How to set up Google Cloud for Google Maps

To show Google Maps on your website, Google now requires a Google Cloud project with billing attached. This guide walks you through three short steps: create a project, connect your company's billing, and give Transform Digital access so we can finish the technical setup for you. It takes about ten minutes, and you stay in full control of your account and billing the whole time.

Website Design6 min read21 July 2026

IN THIS GUIDE

Short answer

If you want a Google Map on your website — a store locator, a pin on your contact page, or address search in a form — Google now asks for a Google Cloud account with billing attached before it will show that map. This is a Google requirement for everyone, not something specific to your website, and it protects the map from being misused by other sites.

The good news: you only have to do the setup once, it takes about ten minutes, and you do not need to be technical. This guide explains each step in plain language and shows you exactly what each screen looks like. Once it is done, Transform Digital handles all the technical parts for you.

Before you start: what you will need

You will need a Google account that belongs to your business (not a personal Gmail if you can avoid it), and your company's billing details — the same card or bank details you would use for any business subscription.

A quick word on cost, because billing can sound alarming: for a normal small-business website, Google Maps usage almost always falls within Google's free monthly allowance, so most clients are never charged. Google simply requires a billing account to be on file. You set it up directly with Google and remain in complete control of it — you can see every charge, set budget alerts, and cancel any time.

You will never send card details, passwords, or codes to Transform Digital. Everything to do with money is entered directly into Google, and your billing stays yours.

Step 1: Create a project

A "project" is just a labelled container inside Google Cloud that keeps your map settings tidy and separate from everything else. You are creating one and giving it a name.

Go to console.cloud.google.com and sign in with your business Google account.
At the top of the page, click the project drop-down menu (it sits just to the right of the Google Cloud logo), then click New project.
In Project name, type your company name followed by Maps — for example, "Acme Plumbing - Maps". This just helps everyone recognise it later.
You can ignore the Project ID and organisation fields — the defaults are fine. If it asks about an organisation and you are not sure, leaving it as is (or choosing "No organisation") is perfectly okay.
Click Create. After a few seconds the project is ready.

Step 2: Connect your billing

Now you attach a billing account to the project. If your business already uses Google Cloud or Google Workspace, you may already have a billing account you can reuse. If not, you will create one — this is where you enter your company details directly with Google.

In the search bar at the top, type "Billing" and open the Billing page.
If you already have a company billing account, skip to the linking step below. Otherwise click Create account, then enter your company's legal name, country, and payment method straight into Google.
Make sure your new "[Company] - Maps" project is the one selected at the top of the page.
If the billing page says "This project has no billing account", click Link a billing account and choose your company's account.
Check that the project's billing page now shows billing is active. That is all — you do not need to turn anything else on.

Set a budget alert while you are here (Billing → Budgets & alerts) if you would like an email the moment any usage approaches a limit you choose. It is optional, but nice peace of mind.

Step 3: Give Transform Digital access

The final step lets our team do the technical setup — turning on the right Google Maps features, creating a secure key locked to your website, and testing it — without ever needing your password. You are adding our email address as a helper on this one project only.

Make sure your "[Company] - Maps" project is still selected at the top.
Open the menu (the three-line icon at the top left), then go to IAM & Admin, then IAM.
Click Grant access (sometimes shown as Add).
In the New principals box, type our email address: [email protected]
In Select a role, choose Project, then Editor.
Click Save.

Editor access is enough for the setup and does not give us your billing or ownership. Please do not grant Owner, Billing Account Administrator, or access to your payments profile unless we have agreed it separately.

Step 4: Send us a few details

Once the three steps are done, email us so we can start. Please send:

Never email passwords, card details, verification codes, credential files, or API keys — we never need them. If Google shows an error, a screenshot with any card details cropped out is the most helpful thing to send.

Your company name
The project name and Project ID (both shown on your project's home page)
Confirmation that billing is active
Your website address, plus any staging or test site address

What happens next

From your details, Transform Digital enables the required Maps and Places features, creates a secure API key that only works on your website, applies sensible usage limits so nothing can run away with your budget, adds the map to your site, and tests everything before switching off any old key.

You will not need to touch Google Cloud again unless your details change. If anything on your side looks unclear at any point, send us a screenshot and we will guide you through it.

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