Location, Location, YOU HAVE EXCEEDED YOUR USAGE LIMITS!

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It’s time to say goodbye to another so called ‘free’ Google service. But is Google really the big bad wolf for introducing charges to its Maps service; one of the most popular APIs out there? And what are the implications for your business?

Back in April this year Google announced that usage limits would come into play for its Maps API service, which sounded the alarm for web developers and businesses alike. Since 2005 developers have been using the service to integrate Google Maps into their websites for route planners, business locators and a profusion of other valuable uses. Now, after six years of free use and endless amounts of website integrations Google have decided that the service is in fact too good to be free and have introduced usage limits and charges as of October 1^st. So what are the usage limits you ask? Well depending on how you look at it, Google have introduced a relatively low usage limit, which means websites and applications using the Maps API incur no cost for up to 25,000 map loads per day for each API and up to 2,500 map loads per day for Styles Maps. The general price after these quotas are hit is $4 per 1,000 map loads, but there are some allowances.

These new usage limits will have varying implications, depending on your type of business. The 25,000 hit threshold will be sufficient for many smaller companies, assuming they don’t gain a sudden popularity, in which case they can expect to be hit with some hefty charges. But you can feel safe(r) in the knowledge that these charges won’t spiral out of control, as according to Google, one load of the map counts as one hit, so the amount of clicks and varying usage of the map by an individual user, has no effect on pricing. However, this will provide little comfort for larger companies, who will inevitably exceed the usage limits and receive some unpleasant charges from Google. If your website is definitely going to exceed the usage limits then Google gives you three options to mull over.

1. Modify your Maps API application to ensure the number of maps generated per day is below the usage limit. This is easier said than done if you don’t want to affect usability – which we’re pretty sure is the case.

2. Enrol on the payment program for extra usage, which is an alternative to warning messages appearing on your website, courtesy of Google, and receiving a heated call from a Google sales manager.

3. Purchase the Maps API Premier Licence, which will give you unlimited usage but set you back $10,000 for the year – unless you’re a non-profit organisation that Google deems to be in the public interest.

Enhanced features such as geocoding, added support, and full control over advertising, are Google’s reasoning for the ‘cost effective’ $10,000 a year price tag for the Premier License. We have to admit these are nice features, but to offer a free lite version in addition to the premier version would have been a better option for companies and would provide them with a service they actually need.

We suggest that if you’re a non-profit organisation then you should be applying for the free Premier Licence straight away. But be warned Google has strict guidelines for who isn’t eligible. So don’t bother applying if you’re a political/religious group (including lobbyists), you have a pending or don’t have tax-exempt charitable status, or you are based outside the USA, UK, France, Germany Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands.

There of course, is always the possibility of boycotting Google Maps altogether and opting for an alternative service. Sites such as http://www.openstreetmap.org/ provide a free alternative but as with similar sites, functionality is compromised. Ultimately, although competition is always beneficial for the user, these sites highlight that the Google Maps API service is far more advanced on every level.

We have diminishing hope that this isn’t the start of something bigger and Google won’t start charging for other services such as Google Analytics. A similar incident happened with Google’s Checkout service, which was built with the intention to rival PayPal and its controversial transaction fees. We all got on board, with what we thought was the better alternative, and then Google hit us with the transaction fees. Don’t get us wrong we think Google develop great services, with unmatched functionality, but we can’t help feeling cheated by the self-titled ‘open’ company, and it appears that our free trials are quickly running out.

So is Google really the big bad wolf? If we take into account that Google is not the only company to start charging for its products then no, Microsoft, Sony, and Spotify are all culprits. But does this make it fair? In order to somewhat soften the blow, Thor Mitchell (the product manager for Google Maps API), has stated that Google will give you until early 2012 to consider your options and then start billing you for excess usage. And if this is all a bit too much to take in and you simply want to embed Google Maps into your site without using API, then be rest assured this will be a free service. This will still include embedding a simple map, a set of driving instructions, a local search, and maps created by other users.

It looks as though unless a substantial alternative service emerges in the next couple of months, larger companies will have to bite the bullet and either enrol on a payment plan or purchase the Premier licence. In future it would perhaps be sensible of Google to clearly outline from the get go that their services are not free, but are in fact free trials – which might restore some of our trust in the brand.