MapQuest is driving toward a major makeover.
The Denver-based company whose name was widely used as a verb amid the dot-com boom — as in, “MapQuest it” — was overtaken last year by Google Maps as the No. 1 online provider of maps and directions.
Now, MapQuest is prepared to launch a revamped site that includes new tools, such as the ability to search for a business along a given route, with an eye toward providing users with more content than just driving directions.
“We knew that , the old existing site, had outlived its original purpose in terms of being the place you come for getting directions,” said Christian Dwyer, general manager for MapQuest. “We knew that it was more now about local search. It was more about helping people to find and discover those places.”
Beginning today, users can opt in to test the overhauled site, which will replace the old version in about a month. New features include:
• A more user-friendly interface, including a single- line search box and a redesigned main page that displays the map more prominently.
• The ability to search for “temporal types of content,” such as a fireworks show for July 4 or haunted houses at Halloween.
• A simplified log-in process that allows users to save itineraries. Users also can post trip information directly to Facebook and Twitter.
In the future, MapQuest plans to allow users to upload photos, giving it more of a social-networking feel.
A wholly owned subsidiary of New York-based AOL, MapQuest has two-thirds of its workforce of 100 in Denver. MapQuest has 10 open positions, Dwyer said.
Google Maps and MapQuest are by far the most popular sites for maps and directions. In May, Google Maps attracted 63 million unique visitors while MapQuest had 49 million, according to ComScore. The No. 3 site, Yahoo Maps, attracted nearly 10 million.
Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209, avuong@denverpost.com or
