How to find Google Places CID on the new Google+ Local Pages

[Linda Buquet]

UPDATE 4/30/15 - Classic Maps is DEAD now!

So skip to post #14 to find out how to find CID on New Google Maps.


(Original post with explanations continued below.)

I assume most of you know this, but I'm surprised by how many pros I train don't.

REALLY IMPORTANT and best practice to find and record the CID # for your client listings.
It no longer shows up on the G+ Local page BUT is still the primary identifier for your Place page and is very important for troubleshooting.

WHY do you need the CID#?

1) Sometimes Google creates a brand new Place page on you and you don't even know it.

Often the page looks identical and you didn't even know Google switched the CID on you unless you recorded it initially. Often a new Place page with a different CID will cause you to lose reviews because reviews are tied in part to CID# so it's important to track this.

2) Also need CID for troubleshooting. If a listing disappears sometimes you can't even find it on MM with a phone search. BUT sometimes CAN find it on MM if you know the CID. So you need to know how to format the MM link with CID#. (Can't remember off hand the format to use, but I think Blumenthal had a post about it. Will try to go find it later.)

UPDATE: Here's Mike's post about how to reformat CID for MapMaker: See starting at #3.
<a href="http://blumenthals.com/blog/2012/06/25/a-step-by-step-to-recover-your-we-currently-do-not-support-this-location-in-mapmaker/">A Step By Step To Recover Your “We Currently Do Not Support This” Location in MapMaker</a>

HOW to find the CID

I thought I posted about this on my blog right after G+ Local hit, but can't find it now.

Anyway, just go to the G+ Local page - click on the client's map, then on the map page the link takes you to, you will see the CID in the address bar.

 

[Kristen]

Hi Linda,

The CID on the map in Google+ Local doesn't need to match what you see in the URL when you're logged into the Google Places back end dashboard, right?

I always thought that's where you could find the CID before the + Local transition but in my case it looks like they refer to it as a storeid, so hopefully that's not the same as CID since I've got a different number.

Thanks,
Kristen

 

[Keenan Glass]

http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=90&cid=

copy the cid out of the url in the map result and paste to the end of the string above

 

[Linda Buquet]

I think Keenan was trying to show how you find a listing in MM if you know the CID which is a good trick to know.

But I think Kristen's Q was about finding the CID to begin with.

The CID on the map in Google+ Local doesn't need to match what you see in the URL when you're logged into the Google Places back end dashboard, right?

I always thought that's where you could find the CID before the + Local transition but in my case it looks like they refer to it as a storeid, so hopefully that's not the same as CID since I've got a different number.

No the number inside dash has never been the same as CID. That's a storeid # which has always been different.

So as said in that other post, on the G+ L page you can either click the address OR the map right on the listing. Then it will take you to the listing on Maps. And in the URL string there you will see the CID.

 

[Kristen]

Thanks Keenan for the cool trick. I was just looking to find the CID itself. Thanks Linda!

Kristen

 

[Andrew Sawyer]

Also, I've always used the Edit Business Details if the cid wasn't present on the main G+L page. The cid is either in the main URL or via Community Edits, I've never not seen it there.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Thanks Andrew, good point, you can find it that way too.

 

[JoyHawkins]

I realize this is a super old thread but I wanted to know if any of you knew of possible triggers for being assigned a new CID number. Like Linda said, when it happens you can lose reviews and also you get re-indexed like a brand new listing so you lose all your ranking and categorization.

I know quality guideline violations are one trigger but was wondering if there were others.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Joy I've seen it when Google has merged a dupe backwards.

I'm not necessarily talking about when YOU report a dupe and ask them to merge it, but I've had it happen that way too.

But all the time in the background the algo is reconciling listings deciding if it's a separate business or a dupe of the same that should be merged. If they do the merge backwards then YOUR listing gets the CID for the empty unclaimed dupe. (I had this happen once with a listing a Google manager helped me with. My mature high ranking claimed listing ended up with the CID for the unclaimed dupe.)

One "possible" telltale sign of this, is if you hit edit details or look on MM and there are 2 - 5 names or whatever. I'm not positive but I think this could suggest other listings that were merged into the main one.

Many times you didn't even know a dupe existed and didn't even know a merge happened. It's constantly going on in the background.

At least that's my theory and I've seen it happen very obviously a couple times with listings where I had all the CIDs and history so could see that's what happened. But again many times in the background Google is merging Dr John Smith into John R Smith DDS and we don't even see it happen.

Does that kind of make sense? (Late rushing out door, so that was rushed. Let me know if it does not make sense or you need more info.)

I also think somehow listings get deleted and are re-created but I don't know for sure why that would happen. Glitch maybe? Not sure.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Makes sense. This was a dentist too. Here's the thread if you want to take a look later - https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/business/wj1sLxJpK6k

 

[Linda Buquet]

I was editing and added to thread while you were posting so may want to re-read.

I'll check that one later. Thanks Joy!

 

[JoyHawkins]

One "possible" telltale sign of this, is if you hit edit details or look on MM and there are 2 - 5 names or whatever. I'm not positive but I think this could suggest other listings that were merged into the main one.

I think this is what happened. The MM entry lists "Dr. Andrew D. Schmidt, DDS" below the main title. I do a search for that on Google Maps and it still shows up in the search bar (photo below):



MM Entry: Google Map Maker

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Joy,

I looked at everything and more and can't see anything other than what you found. Too bad the web developer didn't embed the map the way I do. If they did, CID would have been in the code and we could have seen if it had changed. But I think either it was a backwards merge or as Flash said for whatever reason G deleted and it started over.

 

[WebOracle]

For anyone having problems finding the CID. You can still use the Google Maps method mentioned but you need to revert back to "Classic Maps" view. As for the Maps Maker, I tested this method and it does not seem to be working any longer. I am not 100% on this so please feel free to correct me if wrong.

 

[Matt Maydick]

Hey Linda

Any advice for finding the CID #'s recently? Now that the old Google Maps is dead and "Lite Mode" has replaced it, i can't seem to find CID #'s anywhere!

Thank you!

 

[JoyHawkins]

With the G+ page up, go to the About tab, right click and press "view page source" and press CTRL + F and search for "CID" and you'll find it in the page source.

 

[Matt Maydick]

Thank you so much Joy!

 

[whitesell]

A google Trusted Photographer made a great Chrome extension that allows you to get the CID with one click.

It's called 'Embedder' and also allows one to grab link code to share, embed, or grab a thumbnail for a Google Business View tour (also works on streetview imagery).

To get a CID, go to the G+ page for the business and click the embedder icon - viola! Your CID.

Grab this free tool here:
https://chrome.google.<wbr>com/webstore/detail/embedder-<wbr>for-google-busin/<wbr>ehloahmpmbpgpkkdnlnidpokncaaom<wbr>ak

Yes, it's free, but the author does accept donations if you find it useful.

Hope it helps...

Jim

 

[Owen Kane]

CID's are very important for GTP's like me and my staff. Sometimes Vanity URLs make it a little more confusing... so we just Go Here - https://cidfinder.view3.com/

Keeping it simple! Hope you find the link helpful

 

[andrewsmg]

As of last night, Google removed the cid= code from the Business profiles.