Google Maps QR Code: How To Share Your Maps Location Easily

Say you’re planning to throw a party and want to invite family and friends.

You’ve booked a venue for this event and you’ll be sending out invitations cards.

You’ll add details such as event date, time, and venue to the cards. And you now want to help your guests find the exact venue location easily.

A. How to share the venue location

There are two ways to share the venue location via print media:

1. Using paper maps

You can easily get a map designed by a cartographer and add it to the print material.

Paper maps give a holistic view of the area being represented. And are tangible too.

But the downside is—they are static, non-interactive, and difficult to interpret.

For example—say one of your guests is following the map to reach the venue. But the route printed on the map has been blocked due to some construction activity.

She will then have to find an alternative route to reach the venue.

Or if the route shown on the paper map has become outdated, she’ll feel puzzled.

What you can rather do here is—help her find the location using the maps application on her phone.

2. Using the Google Maps application

Google Maps is interactive and easier to understand. And shows you the best route to reach a destination.

All that you have to do is—follow the directions it shows.

Even if you lose track of the route, it redirects you to an alternative route that would lead to the venue.

But the question is—how to share the venue’s Google Maps location via invitations?

Should you simply mention the venue name on cards? And add an instruction (a call-to-action statement) such as—Find the location on Google Maps?

Or should you add a Google Maps link?

Well, guests will have to take out their phones to tediously type either venue name or Google Maps link. And only after that, they find the location. Since it will need them to put both time and effort, many will simply skip doing it.

So you should look for an alternative to help them do it easily. And a QR Code will help you do just that. We call it a Google Maps QR Code or Address QR Code.

B. Google Maps QR Code

A Google Maps QR Code, when scanned, takes the end-users to see the exact venue location on their phone’s maps application.

You may need a Google Maps QR Code to share the location of:

1. Your office or shop via your business cards or flyers
2. An event site on the ticket
3. A tourist spot on travel brochures
4. A wedding venue on invitation cards

People even use Wedding QR Codes and Event QR Codes on invitation cards. Just like Google Maps QR Codes, they help you share venue location. In addition to it, they also allow you to do many things. For example:

1. Share detailed event description
2. Add images
3. Get the guests to RSVP easily
4. Share a video (such as a wedding teaser)
5. Help guests add the event to their calendars
6. Give them the option to share the event on their social media profiles

Many people actually add QR Codes on their invitation cards to make them interactive and helpful at the same time.

Also, since you now know the basics of what a Google Maps QR Code does, let’s deep dive into the same:

1. What does a Google Maps QR Code do

A Google Maps QR Code does not only help you share the venue location but also:

a. Add custom design

Standard black-and-white QR Codes work fine for official purposes. But they do not look good on invitation cards, flyers, or business cards. They rather look like ‘barcodes for official use’.

You can make them blend well with the design of your print material. How? By adding design to them.

Yes, you can add colors to the QR Codes. And even add an image either as a logo in the centre or as the background.

In fact, it is a fact that custom QR Codes attract 50%-200% more scans than basic black-and-white ones.

All that you need to do is—choose a QR Code generator that allows you to customize your QR Code with logo and colors.

b. Track scanning activity

Say you’ve organized a workshop and handed out flyers to invite attendees. To help them find the location, you add a Google Maps QR Code to these flyers.

You do not have their contact information here. But you want an estimate of how many people would turn up.

Here, the QR Code will help you monitor how many recipients have actually scanned it. You can then use this data to roughly estimate how many of them will make it to the event.

c. Edit the location

Say you’ve added a Google Maps QR Code to your business cards. This QR Code shows your office’s location.

A year later, you happen to shift your office and want to change the location encoded in the QR Code.

You can do it if your QR Code is dynamic in nature. Don’t know what a dynamic QR Code is? Don’t worry, keep reading to know.

C. Types of Google Maps QR Codes

Based on how data (venue location here) is stored, there are two types of Google Maps QR Codes—static and dynamic.

1. Static QR Code

In the case of a static Google Maps QR Code, a link to the venue location is directly encoded in the QR Code itself.

As a user scans it, she is redirected to see the exact venue location on her phone’s maps application.

But the downside of a static QR Code is—it can neither be edited nor be tracked.

That means once you’ve created it, you cannot change the encoded location. To do that, you’ll have to create a new QR Code altogether.

Also, a static QR Code does not allow you to track its scanning activity.

2. Dynamic QR Code

A dynamic Google Maps QR Code allows you to edit the location anytime you want. Yet your QR Code remains the same. That means you do not need to reprint it again.

In addition, it also allows you to track the details on scanning activity. For example—how many people have scanned the QR Code, when did they scan it, and where did they scan it from.

Now you know what a Google Maps QR Code is and what it does. You can head on to a QR Code generator that allows you to create Google Maps QR Code.

And then see whether it has all the features that you want. For example—custom design, scan tracking, and lead generation.

D. Popular use cases of Google Maps QR Code

Google Maps QR codes are useful in many ways. And to help you understand it, here are some popular use cases of Google Maps QR Code:

1. Retail

If you are a brick-and-mortar store, it’s important to drive customers to your front door. And to do it, you’ll have to share the store’s location in the promotions.

But with a mere address, people will have to type it in their maps application and locate your business. Only then they can navigate towards it. This is a long and tedious process. And you’d want to make it simpler for them, right?

Here, a Google Maps QR Code has got you covered. Just encode the location and add the QR Code to all promotional materials. Customers will just have to scan the QR Code to reach the destination.

2. Restaurants

As a restaurant, it is very important for you to get as many customers as you can through your front door. But sometimes customers are unable to find the establishment.

Here, Google Maps QR Codes can help you out. It will help guests find their way to your restaurant quickly. No need for them to manually search the place on Google Maps. A quick scan will do the job for them.

3. Real estate 

As a real estate agent, you need to show interesting properties to potential buyers before purchasing. 

And buyers even tend to evaluate such establishments based on various factors such as distance from work, school, and the nearest amenities. 

So, you need to help make the buyers’ process seamless. This is where Google Maps QR Code comes into the picture. Just encode the property location into the QR Code and add it to all the marketing materials. This way, people can find their perfect house on their own. 

4. Tourism

Various travel agencies or travelers share tourist spots with QR Codes. This way, people can reach their destination easily despite any language or communication barrier. 

5. Events 

It’s common to navigate attendees to events and exhibitions. This way, attendees don’t have to struggle much to get the location right.

A Google Maps QR Code added to event tickets can easily help guests find the venue.

You might think—there are many online QR Code generators. Do I compare all of them one-by-one?

Don’t worry, to make it easier for you, here’s a comparison chart of top online QR Code generators.

E. How to create a Google Maps QR Code

Using Scanova for a demo, here’s how you can create a Google Maps QR Code:

1. Go to Scanova and click on Create QR Code

2. From QR Code categories, select Google Maps QR Code

3. Here, you can add a location. You can use either the search bar or drop location marker to set location.

Once done, click on Continue.

4. Next, you will see the option to name your QR Code. Specify the name. Now the category of Dynamic QR Code will be selected by default. Dynamic QR Codes are advanced. You can edit the QR Code anytime and also track scanning activity.

On the other hand, static QR Codes are basic and cannot be edited once created.

Once you specify, click on Create QR Code.

5. On the page that loads, you will see the preview of your QR Code

Below the QR Code image, you will be able to see the Edit Design option. Click on the option if you want to customize your QR Code.

6. You’ll see two QR Code design options—Custom Logo and Custom Background Design

Custom logo design: It allows you to add a logo and color to your QR Code.  

Custom background design: It helps you superimpose the QR Code on any image.

7. Once your QR Code is ready, you will be able to see a preview. If everything looks fine, click on Download

8. Once you click on it, a window will pop up prompting you to sign-up for a 14-day free trial. Once you sign up, you can proceed to download the QR Code

9. Now, just specify the QR Code image’s format and size. Once done, click on Export

That’s it. You now have your Google Maps QR Code. You can use it on business cards, brochures, flyers, or invitations.

But make sure you test QR Codes before mass-printing them.

F. How to edit the location encoded in QR Code

Now say you want to change your Googe Maps location. Since it is a dynamic QR Code, you can easily update/edit the location.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Login to your Scanova account 

2. From the dashboard, click on  My QR Codes

3. Now, go to the QR Code you wish to make changes to and click on View/Edit against it

4.  Here you can view/edit the following items:

Content: It allows you to edit the location encoded in the QR Code

Advanced Settings: It helps you enable password protection, track the GPS location of end-users, and capture leads

You can also revamp your QR Code’s design if you want to.

5. Make the changes

6. Once done, click Apply

That’s it. Your QR Code will be updated.

G. Best Practices

Here are some best practices that you must follow while creating a Google Maps QR Code:

1. Add a design to the QR Codes

If you are going to use QR Codes for print creatives or promotions, consider adding design to it. That’s because custom QR Codes are visually more appealing and hence, attract recipients’ attention. This simply translates to more scans.

2. Add an appropriate CTA

CTA (Call-to-action) is an instruction statement that tells what the end-users need to do or why they must take an action. It could be anything such as ‘Scan here to know the location’ or ‘Find the location’. 

3. Choose an appropriate printing format

For print media creatives, you must export the QR Code in vector formats such as SVG, EPS, and PDF. They ensure high resolution despite zooming in or out so that the image doesn’t pixelate.

4. Add error correction

Did you know that a QR Code can scan just fine even if it’s damaged? Yes, that’s correct.

This property is called error correction. It is especially useful if your QR Code is likely to be placed in an environment that’s prone to wear and tear.

For example, on product packaging kept in the warehouse or banners placed out in the open.

Error corrections adds additional rows and columns of data to the QR Code. This helps make sure the QR Code scans well even if a couple of data modules (that carry the data) are missing.

5. Place the QR Code in the right environment

Not sure what it means? Well, two things.

First, always make sure that there’s sufficient lighting wherever you place your QR Code. It’s important because this helps make the QR Code look clear to the scanners. When that happens, the scannability of your QR Code improves.

Second, does the QR Code contain content that needs the end-users to have internet connection? This includes your location too. Why? Because internet connection will help the end-users g et redirected to the required location on their phone’s maps application.

In such cases, make sure you place the QR Code in locations that have a good internet connectivity.

6. Optimize for performance

So once you run a campaign, the next thing you should do is monitor its performance. That’s how you can gause if it’s performing as expected or not.

And once you know how the campaign is performing, you must optimize it for even better performance.

That’s all. You now know everything about a Google Maps QR Code. The next step is to now get started here:

If you still have questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below.