Overview
The geographical areas search option actively enhances your BoldTrail website with the ability to pull information based on the listings' geolocation as added by the listing agent instead of MLS areas.
The tool narrows down the search results by using each listings' latitude and longitude to provide a more exact picture of the listings available for the area being searched.
Please Note: Depending on the MLS you have associated with your BoldTrail account, you may need to enable 'Coverage Only' in your website settings list and enable all MLS areas.
To learn more about 'Coverage Only', click here.
To learn more about MLS areas, click here.
Using the Polygon Boundary Search
There are a few different places within your BoldTrail account that you will see the option to use geographical areas over MLS area:
The geographical area option in your Web & IDX website settings list will look a bit differently when compared to the other toggles - it may be referred to "polygons" or "geographical areas".
You can access the Web & IDX setting by clicking 'More' and selecting 'Website Management'. Then, select 'Website Settings'. Scroll down to 'Use Polygons for Neighborhoods and Schools'.
Understand that if the polygon areas option is turned on this will affect the searches on your site. This means that your site will only allow for searches with 1 area at a time, so this will NOT allow for multiple areas to be searched for on your site at the same time.
If you want geographical areas to automatically apply to all website search results, search alert results, and squeeze page listings you can simply toggle the setting on for the Web & IDX setting. This overarching setting will affect all website-related searches, including any that you perform within the Listings tab.
Please Note: In order to use the geographical search setting, you must also change your Default Display for listing results view to 'Map', otherwise this setting will not work properly.
If you would rather retain the ability to pick and choose when geographical areas are used to narrow down search results, click 'No' for the Web & IDX setting and toggle the setting on for individual search alerts, squeeze pages, or listing results.
TIP: You can easily tell if you have geographical areas enabled on your website by looking at your website's search results. If you have geographical areas enabled, the map will display a boundary that is automatically applied to the map of search results. This indicates that BoldTrail is using the latitude and longitude of the area being searched to narrow the results down to only listings within that geographical area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the geographical areas website setting?
The geographical areas website setting enhances your BoldTrail website and helps provide more accurate listing results in search alerts and squeeze pages.
To learn more about this tool, click here.
Does this work for Canadian users of BoldTrail?
Yes! The geographical areas search option will work for Canadian locations if enabled in your Web & IDX settings.
Is this tool available for use in my BoldTrail mobile app?
Yes! To learn more about using geographical areas in the app, click here.
Will this option appear on my BoldTrail WordPress website?
Yes! It is a part of the BoldTrail website functionality that is used with a WordPress site.
Where is Inside Real Estate pulling the data from?
Inside Real Estate uses a proprietary 3rd party vendor for the geographical areas search tool that aggregates the latitude/longitude data as entered into the MLS by the listing agent.
Is this tool available for Market Reports?
No. This is on its way, however, so stay tuned!
Can I search for multiple areas at once?
Yes, but only if you use the polygon search tool and up to 2 separate search areas,. You can use this in both the app and on BoldTrail Website, as well as for search alerts, the Listing Tab, and squeeze pages.
This does not allow for multiple areas to be searched by using the search filter on the website.
Please Note: This feature is only available on BoldTrail templated sites (WordPress sites do not support this).
What if a geographical areas search includes a listing that is outside of the boundary?
If you believe that the geographical areas tool is returning incorrect listings please let the Support team know by using the blue chat bubble on the bottom right of your BoldTrail Dashboard.
What if a geographical areas search does not include a listing I was expecting?
If you believe that the geographical areas tool is not returning all listings please let the Support team know by using the blue chat bubble on the bottom right of your BoldTrail Dashboard.
Does this work in rural areas where other platforms may not?
Yes! We've optimized it for all of the location types where you may need to use it.
If you have any questions or need further assistance with geographical area searches, please reach out to Customer Support via the blue chat bubble to the right or by emailing support@insiderealestate.com!
(Keywords: geographical area, polygon, website listings, web & idx, website settings)