Location QR codes — geo: URIs versus map links

Two approaches

The geo: URI (RFC 5870):

geo:51.5074,-0.1278

Vendor-neutral, extremely compact, and opens the user's default map app. It carries coordinates only — no name, no label.

A map service link:

https://maps.google.com/?q=51.5074,-0.1278
https://maps.apple.com/?ll=51.5074,-0.1278&q=The+Shop

Longer, tied to one provider, but can carry a business name and a place id.

Which to use

Use geo: when the coordinates are the whole message — a trailhead, a meeting point in a park, an entrance on a large site. It is the smallest payload and respects the user's app choice.

Use a maps link when you want the business name to appear, when you want the pin to resolve to a verified place rather than a bare point, or when you know your audience (a US or European high street) is overwhelmingly on one platform. Android handles geo: best; iOS handling of bare geo: has historically been less consistent than an Apple or Google Maps URL.

Get the coordinates right

• Decimal degrees, not degrees-minutes-seconds. 51.5074 not 51°30'27"N.
• Latitude first, then longitude. Reversing them is the classic error and lands you in the wrong hemisphere.
• Five decimal places is about one metre — more than enough. Extra digits waste modules.
• Negative for south and west.

Pin the entrance, not the centroid

A geocoded address usually resolves to the centre of a building or plot. For a venue with one usable entrance, a large site, or a rural property with a long track, take the coordinates from the actual door. This is the single highest-value thing you can do with a location QR code, and almost nobody does it.

What it cannot do

There is no zoom level, no route and no travel mode in a bare geo: URI. Some platforms accept geo:lat,lon?z=17, but support is uneven. For turn-by-turn directions from wherever the user is, use a maps link with a daddr or destination parameter.

FAQ

Should I use geo: or a Google Maps link?

Use geo: when coordinates are the whole message and you want to respect the user's default map app. Use a maps link when you need the business name to show, or want the pin tied to a verified place.

Which order do coordinates go in?

Latitude first, then longitude, in decimal degrees. Reversing them is the most common mistake and puts the pin in the wrong part of the world.

How many decimal places do I need?

Five is roughly one metre of precision, which is plenty. More digits just make the code denser for no benefit.

Can I include a business name?

Not in a bare geo: URI, which carries coordinates only. Use a maps service link if the name needs to appear.