Google Place ID: what it is, how to find it and when it changes

What is a Google Place ID?

A Google Place ID is a textual identifier that uniquely identifies a place in the Google Places database and on Google Maps. It exists for most locations, including businesses, landmarks, parks and intersections. Google's APIs accept a Google Place ID to return place details, build map links and geocode an address, so it works as the primary key of a place.

Think of it as a record number rather than a name. A business name can be shared by ten shops in one country, and an address can be typed five different ways. The Place ID points to one entry in Google's data, which is why developers and lead builders prefer it. The definition comes straight from Google Maps Platform documentation on Place IDs, which is the source for every technical claim on this page.

One detail matters more than most guides admit: a Place ID identifies a place, not a business forever. Google notes that the same place can have more than one ID and that IDs may change over time. We cover what that means for your data further down.

What does a Google Place ID look like?

A Place ID is an opaque string of letters, digits, hyphens and underscores. Many business IDs start with ChIJ, though that is only the most common format and nothing requires it. Google's own documentation lists several example IDs that begin differently, such as GhIJ... and Eic..., and states that the length may vary with no maximum.

This corrects a claim that circulates in many Place ID guides, including an earlier version of this one: there is no "27 character" Place ID. If your database column or validation rule assumes a fixed length, it will eventually reject a valid ID. Use a text column with no length limit, and treat the value as an opaque token.

A Place ID is not a phone number, a pair of coordinates or a readable slug, so you cannot guess it from an address. You obtain it from Google, and the next section shows how.

How do I find the Place ID of a business?

The fastest way to find one Google Place ID is Google's Place ID Finder: type the business, pick it from the suggestions, and read the ID. For many businesses at once, use the Places API or a Maps extraction tool. The table compares the options.

Here is the manual route in four steps:

1. Open the Place IDs page or the Place ID Finder sample in the Maps JavaScript API documentation.
2. Type the business name and city, then choose the right result from the suggestions.
3. Read the Place ID shown for that result and copy it.
4. Paste it into your sheet or CRM, together with the date you captured it.

Developers have a second route. A Text Search (New) request such as "Spicy Vegetarian Food in Sydney, Australia" returns each match with an id field that holds the Place ID. Google's Place Details (New) documentation lists the other ways to obtain one: Nearby Search, the Geocoding API, the Routes API, the Address Validation API and Autocomplete.

The Finder and the API are built for lookups, one place or one query at a time. If you are building a prospect list, searching for IDs one by one is the wrong job. The IDs should arrive with the leads, which is what the Google Maps data extractor approach does.

Place ID vs CID vs Plus Code vs coordinates: which one is the key?

Use the Place ID as the primary key for a place, and treat every other identifier as supporting data. Google Maps exposes several ways to name a location, and they answer different questions: which profile is this, where is it, and what do people call it.

If the grid code is new to you, read what a Plus Code is. For the full list of columns that come with a captured business, see Google Maps data fields explained.

Does a Google Place ID change, and can I store it?

Yes, a Google Place ID can change, and yes, you can store it. Google says Place IDs may change because the Google Maps database is updated, and recommends refreshing any ID that is more than 12 months old. Place IDs are exempt from the usual caching limits, so keeping them in your own database is allowed.

Here is what the documentation tells you to do, in order:

1. Store the Place ID with the date you captured it.
2. After 12 months, call Place Details and request only the id field. Google says this refresh is free of charge.
3. If the request returns an INVALID_REQUEST or NOT_FOUND error, the ID may be invalid or obsolete. Search for the business again to get a new one.
4. Keep a backup match key, such as website domain or phone number, so a changed ID does not create a second record for the same business.

The exemption comes from Section 3.2.3(b) of the Google Maps Platform Terms of Service, as explained on the Place IDs page. It covers the ID itself. It does not give you the right to cache other Places data indefinitely, so read the terms before you build a product on top of the API.

What can you do with a Google Place ID?

A Google Place ID lets you fetch details, link to the exact place and reference it across Google Maps Platform. The main uses are listed below, and each one is documented by Google.

• Retrieve place details. A Place Details request takes the ID and returns the fields you ask for, such as address, phone number and rating. See the Place Details (New) reference.
• Link to the right place. In a Maps URL, the query_place_id parameter makes the link point to a specific establishment. Google says the Place ID is the best guarantee that you link to the right place. See the Maps URLs guide.
• Reuse it across APIs. The same ID works in the Places API, the Maps JavaScript API, the Geocoding API, the Maps Embed API and the Roads API.
• Build a stable key. In a spreadsheet or CRM, the ID is the value you match on when two exports overlap.

A Maps link that targets a place by ID follows this pattern: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Business+Name&query_place_id=YOUR_PLACE_ID. If Google cannot find the ID, it falls back to the text query.

How do you use Place IDs to keep a lead list clean?

Use the Place ID as the first match key when you merge lists, and a backup key when the ID is missing. Anyone who builds prospect lists from Google Maps ends up with overlapping exports: a freelancer scrapes "dentists" in two neighbouring districts, an agency repeats a search next month, an owner adds a new city to an old sheet. The same business shows up twice.

The routine below keeps those lists clean. It works in a spreadsheet and in a CRM:

1. Capture the Place ID with every business. If your export does not include it, you are left matching on names, which fails on "Joe's Pizza" versus "Joes Pizza Ltd".
2. Merge on Place ID first. Two rows with the same ID are the same place. Keep the row with the most complete contact data.
3. Match the leftovers on a backup key. Compare website domain, then phone number, then name plus coordinates. This also catches the case where Google gave one place a new ID.
4. Refresh old rows. Re-check IDs older than 12 months before a big outreach push, and drop businesses that no longer resolve.
5. Keep the original capture date. It tells you which rows to trust and which to verify.

For the CRM side, see how to remove duplicate contacts from your database. If you plan to move the list into Excel or Sheets, our guide to exporting Google Maps data to CSV shows the fields to keep, and the Place ID should be one of them.

The Vonsel Chrome extension captures businesses from Google Maps, visits each business website to look for published emails, phones and social profiles, and lists the Place ID, CID, FID and KGMID among its export fields. Available fields depend on what each business publishes. Captured businesses land in a mapped CRM, and you can reopen an earlier job to add more. The pricing page shows what each plan covers, and the quickest way to see the flow is to watch the video tutorial.

A Place ID is only a place key, but some contacts you collect alongside it, such as a named person's email, can be personal data. Read our guide to Google Maps scraping and GDPR before you start outreach.

Sources

• Place IDs | Places API (New): Google's definition of a Place ID, example formats, no maximum length, the 12 month refresh rule and the caching exemption.
• Place ID Finder | Maps JavaScript API: Google's sample that shows a place's Place ID after you search for it.
• Place Details (New) | Places API: how a Place ID is used to request details and the list of APIs that can return one.
• Get Started | Maps URLs: how the query_place_id parameter links to a specific establishment.