contact.
For a Hong Kong exporter, an enquiry may concern equipment being shipped to another market. Let people choose the destination or service territory themselves. Do not silently decide their buying route from their current location. An optional location shortcut can help, but the selected territory should remain visible and easy to change.
Create a partner record your team can verify
Use one maintained record per partner and connect it to the territories, product families and activities that have actually been confirmed. A logo, address and telephone number alone cannot answer whether a dealer can supply a particular product. Record the source and owner of the listing internally, and arrange permission for the contact information you publish.
The worksheet below is a content model for planning the directory. It does not imply that every field must appear in one crowded card. Show the fields that help a buyer decide, then use a detail page for additional support information when there is enough substance.
| Field | Publish for the buyer | Maintain internally |
|---|---|---|
| Partner identity | Trading name and current contact details | Record owner and confirmation source |
| Territory | Markets actually served | Start, review and change dates |
| Product coverage | Supported families or brands | Current scope confirmation |
| Purchasing route | Sales contact or enquiry destination | Responsible commercial team |
| Support route | Service scope and support contact | Escalation owner and limitations |
| No partner found | Central route or clear availability statement | Process for reviewing unmet demand |
Download the planning worksheet (CSV) Editable planning framework; example entries are not measured business results.
Describe territory and support coverage separately
A company might supply one product family nationally while servicing only a smaller area. Keep those statements separate and avoid replacing them with an ambiguous nationwide badge. Where the arrangement has limits, say which product range, customer group or service type the listing covers. Do not describe exclusivity unless it is confirmed for the current arrangement.
Design a clear route for installed equipment. A buyer seeking service should not have to submit a new-sales enquiry to learn that a different team handles repairs. If support eligibility depends on where the product was purchased, explain the information the team needs to check rather than making an unconditional promise about service availability.
Publish a readable list with useful destination links
Give each listed partner a name, territory, applicable products and relevant contact action in text. A map can help explain geography, but it should not be the only way to access the records. For an initial directory with a small number of partners, a grouped list may be easier to maintain than a complex map interface.
Google's link guidance identifies standard links with an href destination as a dependable crawlable format. Use descriptive links to genuine partner detail or territory pages where those pages add value. Our content recommendation is to avoid producing hundreds of nearly identical city pages from one sparse record; publish the meaningful coverage information you can maintain.
Google Search Central: Link best practices Primary reference for the point discussed in this section.
Design the empty state as a useful answer
When a filter returns no partner, say what was searched and offer the relevant central enquiry route. Preserve the chosen territory, product and request type so the buyer does not have to explain everything again. If you do not serve the market, say so accurately rather than displaying an unrelated partner as the best available result.
W3C's status-message guidance explains how result counts and no-result notices can be announced to assistive technology without moving focus. Include this behaviour when filters update the list in place. Test with a territory that has partners, one with no result and a product family that narrows the available routes.
W3C: Understanding status messages Primary reference for the point discussed in this section.
Make changes traceable and check the handoff
Choose an owner for partner updates and a review trigger for contract, contact or territory changes. Record when the information was last confirmed; avoid changing the displayed review date automatically when nobody has checked the underlying record. Expired relationships should leave the active directory promptly, with appropriate handling for any existing detail-page URL.
Before launch, follow a realistic purchase route and a separate support route all the way to the destination contact. Check links, country labels and the context carried into forms. After launch, review unresolved directory enquiries for missing distinctions. Success means buyers reach a suitable route; a large number of pins or page views alone cannot establish that.
Sources and scope
- Google Search Central: Link best practicesdevelopers.google.com
Supports crawlable destination links and descriptive link text.
- W3C: Understanding status messagesw3.org
Supports accessible status notices when directory filters update results.