Integrating Google My Business with WP Maps

The “Google Business” feature in WP Maps allows users to seamlessly integrate their Google My Business information into the WP Maps store locator. This feature is designed to enhance your store locator with up-to-date business information directly from Google My Business. Please note that this feature is available only for users with a Professional plan.

Requirements #

To use the Google Business feature, you need:

  • A Professional Plan subscription (not available for Entry or Standard plans).
  • A Google Business API Key.
  • A Place API ID for each store or business.

Getting the Place API ID #

Method 1: Using the WP Maps Interface #

  1. Log into your WP Maps account.
  2. Navigate to the Stores tab.
  3. Scroll down to see the list of stores you’ve added.
  4. Click on the store you need the Place ID for.
  5. Scroll down to the Store Details tab.
  6. In the Enter a location section, type your business name or store name.
  7. Select your business from the suggestions. WP Maps will automatically fetch and display the Place API ID.
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Method 2: Using the Google Place ID Finder #

  1. Visit the Place ID Finder.
  2. Scroll down to the “Find the ID of a particular place” section.
  3. Enter your store or business name and hit enter.
  4. The Place API ID will be displayed. Copy this ID for use in WP Maps.

Inserting the Place API ID into WP Maps #

Once you have obtained the Place API ID for all the stores you want to sync with your Google My Business profile, you will now need to add the Place API IDs to WP Maps.

Note: If you have used WP Maps itself to get the Place IDs of your stores, the Place IDs will already be present in WP Maps. However, if you have used an outside source such as Google Place ID finder, you must add the Place IDs to WP Maps.

Here are two methods through which you can add the Place IDs of your stores to WP Maps.

Method 1: Using the WP Maps Interface #

The first method involves using WP Maps directly to get the Place ID for your stores.

Please follow the steps below to get your store’s Place ID via WP Maps.

  1. Log into your WP Maps account.
  2. Navigate to the Stores tab.
  3. Scroll down to see the list of stores you’ve added.
  4. Click on the store for which you want to add the Place ID.
  5. Scroll down to the Store Details tab.
  6. In the Enter a location section, type your business name or store name and select your business.
  7. WP Maps will automatically fetch and display the Place API ID for that store.

Note: This process needs to be repeated for each store individually.

Method 2: Using a CSV File #

The second method to add the Place IDs of your stores to WP Maps is by uploading a CSV file (with the Place ID) to your WP Maps account.

Please follow the below steps to add the Place IDs of your stores via a CSV file.

  1. Add a column named g_place_id to your store CSV file.
  2. Enter the Place API IDs for all stores in this column.
  3. Upload the CSV file to the Stores tab in WP Maps.
  4. When importing, WP Maps will automatically fetch the Place IDs for all listed stores.

Please see the following articles if you would like to get more information on:

  1. How to import a store CSV file to WP maps
  2. The correct format of a CSV file for WP Maps

Integrating Google My Business with WP Maps #

Obtaining the API Key #

  1. Obtain your Google Business API Key from the Google Cloud Platform. You can see the following article for more detailed instructions on how to get a Google My Business (or Maps) API Key. Note -there is only one thing you will need to do differently from the article mentioned above, you will need to restrict your Google My Business API Key using an IP address instead of a website.
  2. To restrict your Google My Business API Key, please follow the instructions in the next section
  3. Ensure you have enabled the necessary APIs for your project (Google My Business API).

How to Restrict Your Google My Business API Key #

To restrict your Google My Business API key using an IP address please follow the below steps:

  1. On the Google Cloud Platform go to “Credentials” 
  2. Click on the “Edit API Key” icon for the API key you want to restrict
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  3. On the “Restrict and rename API key” page, select the “IP addresses” option under “Set an application restriction”
  4. Under the “IP Address Restrictions” section, click on the “Add” button
  5. Enter the following IP address in the “Add IP address” field: 3.215.207.236
  6. Click on “Done”
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  7. Optional Step – Under the “API restrictions” section you can select the “Restrict key” option, and then choose Place API from the dropdown menu
  8. Click on “Save” when you are done

Your Google My Business API key will now be successfully restricted using the above IP address.

Configuring the Google Business Settings in WP Maps #

  1. Log into your WP Maps account.
  2. Go to the Administrator tab.
  3. Click on the Google Business tab.
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You will find four main options under the ‘Google Business’ tab:

1. Google Business API Key #

    Paste your Google Business API Key here.

2. Synchronize Fields #

  • Select Fields to Sync: Choose the fields you want to synchronize from Google My Business. Available fields include:
    • Business Name
    • Address
    • Hours
    • Phone
    • Website
    • Rating
    • Reviews

3. Google Business Synchronization #

  • Enable Synchronization: Toggle this option to enable synchronization of data between Google My Business and WP Maps.

4. Poll Interval #

  • Set Poll Interval: Specify the number of days after which you want your Google My Business data to synchronize with WP Maps. This setting will only be effective if the ‘Google Business Synchronization’ option is enabled.
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Adding Rating and Reviews Fields #

  • Adding the Rating Field to the Widget
    • Go to the Widget tab in WP Maps.
    • Click on the Options button and select Customize.
    • In the new window, click on Insert Field.
    • Select Rating Stars and click Add Field.
    • Ratings will now be added to your store.
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  • Adding the Review Button to the Widget
    • Go to the Widget tab in WP Maps.
    • Click on the Options button and select Customize.
    • In the new window, click on Add Call To Action.
    • Select the Review Button in the Data Field option.
    • Click Add Link.
    • The review button will now appear on the store. By clicking this button, customers can be redirected to your reviews section on Google My Business.
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Conclusion #

The “Google Business” feature in WP Maps allows you to keep your store locator updated with the latest information from your Google My Business profile, enhancing your online presence and providing accurate information to your customers. By following the steps outlined in this documentation, you can easily integrate and synchronize your business data. For further assistance, refer to our Help Center or contact our Support Team.