Google Maps on my website no longer works, what should I do?
We've all done pretty well out of Google's investment into mapping the planet since its inception in 2004. We have unrivalled satellite imagery, 360-degree panoramic views of streets, real-time traffic conditions and route planning by foot, car, bicycle or public transportation. As consumers, we've not had to pay a penny to use these services, as long as we're happy to share details about ourselves. However, in Summer 2018, Google finally introduced a billing system for 3rd parties if they wished to continue to include mapping services in their websites and applications.
Last year Google brought their mapping services under their Google Cloud umbrella and started to charge for the service on a pay-as-you-go basis. As a result, location maps on websites around the world started showing a watermark and modal over the top of map.. rendering the map useless ('This page cannot load Google Maps correctly").
Fear not though, a solution is available. TJS can assist to get your map back up and running. Fundamentally, Google need to attribute your billing details to the Google account associated with the mapping. In most cases this is the same Google linked email address you'll use with your Analytics. Once assigned and the new API key is associated, the map will resume working.
Businesses then have $200 of free credits per month (currently!) which will be drawn down.
At present, even with our heavier map using clients, we've yet to see anyone use all of these credits in a month and thus haven't received any additional billing notifications.
The Google Maps platforms affected are:
- Maps, Street Views and 360° views
- Routes (directions and traffic)
- Places (locations, names, addresses etc)
