How to Find Latitude and Longitude by Zip Code in Bulk
Published on August 25, 2023by Botster
I’ll agree with you and say that it’s no easy feat to convert zip code to lat long successfully. In reality, I’ve found that many people have tried and failed to successfully get a ZIP code and fetch longitudes and latitudes from it.
But guess what?
That’s exactly what I’m going to show in this step-by-step guide. I’ll take you by the hand (virtually) and walk you through the process of fetching latitude and longitude from ZIP code in BULK.
No doubt, I’ll show you:
- A latitude-longitude by zip code finder automation tool
- How to make a list of ZIP codes; and
- How to get the best out of the data you extract by following this guide.
The final result that you’re going to get will look like this (there are only 9 lines on the screenshot but the method I’m describing below allows to extract hundreds and, if needed, even thousands of lines in just a few seconds):
Reasons for bulk-exporting lat long for zip code
But before we get into all of that, what are three solid reasons to make a bulk coordinates list?
- Coordinates may help in direct mailing to target specific geographic locations accurately. By using latitude and longitude coordinates, marketers and business owners can pinpoint addresses for targeted marketing campaigns, ensuring messages, offers, and promotions reach the right audience in desired areas. This will in turn increase campaign effectiveness and boost return on investment (ROI).
- Coordinates may also help property managers accurately identify and manage the locations of properties. Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) help property managers accurately map and track properties, assess their proximity to amenities, provide precise directions, and effectively manage maintenance and inspections.
- Coordinates can also play a crucial role in optimizing real estate operations. They can aid in planning marketing strategies based on geographic data, targeting specific neighborhoods effectively, and analyzing the proximity of branches to potential areas and neighborhoods.
So if you’re a marketer who’s interested in direct mailing, a property manager who needs a smoother process, or a real estate agency looking to step up its operations, this guide on how to convert zip code to latitude-longitude is definitely for you.
Now follow me closely as I get coordinates from ZIP code for a direct mailing campaign.
Case 1: Converting zip to lat long using an EXISTING zip code list
For starters, I'd like to introduce to you the Address by ZIP Finder. This automation tool does exactly what its name suggests: it finds addresses based on the ZIP codes supplied.
But alongside addresses, guess what else it finds?
Coordinates! 🎉
And that makes it a longitude and latitude finder by zip code tool.
If you already have a list of ZIP codes that you only need to generate coordinates for, this tool right here is all you need.
To gain access to the Address by ZIP Finder, you must first open a Botster account:
Registration is free and easy, and your payment details are not required. Be sure to confirm your email address to complete your registration. Now you can convert zip code to longitude latitude:
- Launch the Address by ZIP Finder’s start page by clicking on “Start bot”:
- Give your job a name and specify a folder if you want.
I named mine “Batch zip code to latitude longitude” just for the fun of it!
- Next, enter the country of origin for the ZIP codes:
- Now in the box that says “ZIP Codes”, enter your ZIP codes, making sure each one goes on a new line:
- Setup up your notification, specifying how you'd like to receive your file when the software has gathered your coordinates:
- Finally, click on “Start This Bot” at the right-hand side of your screen, and voila! You’ve put the lat-long by zip code automation tool to work:
Starting the bot will take you to the “My Jobs” page where you can see your ongoing project as it runs. Once it’s done, your laptop will make a notification sound, and you will see something like this:
Video tutorial
In the second part of this video guide, I'm showing you how to use this tool:
Results
From here, you can click on “View Data” to see the results online right away. You can also click on any of the three logos I squared up there to download the result to your computer in CSV, XLSX, and JSON formats.
If you click on “View data” to see the results online, you’ll see this:
As you can see from the result above, the Address by ZIP Finder has helped you to get lat and long from zip code in BULK in less than a minute! ⌛ You can also see the address attached to each ZIP code and coordinates, so you know exactly what location they reference.
If you would like to get the best out of direct mail marketing, my guide titled “Building Target Audience for Direct Mail Marketing: A Real Estate Agent’s Tool Kit” is a must-read for you, whether or not you’re a realtor.
Another interesting case of using this bot is as part of logistics tools and techniques.
Case 2: Converting zip code to coordinates using a NEWLY CREATED zip code list
So, I just showed you how to convert zip codes to latitude and longitude under the premise that you already have ZIP codes to work with.
But what if you’re just starting out building your outreach list, and you have no ZIP codes to extract coordinates from?
Well fear not, for I will show you how to make a bulk ZIP code list and then show you again how to get longitude and latitude from zip code.
For this, we will be using two automation software tools:
- A bulk ZIP code maker
- A latitude and longitude finder by zip code
Without further delay, let’s get started.
Step 1: Making a bulk zip codes list
The automation tool we need for step one is the Address to ZIP Finder. This is a fast automation software that can help you fetch the ZIP codes that are attached to addresses, and it can fetch hundreds of ZIP codes in less than a minute.
This step is necessary because you can’t find the latitude and longitude of zip codes without actual ZIP codes 😏
For this step, I have already extracted the addresses of schools in Birmingham, Alabama as my prospective customers. So I’ll just extract their ZIP codes using the Address to ZIP Finder.
If you don’t have addresses yet, please refer to the article on real estate direct mail marketing I linked above to do that.
Once you have your addresses, follow the steps below:
- Launch the Address to ZIP Finder’s start page and name your job.
- In the box that says “Country name”, enter the name of the country of origin of the addresses:
- In the box that says “Addresses” enter the addresses of your prospects.
Make sure each address goes on a new line:
- Set up your notifications, click on “Start This Bot”, and that’s it!
Easy peasy.
That’s how to make a BULK list of ZIP codes!
Now you have what you need to convert zip to latitude longitude!
Video tutorial
Watch me explain how to use this tool in the beginning of this quick video:
Results
The results will return a bunch of information, most of which you don’t need right now since we’re only concerned with the ZIP codes. In the result file, scroll all the way to the right and you’ll see your ZIP codes list:
Tips
Before we proceed to the last step, here are three tips that can help you make the most of the data you’ve extracted above.
- Looking at the results, you’ll find that some of the ZIP codes are duplicates. All you have to do is filter the data in the ZIP code column and delete duplicates:
- Use the ZIP codes for local targeting in your digital ads to increase your chances of reaching the right audience.
- If you’re a B2B establishment, my guide on Creating a Low-Cost B2B Sales Lead Database for Your Business can help expand your customer base in as little time as humanly possible.
Step 2: Extracting longitude and latitude by zip code
Now that you have your ZIP codes, you can employ your knowledge of how to get latitude and longitude from zip code online and fetch the coordinates for each one of them.
I’ve already covered this above. It would be boring to go over it again 😉
Also, to test what you’ve learned so far, launch the Address by ZIP Finder and extract the coordinates.
How to convert zip code to latitude/longitude: Excel not the best option?
When talking about how to convert ZIP code to latitude-longitude, Excel may not be the best option for you.
If you want to fetch coordinates in Excel without the help of the automation tools I mentioned above, your process will look something like this:
1. Get a ZIP Code Database:
You’ll first find a pre-existing ZIP code database that includes latitude and longitude coordinates. There are various sources available online, and you can often find free or paid databases.
2. Import the Database:
- Open your Excel worksheet.
- Import the ZIP code database into a new sheet or a new Excel file. Typically, these databases are available in CSV format.
- The database should have columns for ZIP code, latitude, longitude, and probably other information such as the address.
3. Prepare Your Data:
In the main worksheet where you have the ZIP codes you want to convert:
- In one column, list the ZIP codes that you want to convert to coordinates.
- In adjacent columns, use Excel's VLOOKUP or INDEX-MATCH functions to look up the corresponding latitude and longitude from the ZIP code database.
Here's how you might use the VLOOKUP function (assuming your ZIP codes are in column A starting from row 2, and the ZIP code database is in another sheet named "ZipDatabase"):
In the latitude column (let's say starting in cell B2), enter:
=VLOOKUP(A2, ZipDatabase!A:B, 2, FALSE)
In the longitude column (let's say starting in cell C2), enter:
=VLOOKUP(A2, ZipDatabase!A:C, 3, FALSE)
The above formulas will look up the ZIP code in column A of your main sheet, search for it in the "Database" sheet, and retrieve the corresponding latitude and longitude from columns B and C.
After setting up the formulas for the first row, use Excel's autofill feature to populate the formulas for the entire column of ZIP codes. You should now have latitude and longitude values for each ZIP code in the adjacent columns.
There goes the step-by-step process of how to get latitude and longitude from zip code Excel.
👎 Several problems are inherent in this method. Some of them include:
- Pre-existing ZIP code databases might not cover all ZIP codes, especially if they are not regularly updated. Some ZIP codes might be new, retired, or have changed over time, leading to missing or incorrect information.
- In some cases, a ZIP code might cover multiple cities or span various regions. This can lead to inaccuracies in coordinates if the ZIP code's boundaries are not well-defined.
- Depending on the source of the ZIP code database, there might be legal or licensing considerations when using and distributing this data.
On the other hand, the longitude and latitude finder by zip code automation tool I showed you above is connected to Google’s API. So it has unhindered access to updated data 💪
Besides, it is faster, more efficient, and will automatically package your data into an Excel file.
From my POV, there’s no point wasting time trying to convert zip to lat long in Excel.
Cost of zip code to lat long conversion
I’m certain you’ve been wondering how much it would cost to find latitude and longitude from zip code using the automation tools I mentioned above.
It would surprise you to find that these tools cost so little, we could almost say they’re free:
- Exporting addresses with the help of the Address by ZIP Finder will cost you just $0.07 for 10 ZIP codes and $0.70 for 100.
- Extracting ZIP codes with the help of the Address to ZIP Finder will also cost you just $0.08 for 10 ZIP codes and $0.80 for 100.
So if you use the Address to ZIP Finder to find 100 ZIP codes, and then use the Address by ZIP Finder to extract their coordinates, you’d spend just $1.50 in total.
And here’s the best part: you get a free trial when you open a Botster account today! So if you’d like to convert zip code to lat long, I advise you get started without delay!
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