MapQuest driving directions - other driving directions

MapQuest driving directions

MapQuest provides great street maps and driving directions.

But MapQuest isn't the only game in town. Check out Google draggable driving directions:

Google draggable driving directions are a great supplement to MapQuest driving directions, but Google don't always have better features than MapQuest. Sometimes MapQuest beats Google. For instance, for a particular GPS device, MapQuest may be the one to to choose:

Is MapQuest or another company best for your needs? Look at MapQuest's features and compare them to other companies until you find the best match.

MapQuest driving directions compared...

MapQuest driving directions are great, but other map sites can give added value. For example, the last section showed how Google Maps gives you draggable driving directions. Google Maps gives has many other features. For instance, Google Maps automatically detects which country you are in and provides hyperlinks for common journeys.

Other search engines, like Ask, MSN and Yahoo, also have features that go beyond MapQuest driving directions. Every so often, check MapQuest and the major search engine to see if they have improved their facilities. Things are moving so quickly with MapQuest an dthe other providers that you'll find something new every time you look.

But MapQuest driving directions are difficult to beat. Unlike the search engines, MapQuest is totally dedicated to providing driving directions.

You should get all the details you can for any journey into unknown territory, and supplement MapQuest's weaknesses with the strengths of other map sites. For instance, MapQuest driving directions lack landscape features. For raw driving directions MapQuest is great, but you can't beat a landmark for orientation. To take advantage of landmarks, check local tourist, hotel and business sites. These may provide local directions that keep you driving on the right track.

Also supplement MapQuest with specialist sites. For example, DiscountedorFree give you extensive information on services and products near travel routes. Expedia provide superbly detailed maps integrated with travel services. Trip Planner and Trip Advisor allow you to plan holidays, as well as giving you simple directions.

If you need actual pictures of the area you are travelling then MapQuest isn't much use, try Multimap, Google and MSN. They provide aerial photography of map sites. Yahoo shows a detailed map in conjunction with a large scale map. This is extremely useful if you are trying to gain an overall understanding of a new city.

Also important is speed of access. At the time of writing MapQuest is fast, but Yahoo has the fastest interface. But things can change, so keep re-checking the different sites.

MapQuest allow web masters to integrate customised maps into their sites. This means you often find MapQuest maps incorporated into information rich pages. Bookmark these sites as you search for information, they are often useful sources of local information and can be readily integrated with your MapQuest driving directions.

MapQuest - features

In this section we cover MapQuest features that might set it above the opposition for your particular needs:

MapQuest - news

MapQuest versus Google Maps

At the beginning of 2008 MapQuest, owned by AOL, had about 50% market share of internet visits to Map sites, while Google had only about 20%. A year later both MapQuest and Google had about 35% market share, reflecting a seminal year for Google Maps. The figures make it obvious that Google's success was at the expense of MapQuest. John McKinley makes the point that the MapQuest interface had become like a "dog's breakfast". Although simple informative directions were still to be obtained it had become difficult to see how to attain them. In contrast Google Maps had a directions box top left and a map taking up most of the screen. Nothing could be simpler.  Reference: MapQuest gone wrong by John McKinley

 

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