How to add Google Maps to your website
Google Maps is a map showing your location or service area, used by any business with premises customers visit. Here's how to put it on your own website, which embed option to pick, and what goes wrong.
Quick answer
Get the code from Google Maps itself — find your business, use Share, then the Embed a map tab to copy the iframe. For most people the right choice is the place embed — your business pin with its name and details. Paste it into a code or embed block on your site — not a plain text field — then place it beside your main call to action and test the whole flow on a phone before relying on it.
Google Maps: which option to use
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Place embed | Your business pin with its name and details. |
| Directions embed | A map pre-set with directions to you. |
| Static map image | A screenshot linking to Maps, which loads far faster and avoids cookies. |
Step-by-step
- 1
Find the code or link in your account
Google Maps keeps this in Google Maps itself — find your business, use Share, then the Embed a map tab to copy the iframe. Copy what you need before touching your website — most of the time people lose is spent hunting for the snippet, not installing it.
- 2
Pick the right option for the job
The table above is the decision. Place embed: Your business pin with its name and details. Directions embed: A map pre-set with directions to you. Choosing before you paste saves rebuilding the section later.
- 3
Paste it into a code or embed block
This needs an HTML, code or embed block — not a plain text field, where the code will simply appear as text on your page. On Adviita, ask the AI editor to add an embed section and drop the code in. On WordPress use a Custom HTML block, on Squarespace a Code block (Business plan or above), and on Wix an Embed HTML element.
- 4
Put it where the decision happens
Location information needs to be readable by people, by screen readers and by search engines — a map alone is none of those. A widget three scrolls down does a fraction of the work of the same widget beside your main call to action. Decide what the page is for, then place it at the point the visitor is deciding.
- 5
Check it on an actual phone
Most visitors to a small business website arrive on a phone, and embeds are where mobile layouts break. Open your live site on your own phone and confirm it loads, fits the screen without sideways scrolling, and does not push your contact button out of view. Third-party embeds are also the most common cause of a slow page, so if it noticeably delays loading, consider a plain link instead.
- 6
Test it end to end before you rely on it
Run through the whole flow yourself as a customer would — confirm it renders and links correctly — and confirm what should happen actually happens. Broken embeds fail silently, and the first person to notice is usually a customer who has already given up.
Tips & best practices
- ▸The iframe embed is free and needs no API key. The Maps JavaScript API does need a key and can generate real costs — do not confuse the two.
- ▸The embed loads Google resources and sets cookies, which is a consent consideration in the EU and UK.
- ▸Always include your address as real text as well. A map alone gives search engines nothing to read, and a map is useless to a screen reader.
- ▸Re-test the embed after any change to your site, your plan, or the connected account — third-party widgets break quietly and nothing tells you.
Common questions
How do I embed a Google Map on my website for free?
+−
Find your business on Google Maps, click Share, and open the 'Embed a map' tab. Copy the iframe code and paste it into a code block on your site. This method is free and needs no API key — that is only required for the Maps JavaScript API, which is a different product.
Does a Google Map help my local SEO?
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The map itself does very little. What matters is your address written as real text on the page, matching your Google Business Profile exactly, along with a claimed and complete profile. The embed is for visitors' convenience, not for rankings.
Do I need a developer to add Google Maps to my site?
+−
No. Every option here is copy and paste into a code or embed block, which every mainstream website builder provides. The only genuine blocker is a builder or plan that does not allow custom code at all — Squarespace, for instance, requires a Business plan or above for code blocks.
Will adding Google Maps slow down my website?
+−
Any third-party embed has some cost, because it loads code from another company's servers. One is usually unnoticeable; four or five on the same page is where small business sites become visibly slow. If page speed matters to you, prefer a plain link over a script wherever the option exists, and keep embeds to the pages that genuinely need them.