Searching for something like "coffee shops near me" sounds simple, but behind the scenes, it requires defining both a location and the area around it. Without that context, a search isn't complete.

If you've worked with location-based queries before, you know that getting this right matters.

Let's look at how this just became easier.

 How Location Worked Before

In the Google Maps API, location has traditionally been handled using the ll parameter:

  • ll: latitude and longitude (the center point of the search)

This allowed you to define where the search should happen.

At the same time, parameters like:

  • z (zoom level), or
  • m (distance in meters)

were used to define how large the search area should be.

What's New: A More User-Friendly Way to Set Location

The main improvement is the introduction of a more user-friendly way to provide location. Instead of relying only on latitude and longitude (ll), you can now use:

location (a place name or address)

This makes requests easier to read, write, and understand.

Example mindset:

  • Before: You needed coordinates like 40.7128,-74.0060
  • Now: You can simply use something like "New York, NY."

Location + Scope: How It Works Together

No matter how you define the location (ll or location), you still need to define the search scope. That's where z and m come in:

  • z : controls the map zoom level
  • m : defines the distance in meters from the center

Important note:

When using location, you must include either z or m. This ensures the API knows how wide the search area should be.

Understanding z vs m

z: Zoom Level

  • Minimum: 3 (very zoomed out)
  • Typical range: up to 18–23, depending on location
  • Max allowed: 30

z controls how "zoomed in" the map is. Think in terms of map view

m: Distance in Meters

  • Minimum: 1 meter
  • Maximum: 15028132 meters

m defines a real-world distance from the center point. Think in terms of radius

Which One Should You Use?

It depends on how you think about your search.

  • Use z if you want to control the map zoom level
  • Use m if you want to control the distance from a location

Both are valid - they just represent different ways of defining the same idea: how much of the map to include

Let's explore an actual example using Python

Imagine you want to find restaurants within 1 km of Palermo, Buenos Aires.

Here's an example:

import requests

SERPAPI_API_KEY = "YOUR_SERPAPI_API_KEY"

params = {
    "api_key": SERPAPI_API_KEY,
    "engine": "google_maps",
    "q": "restaurants",
    "location": "Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina",
    "m": 1000 
}

search = requests.get("https://serpapi.com/search", params=params)
response = search.json()

for place in response.get("local_results", []):
    print(place.get("title"), "-", place.get("address"))

You can explore the full documentation here:

https://serpapi.com/google-maps-api

You can also explore this search in our Plaground here

If you don't have an API KEY yet, register at serpapi.com to get one. 

If you found this guide useful, you might also enjoy:

Scrape Google Maps data and reviews using Python
Learn how to quickly and effortlessly scrape Google Maps places data and its reviews using the SerpApi Python library. Bonus: export the data to a CSV file.
SerpApiHilman Ramadhan
Bridging Google Local API and Google Maps API
If you’ve ever tried to get structured business or location data from Google Maps or Google Local, you’ve probably run into roadblocks like inconsistent data or time constraints for researching so many locations. That’s where SerpApi comes in. At SerpApi we scrape structured search engine results from
SerpApiAutumrose Stubbs
Get Accurate Route Data: Scraping Google Maps Directions
Scrape route information from Google Maps Directions with Python and simple API
SerpApiHilman Ramadhan