Using Google Maps Platform on WordPress Sites
Google Maps Platform gives apps the ability to include the features and functionality of Google Maps, such as displaying maps, retrieving place data, generating directions, and more.
Many WordPress plugins use Google Maps Platform to power location-based features. Some examples of these features include store locators, providing directions between two or more locations, and displaying nearby businesses and landmarks.
Available WordPress Plugins
There are many WordPress plugins available to add features that leverage Google Maps Platform to your WordPress site, including maps, store locators, and more.
For a complete list, browse the available plugins on wordpress.org.
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Generating a Google Maps Platform API key
An API key is a unique credential that is used to authenticate requests sent to Google Maps Platform to ensure secure access and bill usage to the appropriate Google Cloud Platform account.
To use Google Maps Platform features, your WordPress plugin requires you to provide an API key that the plugin can use to make these requests on your behalf.
To create an API key, you will need to do the following:
- Create a Google Cloud Platform account, if you don't already have one.
- Create a new Google Cloud Platform project.
- Enable Google Maps Platform APIs.
- Generate an API key.
To make this process easy, you can use our Google Maps Platform Quick Start Widget, which will handle the setup of your account and generate the API key that you can provide to your WordPress plugin.
Pricing
Google Maps Platform automatically credits $200 in usage every month, at no charge, to the billing account associated with your Google Cloud project.
Usage is charged per request made to Google Maps Platform APIs, such as requesting map loads, directions, and Place information. The cost per request varies based on the type of request and total number of monthly requests. For more information, check out our pricing calculator.
Go to pricing calculator