By default, StoreRocket sorts locations by distance from the search. Closest first, farthest last. Location Types let you do two things on top of that:
Prioritize certain locations so they always appear at the top of results (e.g. Featured stores above Standard ones).
Display a visible label on each result card showing the type name (e.g. "Featured", "VIP", "Premium", "Authorized Dealer").
You can use one, the other, or both. A location type can exist purely as a label (no sorting priority), purely as a priority group (no label), or both at the same time.
Default sorting: distance first
Distance sorting is automatic and needs no configuration. If you've enabled "Show all locations" (before a search), locations display in the order they were added. Once a visitor searches, distance sorting kicks in.
Location Types: Featured vs Standard
Location Types let you categorize your stores into tiers. A common use case is creating a Featured type that always gets priority in search results.
Here's how it works:
Type | Behavior |
Featured | Always appears at the top of search results, above standard locations |
Standard | Normal distance-based sorting (the default for all locations) |
Featured locations still respect distance sorting among themselves. So if you have 5 featured locations, they'll be sorted by distance from the search, followed by all standard locations sorted by distance.
Displaying location type labels on results
Each Location Type can display as a small label on the location card in your widget (for example, "VIP" or "Featured" next to the store name). This is controlled by two toggles, and both need to be on for the label to appear:
Widget-level toggle — in Store Locator Map → Components, turn on Location Types. This tells the widget to render the location type label on search result cards.
Per-type toggle — on your Location Types page, each type has a Label Visibility column with a toggle (shown as "Label is visible" or "Label is hidden"). This lets you show the label for some types (e.g. "VIP") while hiding it for others (e.g. "Standard").
When both toggles are on AND a location has a type assigned, the type name renders as a label on that location's search result card.
Examples of how teams use this:
Retail chain shows a "Flagship" label on hero stores and hides the label on regular branches
Beauty brand uses a "VIP" label for top-tier partner salons
Dealer network shows "Authorized" on certified dealers and nothing on general retailers
Creating Location Types
Go to your Location Types page
Click Create Location Type
Give it a name (like "Featured", "Premium", or "Flagship")
Set it as Featured if you want locations of this type to appear first
Save
You can create multiple types. For example, "Flagship Store" and "Authorized Dealer" could both be location types, with only Flagship set as Featured.
Assigning types to locations
Go to Locations
Edit a location
Find the Location Type dropdown
Select the type you want
Save
Locations without a type assigned behave as standard locations.
Custom markers per type
You can assign a different map pin to each type so visitors can tell at a glance which locations are premium, authorized, or flagship.
Upload a marker on your Markers page
Edit the location type on your Location Types page and assign the marker
All locations of that type will use the assigned marker on the map automatically.
Plan availability
Location Types are only available on the Business plan. If you're on Basic or Pro and don't see the option, you'll need to upgrade from your Billing page.
What about manual ordering?
StoreRocket doesn't support manual ordering of search results. Sorting is always distance-based, with Featured types getting priority. If you need certain locations at the top, assign them a Featured location type.
Troubleshooting
Location Types option not available
Check your plan. Location Types are only available on the Business plan (not Basic or Pro). Upgrade from your Billing page if needed.
Featured locations not appearing first
A couple of things to check:
Type assigned? Edit the location and make sure you've actually selected the Featured location type from the dropdown. Creating the type isn't enough. You need to assign it to each location
Type set as Featured? Go to Location Types and confirm the type is marked as Featured, not just created with a name like "Featured"
Location type label not appearing on results
If you've turned on Label Visibility for a location type but don't see it on your widget, check both toggles:
Widget-level toggle on? Go to Store Locator Map → Components and make sure Location Types is turned on.
Per-type Label Visibility on? Go to Location Types and confirm the specific type's Label Visibility toggle shows "Label is visible."
Type assigned to the location? Edit the location and confirm the Location Type dropdown is set. Locations with no type assigned won't show a label.
Still not showing? Hard refresh your website (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) to clear any cached widget version.
Custom marker not showing for a type
Make sure the marker is uploaded on your Markers page and assigned to the location type on Location Types. Both steps needed. Hard refresh your website (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) to see changes.
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