Location QR code generator: when an address is not enough
Postcodes cover whole streets. Satnavs send delivery drivers to the back of the building. Festival fields, farm shops, holiday cottages down a track and the side door of a hospital all have the same problem. A location QR code generator solves it by encoding map coordinates, accurate to a few metres, rather than an address a map has to guess at.
Put one on booking confirmations, wedding invitations, event tickets, trail signs, or the "how to find us" card by the till. For a large site, make one code per entrance or car park so each sign sends people to the door nearest to it, not the middle of the estate.
How to create a QR code for a location
- Open Google Maps on a computer and find the exact spot: the gate, not the field.
- Right-click it. The first line of the menu is the latitude and longitude; click it to copy.
- Paste the two numbers into the Latitude and Longitude fields above. Add a place name if you like.
- Style the code and add a frame label such as "Directions".
- Test it on both an iPhone and an Android phone, then download.
Coordinates or a Google Maps link
The Location type writes a standard geo: code. Android phones open it in their maps app straight away. iPhone support for geo: codes varies, so if most of your visitors use iPhones, make an address QR code from a map link instead:
- In Google Maps, search the address or drop a pin, then choose Share and copy the link.
- Switch the generator to Link and paste it. The code opens Google Maps in the app or the browser on any phone.
- Apple Maps links work the same way if your audience is mostly on iPhone.
- For a route rather than a pin, share the directions link from Google Maps instead of the place.
Printing a map QR code that works outdoors
Location codes often live outside, on gateposts and A-boards, where rain, glare and distance get in the way. Use high contrast, a matt laminate and a generous size: about 10 cm wide for a sign read from a metre away. Download SVG or PDF so the print shop can scale it without blur.
On invitations and tickets, keep the code at least 2 cm square and add a line of text with the address for anyone who prefers to type it.
Location QR codes and tracking
Some people search for QR code location tracking, expecting the code to report where it was scanned. A static code cannot do that, and ours does not try: the coordinates go from the code to the phone's map app, with no server in between. Nobody learns who scanned it or where they were. Scan analytics are coming soon with NeoReader Pro, and will be opt-in.
