Google Place ID

A unique identifier (starting with 'ChIJ…') that Google assigns to every place on Google Maps. You need it to generate a direct Google review link or to use most Google Maps APIs.

Definition

A Google Place ID is the string Google uses internally to identify a specific location — distinct from the business name (which can collide with other businesses) and the address (which can change). Place IDs are stable: they don't change when a business updates its hours, name, or category. The Place ID is the parameter you pass to Google's review-link URL format, to the Google Maps Embed API, and to most third-party tools that pull Google data. You can find yours via Google's Place ID Finder tool (developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service/place-id) — paste your business name, copy the resulting ID.

Example

A dentist office moves to a new building, updates their Google Business Profile address, and worries their review links will break. They don't — the Place ID is unchanged. The dentist's printed QR codes (which encode the review URL with that Place ID) keep working after the move with no reprint needed.

Related terms

  • Google Review Link →A direct URL that opens the Google review form for a specific business. Pasting this link into an email, SMS, or QR code lets a customer leave a review in one click.
  • Google Business Profile →The free Google product (formerly Google My Business) that powers a business's listing in Google Search and Google Maps — including the photos, hours, posts, Q&A, and reviews shown when someone searches the business name or its category.

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