Build a targeted business research list

Answer four questions before you search. They decide your keywords, your filters, and which fields matter.

Combine every category with every area. Smaller areas return more complete coverage than one broad search, because each Google Maps search returns a bounded list of listings.

That’s 10 keywords — it fits in one scrape on the Basic Online plan (10 keywords per scrape), or two scrapes on Lite. Generate longer grids with a few lines of code:

const categories = ["specialty coffee shops","coffee roasters"];
const areas = ["Capitol Hill","Ballard","Fremont","Queen Anne","Georgetown"];

const keywords = categories.flatMap((category) =>
  areas.map((area) => `${category} in ${area}, Seattle`),
);
console.log(keywords.join("\n")); // paste into New scrape, or submit via the API

With the Online scraper

1. 01

   Step 1: Paste the grid into New scrape

   One keyword per line, then select Start scraping. The job keeps running if you close the tab.

2. 02

   Step 2: Spot-check the first keyword

   When the first keyword finishes, open View on its CSV. If results are off-target (for example lots of chains or bakeries), cancel, adjust the wording, and resubmit before spending the rest of your allowance.

3. 03

   Step 3: Download every keyword CSV

   You’ll get keyword-1.csv … keyword-10.csv, in the order of your grid.

With the API

Send one POST /search request per keyword. Each response returns up to 20 businesses and costs one request; use page: 2 through 10 for additional pages.

import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";

// One search request per keyword. Save each idempotency key with its keyword so retries never duplicate work.
const tasks = keywords.map((q) => ({ q, idempotencyKey: randomUUID() }));

for (const task of tasks) {
  const response = await fetch("https://gmapscrawl.com/api/v1/search", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.GMSCRAPER_API_KEY}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "Idempotency-Key": task.idempotencyKey,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      q: task.q, page: 1, gl: "us", extra: false,
    }),
  });
  const { data, error } = await response.json();
  if (error) throw new Error(`${task.q}: ${error.code}`);
  task.businesses = data.businesses;
  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1_000)); // stay well under your rate limit
}

Read data.businesses directly from each response, as shown in Run your first API search.

Apply the brief in this order — it keeps the logic easy to review:

// 1. Import each keyword CSV into a sheet named Raw (append rows under one header).
// 2. Data → Data cleanup → Remove duplicates → select the "Place Id" column.
// 3. In a new sheet, keep well-reviewed businesses that have a website:
=FILTER(Raw!A2:AJ, Raw!W2:W>=4, Raw!V2:V>=25, Raw!AC2:AC<>"")

// Count how many rows are missing a phone number:
=COUNTBLANK(Raw!N2:N)

Before sharing the list, add the context someone else needs to trust it:

Plan to refresh the list periodically. Businesses open, close, and change phone numbers; the observedAt value tells you how old each record is.

• Collect only the fields your brief needs.
• Verify a contact’s source page before using it for outreach.
• Honor opt-outs and the email, calling, and privacy rules that apply where you and the business operate.
• Don’t use scraped review text or photos in ways that misrepresent the business.
• Read the public data notice and terms of service.