June 2024: The New Places2Swim.com Shows the Whole Database on One Map
In June 2024 we launched the redesigned Places2Swim.com, formerly SwimmersGuide.com, with one map for the whole database and refreshed listing pages. The About Us and FAQ sections were rewritten, and we list ideas for what could come next.
This special edition June 2024 pool listings update announces the new Places2Swim.com, with a new name, a rebuilt database and a map that shows every listing at once.
A new name and a new structure
We have been promising an update to the site for years. We have now finished a new site architecture, reformatted the database and created a structure that we expect to support the site for years to come. Much of the site is the same as the old SwimmersGuide.com, but several things are new.
The most obvious change is the name. The site is now Places2Swim.com. A number of regular users told us that the old name was not particularly helpful and that a different name might make the site easier to find. Our site analytics showed that the most common search used to find swimming pool websites was "find a place to swim near me", so we boiled that phrase down to Places2Swim.com.
One map for the whole database
On the old site, a single search brought up a map with a maximum of 50 locations, and checking a second location meant entering a new search. Now a search makes the entire database available on one map. You can zoom in, zoom out and drag the map anywhere you are interested in, and the pins change to show the pools around the new map center.
If you use the Find a pool near me tool, the List view changes as you zoom and drag, so that it shows the 50 pools closest to the new map center. If you use the Search location tool to go directly to a different place, the map changes but the List view does not. It remembers the location you selected originally and shows only the 50 pools closest to it.
Changes to listing pages
The detail page for each facility remains largely the same, with a few changes:
- Each listing now shows the date it was created and the date we last reviewed it. A review means that we checked the name, address and contact information, the prices shown and all of the links in the listing. It does not mean we judged whether we liked the facility.
- The Edit and Add buttons are now icons. They open the same screens as the old text links, and hovering over an icon shows the text "Suggest change".
- Latitude and longitude moved up into the Facility Overview section. We removed the old Location line with directions, because the Targeted Map Link makes it redundant.
- The Reviews section now shows the most recently received review first, followed by earlier reviews, most recent first.