How to Get a Google Maps Shortcode URL

March 28, 2012 10:24am

Say you want to provide a link on your website to a particular location on Google Maps. It’s not quite as easy as finding the place on Google Maps and copying the URL from the address bar, and though Google seems to want to constantly change where you can find this, it’s not as hard as it seems.

1. Go to maps.google.com
2. Search for the location you want to highlight, using the various tools provided on the page. Make sure the map itself is centered or displayed exactly how you want it to appear when someone clicks the link.
3. Look for the button that looks like three links in a chain (pictured to the right), and click it.
4. From here you have three options:
   • Tick the Short URL box if you want to shorten the otherwise really long link URL
   • To get the actual link (as opposed to grabbing code that will allow you to embed the form on your website), copy the contents of the first field
   • Alternatively, you can copy the embed code from the second field, but that’s not what this tutorial is covering.
5. Assuming you ticked the Short URL box and copied the code from the first field, you’re all set. Just paste the link wherever you wanted to use it!

Here’s an example that links to a map of the Steelers’ Stadium, Heinz Field. http://g.co/maps/4z7dw

And here’s the code for that:

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