Finding an Address

This guide details the best methods for finding an Address using GBG Loqate Australia & New Zealand services

Address Find

Related Service

pageAddress Validation & Lookup

Quick Tips

All tips are generalisations on how to get the best performance overtime. Every country has a different way to input an address, which means end users enter addresses in many different ways and structures.

These tips are designed to be consistently fast and accurate, they may not be the outright fastest but they consistently work.

Always helps:

• Key fields: StreetNumber, StreetName, Postcode - '20 HIGH 2334’

• Any Order with numbers first, starting with postcode '2334 20 HIGH' yields similar results as '20 example 2121’. Why? Typing numbers is faster. For phone operators easier to understand and limits incorrect spelling.

• Find 'premise' first then extend to a sub-dwelling.

• Wildcards '': unsure about something use a wildcard. - ' 20 HI 2334 ' or ' UNIT 21 44 BRI* 2000'

What can impede:

• Unit & unit numbers. Units will appear as options if you search Street method. Specifing Unit does narrow the search, however, being too narrow can be disadvantage if the Unit is not within the data for example commercial sublets may not have Unit sub-dwelling.

• Trying to spell Suburbs you don't know 'sombre' when 'sunbury'. Misspellings are common offers limited optimisation. Use postcode instead.

Adds time with little benefit:

• Typing the Street types e.g. 'Street, Road, Close'.

• Typing Suburbs - Simply a postcode is more useful. It is highly unusual to 2 identical addresses expect suburb within a postcode.

Understanding an Address

Addresses comprise many components and interpretations around the world. Below diagram helps give a visual representation of an address.

Use Wildcards '*'

A wildcard replaces 'known' input with 'unknown' input. Entering a wildcard is the star (in blue) '*'

• Wildcards can be used on any component of an address.

• You can use multiple wildcards in a search - one per component.

• Wildcards can be used in the start, end or middle of a component. '*AL' or 'MAL*' or 'M*LEE'

Method: Numbers First

Target Address: ‘4 MALLEE COURT, SUNBURY VIC 3429’

Method: {postcode} {streetNumber} {streetName}.

Numbers are easier to hear and faster to type.

Input examples:

• '3429 4 MALLEE’

• '3429 4 MAL* SUN*' Unsure of multiple spellings – use wildcard

• '34* 4 MALLEE' - missed a number? - use wildcard

• '3429 4 M*LEE' - unsure of street spelling – use wildcard

Method: Letters Premise then sub-dwellings

Target Address: ‘UNIT 5 25 NEPEAN HIGHWAY, ASPENDALE VIC 3195’

Method: {streetNumber} {streetName} {postcode} {subdwelling}.

We don't recommend adding subdwelling component until after premise component. Its more efficient to find the premise then extend to the subdwelling.

NB: Not all sub-dwellings are in our trusted data sources. This is industry wide problem.

Input examples:

• '25 NEPEAN 3195’ - gives all matching 25 Nepean. Sometimes Units will not be in the data and only premise match is possible.

• '25 NEPEAN 3195 5' - Extend with UnitNumber. All subdwelling types (unit, flat) with 5.

• '25 NEPEAN 3195 Unit' - Extend with Unit all matching units within 25 Nepean

• '* NEPEAN 3195 Unit 5' - all matching 'unit 5' on Nepean StreetName

• '25 NEP* 3195 Unit' - unsure of street spelling – use wildcard