Google Maps Business Scraper - Local Business Data at Scale

Scrape Google Maps business listings with Playwright browser automation. Extract business name, category, address, phone, website, rating, reviews, place ID, and more. Uses real browser rendering with anti-detection for reliable extraction.

Features

• Browser-Based Extraction - Playwright for reliable JavaScript rendering
• Business Details - Name, category, address, phone, website
• Ratings & Reviews - Total score and review count
• Place ID Extraction - Google Maps place identifiers for API integration
• Geo-Biased Search - Lat/lng coordinates for location-specific results
• Scrolling Pagination - Automatically loads more results
• Anti-Detection - Fingerprint injection for stealth browsing
• No Login Required - Works with public Google Maps data
• Demo Mode - Test with sample data before going live

Who Should Use This Actor?

Local SEO Agencies

Build prospect lists of local businesses. Identify businesses with poor online presence, missing websites, or low review counts.

Lead Generation Teams

Scrape local business data for B2B outreach campaigns. Get phone numbers, websites, and addresses for direct contact.

Real Estate Professionals

Research nearby amenities, restaurants, and services for property evaluations. Map business density in target neighborhoods.

Market Researchers

Analyze business density, ratings, and competition by geographic area. Identify underserved markets for expansion.

Citation Building Services

Gather NAP data (Name, Address, Phone) for local SEO citation building and consistency audits.

Quick Start

Demo Mode (Free Test)

{
  "demoMode": true
}

Search for Businesses

{
  "searchStringsArray": ["Pizza Chicago IL", "Dentist Los Angeles CA"],
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 20,
  "language": "en",
  "demoMode": false
}

Geo-Targeted Search

{
  "searchStringsArray": ["Restaurant near me", "Coffee shop"],
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 15,
  "lat": "40.7128",
  "lng": "-74.0060",
  "zoom": 14,
  "demoMode": false
}

No login or API key required! Uses browser automation to access public Google Maps data.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
searchStringsArray	array	-	Array of search queries
maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch	integer	20	Max results per search query
language	string	en	Results language
lat	string	-	Latitude for geo-biased search
lng	string	-	Longitude for geo-biased search
zoom	integer	12	Zoom level (10=city, 14=neighborhood, 17=street)
proxyConfiguration	object	-	Proxy settings
demoMode	boolean	true	Return sample data for testing
webhookUrl	string	-	Webhook URL for results delivery

Output Format

{
  "title": "The Mojito Bar",
  "categoryName": "Bar",
  "address": "11401 NW 12th St, Miami, FL 33172",
  "city": "Miami",
  "state": "FL",
  "phone": "(305) 564-1597",
  "website": "http://www.themojitobar.com/",
  "totalScore": 4.6,
  "reviewsCount": 825,
  "placeId": "0x88d9bf880ee8fad9:0xd5d8645ea7eeff0b",
  "url": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/..."
}

Pricing (Pay-Per-Event)

Event	Description	Price
business_scraped	Per business result scraped	$0.02

Example costs:

• 20 businesses: 20 x $0.02 = $0.40
• 100 businesses: 100 x $0.02 = $2.00
• 500 businesses: 500 x $0.02 = $10.00
• Demo mode: $0.00

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Local Lead Generation

{
  "searchStringsArray": ["Plumber Miami FL", "HVAC San Diego CA", "Roofer Dallas TX"],
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 50,
  "demoMode": false
}

Scenario 2: Competitor Analysis by Area

{
  "searchStringsArray": ["Italian Restaurant"],
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 30,
  "lat": "34.0522",
  "lng": "-118.2437",
  "zoom": 13,
  "demoMode": false
}

Scenario 3: Citation Audit

{
  "searchStringsArray": ["Your Business Name City State"],
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 5,
  "demoMode": false
}

Understanding Geo-Search Parameters

How do lat, lng, and zoom work?

• lat (latitude) and lng (longitude) are coordinates. Right-click any location on Google Maps and select "What's here?" to get them.
• zoom controls search area: 10 = city-wide, 14 = neighborhood, 17 = street-level

Best practices for search queries:

• Include location: "Plumber Miami FL" (better than "Plumber")
• Be specific: "Italian Restaurant" (better than "Food")
• Use lat/lng with generic queries: "Restaurant near me" + coordinates

Webhook & Automation Integration

Webhook Configuration

{
  "searchStringsArray": ["Dentist Los Angeles CA"],
  "maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch": 50,
  "webhookUrl": "https://your-endpoint.com/webhook"
}

Zapier Integration

1. Create a Zapier Webhook trigger (Catch Hook)
2. Copy the webhook URL to webhookUrl
3. Route results to Google Sheets, CRM, Slack, etc.

Popular Zaps:

• Google Maps data -> Google Sheets (build prospect lists)
• New businesses found -> Slack notification
• Results -> HubSpot/Salesforce CRM (lead import)

Make.com (Integromat)

1. Create a Webhooks module (Custom webhook)
2. Add webhook URL to configuration
3. Process results with Make.com scenarios

n8n Integration

1. Add a Webhook node
2. Configure with webhook URL
3. Chain with processing nodes

Apify Scheduled Runs

Schedule in Apify Console for recurring scrapes. Use Apify webhooks or API for programmatic access.

Official API Alternatives

Google Maps Platform (Places API)

Google offers an official Places API:

• Pros: Official, reliable, structured data, more fields
• Cons: Expensive ($17/1000 place details), requires Google Cloud billing, usage limits
• Best for: Production applications needing guaranteed uptime

This Scraper's Advantages

1. No Google Cloud account needed
2. No per-request billing from Google
3. Pay-per-result pricing (much cheaper at scale)
4. No API key management
5. Works immediately without developer setup

When to Use the Official API

• Production applications requiring 99.9% uptime
• Compliance-sensitive environments
• Need for Place IDs, Street View, or Distance Matrix

FAQ

Q: Do I need a Google account?

A: No. This scraper uses public Google Maps data. No login required.

Q: Why am I getting fewer results than expected?

A: Common causes:

1. Search query too specific - try broader terms
2. Area has few matching businesses
3. Increase maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch
4. Add city and state to search query

Q: Results are from the wrong location?

A: Google uses IP location by default. Add city/state to your search query or use lat/lng for precise targeting.

Q: Missing phone numbers or websites?

A: Not all businesses have complete Google Maps listings. This is a data completeness issue on Google's side.

Q: Can I get reviews text?

A: This actor extracts review counts and ratings. For full review text, consider combining with our Review Scraper.

Q: How is this different from the Google Places API?

A: This scraper is significantly cheaper for bulk data extraction. The Places API charges $17 per 1,000 requests; this actor charges $0.02 per result.

Common Problems & Solutions

"No results" or fewer results than expected

• Broaden search (e.g., "Restaurant" not "Vegan Thai Restaurant")
• Increase maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch
• Add city and state to search query
• Check for typos in search terms

Results from wrong location

• Include location in search: "Pizza New York NY"
• Use lat/lng for precise targeting
• Adjust zoom level

"Request blocked"

• Actor uses fingerprint injection automatically
• Wait a few minutes and retry
• Reduce concurrent searches

Demo data showing

• Set demoMode: false
• No API key required for real scraping

Changelog

v2.1.28 (January 2026)

• Fixed website extraction - Added 15+ new CSS selectors for website URLs
• Improved fallback to scan all external links when primary selectors fail
• Filters social media links (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yelp)
• Handles Google redirect URLs (/url?q=) more robustly
• 0% → 100% website extraction success rate in testing

v2.1.0

• Initial release with Playwright browser automation
• Fingerprint injection for anti-detection
• Webhook support for Zapier/Make.com/n8n

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Built by John Rippy | Actor Arsenal