# Yell.com Scraper: UK Business Search for Many Locations (`nextgensda/yell-businesses`) Actor

Search Yell.com, the UK business directory, for many keywords and locations in one run: name, phone, website, address, postcode, coordinates, rating, reviews, opening hours, services, payment methods and photos. Fast HTTP scraper, no browser.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/nextgensda/yell-businesses.md
- **Developed by:** [Tauqeer Abbas](https://apify.com/nextgensda) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 search results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Yell.com Scraper: UK Business Search

![Yell.com UK Business Scraper: many keywords and UK towns per run, with pay-per-event pricing shown as a receipt](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/jjfuNKRDYXareLza5/records/banner.png?signature=RHCce18iuipOOwTbbdZO)

Search [Yell.com](https://www.yell.com/), the UK business directory, for many
keywords and locations in one run. Every business is one item in the dataset:
name, phone, website, full address with postcode and coordinates, rating and
reviews, opening hours, services, payment methods, prices, social links and
photos.

### What it does

- Searches by **keywords** ("plumbers", "beauty salons") in a **location**
  (a town, area or postcode such as `Leeds` or `SW1A 1AA`), or across the
  whole UK when no location is given.
- Runs many searches at once: a list of searches, or keywords × locations.
- Returns up to 250 businesses per search (Yell's own limit) and 100,000 per
  run. For more, split a broad search into smaller locations.
- Pure HTTP, no browser: fast and light (256 MB).

### Input examples

**Several searches:**

```json
{
    "searches": [
        { "keywords": "plumbers", "location": "Manchester" },
        { "keywords": "beauty salons", "location": "London" }
    ]
}
```

**Many keywords × many locations:**

```json
{
    "keywords": ["electricians", "plumbers", "roofers"],
    "locations": ["Leeds", "Bristol", "Glasgow"]
}
```

**The whole UK:**

```json
{
    "searches": [{ "keywords": "wedding photographers" }]
}
```

### Output

Each item contains:

| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| `name` | Serenity Nails and Beauty |
| `categories` | \["Beauty Salons"] |
| `phone`, `phones` | 020 7373 4968 (all numbers with their type) |
| `website` | https://www.serenity-nailsandbeauty.com/ |
| `social` | {"facebook": "…", "instagram": "…"} |
| `address`, `locality`, `town`, `region`, `postcode` | 9 Hogarth Place, London, SW5 0QT |
| `latitude`, `longitude` | 51.4932, -0.19254 |
| `rating`, `rating_count`, `review_count`, `review` | 5.0, 2, 2, the latest review |
| `opening_hours` | {"MO": \["10:00-19:00"], …, "SU": \[]} |
| `services`, `payment_methods`, `highlights` | \["Manicures", …], \["VISA", …] |
| `rates` | \[{"service": "1/2 Legs Wax 30 Minutes", "price": "18"}] |
| `description`, `strapline` | the business's own text |
| `year_established`, `qualifications`, `awards`, `accreditations` | when listed |
| `logo`, `photos` | image URLs |
| `paid_listing`, `premium_listing`, `sponsored` | Yell advert tier |
| `url` | https://www.yell.com/biz/serenity-nails-and-beauty-london-8381193/ |

Plus `searchKeywords`, `searchLocation` and `searchIndex`, the search that
found the business. Fields a business doesn't list are empty.

### Pricing

Pay per event: platform usage is included in every price; you never pay
Apify compute, proxy or storage on top. A search that returns no businesses
is free.

| Event | Price | When charged |
|---|---|---|
| Run start | $0.005 | every run |
| `search` | $0.001 | each search that delivered at least one business |
| `business` | $0.80 / 1,000 | each business pushed to the dataset |

**Example:** 9 searches × 100 businesses = $0.005 + 9 × $0.001 + 900 ×
$0.0008 = **$0.73** for 900 businesses.

Your **spending limit** (set in the run configuration) is always respected:
the actor stops before exceeding it.

### Proxy

Residential proxies are recommended (the default: Apify residential, GB):
Yell refuses many datacenter IPs.

# Actor input Schema

## `searches` (type: `array`):

One search per entry: <code>{"keywords": "plumbers", "location": "Manchester"}</code>. The location is a UK town, area or postcode, as you'd type it on Yell; leave it out to search the whole UK (or to use the locations below).

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Shortcut for many keywords on the same locations below.

## `locations` (type: `array`):

Run-wide locations: every search without its own location, and every keyword, runs in each of them. Town, area or postcode (e.g. <code>Leeds</code>, <code>SW1A 1AA</code>).

## `maxItemsPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

Yell serves up to 250 businesses per search. For more, split a search into smaller locations.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

The run stops after this many businesses.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Residential proxies are recommended: Yell refuses many datacenter IPs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searches": [
    {
      "keywords": "plumbers",
      "location": "Manchester"
    },
    {
      "keywords": "beauty salons",
      "location": "London"
    }
  ],
  "maxItemsPerSearch": 250,
  "maxItems": 1000,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "GB"
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `businesses` (type: `string`):

One row per business: name, categories, phone, website, address, rating and Yell link.

## `allFields` (type: `string`):

Every field of every item, including coordinates, opening hours, services, payment methods, prices, qualifications, social links and photos.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searches": [
        {
            "keywords": "plumbers",
            "location": "Manchester"
        },
        {
            "keywords": "beauty salons",
            "location": "London"
        }
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "GB"
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("nextgensda/yell-businesses").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searches": [
        {
            "keywords": "plumbers",
            "location": "Manchester",
        },
        {
            "keywords": "beauty salons",
            "location": "London",
        },
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "GB",
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("nextgensda/yell-businesses").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searches": [
    {
      "keywords": "plumbers",
      "location": "Manchester"
    },
    {
      "keywords": "beauty salons",
      "location": "London"
    }
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "GB"
  }
}' |
apify call nextgensda/yell-businesses --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,nextgensda/yell-businesses"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/qOcRbEvLWtUodRCsq/builds/2Y7tXE8djt7ltCr8B/openapi.json