Does anyone know a simple solution or have experience with using custom JS to change the highlighted location on a website based on the visitor's location in Webflow?

Published on
September 22, 2023

Using Custom JS to Change the Highlighted Location on a Website based on Visitor's Location in Webflow

If you want to change the highlighted location on your website in Webflow based on the visitor's location, you can use custom JavaScript (JS) code to achieve this functionality. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

  1. Get the Visitor's Location: To change the highlighted location based on the visitor's location, you'll need to obtain their location details. This can be done using their IP address or by using HTML5 geolocation.
  • Option 1: IP Address: You can use a third-party IP geolocation service such as ipapi or ipstack. These services provide APIs that allow you to retrieve the visitor's location details (like country, region, or city) based on their IP address. By making a request to the service's API and extracting the relevant information, you can determine the visitor's location.

  • Option 2: HTML5 Geolocation: With HTML5 geolocation, you can use the browser's built-in geolocation functionality to obtain the visitor's latitude and longitude coordinates. By accessing the navigator.geolocation object in JavaScript, you can prompt the user for permission to access their location and retrieve the coordinates.

  1. Highlighting the Location: Once you have the visitor's location details or coordinates, you can use custom JS code to highlight the appropriate location on your website. The specific implementation will depend on how your website is structured and how you want to highlight the location.
  • Option 1: CSS: If you're simply adding a visual highlight, you can use CSS to change the styling of the relevant location element. For example, you can set the background color, font color, or border of the location element to make it stand out.

  • Option 2: Scroll Animation: If you want to highlight the location by scrolling to it, you can use JS to scroll the page automatically to the desired location element. This can be achieved by calculating the position of the element on the page and utilizing the window.scrollTo() or Element.scrollIntoView() functions.

  1. Implementing Custom JS in Webflow: Once you have written your custom JS code, you need to add it to your Webflow project. Here's how:
  • Option 1: Embed Code: You can embed the custom JS code directly into your Webflow project using a Code Embed element. Simply drag the Code Embed element onto your page, paste your JS code in the embed settings, and ensure it is placed in the appropriate location on your page.

  • Option 2: Custom Code in Project Settings: Alternatively, you can add your JS code to the Custom Code section in the Project Settings of your Webflow project. This will make the code available on all pages of your website.

  • Option 3: Link an External JS File: If your custom JS code is lengthy or requires external libraries, it's recommended to host it in an external JS file. You can upload the file to a hosting service or a CDN, grab the file URL, and include it in your Webflow project using the same Code Embed or Custom Code section.

  1. Testing and Optimizing: Once you've implemented the custom JS code, it's essential to thoroughly test it across different devices and browsers to ensure its functionality. Additionally, consider optimizing your code for performance to prevent any negative impact on your website's loading speed.

Using custom JS to change the highlighted location on a website based on the visitor's location in Webflow can provide a personalized and engaging user experience. By following the steps outlined above, you can successfully implement this feature on your Webflow site.

Additional Question:

  1. How do I obtain the visitor's location in Webflow using IP address?
  2. What is HTML5 geolocation and how can I use it to get the visitor's location in Webflow?
  3. What are the different ways I can highlight a location on my website using custom JS in Webflow?