Do you need to collect local B2b leads for your outreach campaigns? If so, Google maps should be the first choice in collecting leads. In this article, we will give you nine examples of tools that let you do so.

Why get local business data from Google Maps?

There can be several reasons why you would be interested in getting data from Google Maps.

The first one is that you target local B2B businesses and you would use Google Maps to find your potential prospects.

Another reason could be analytical mapping. It could be that you are trying to understand the distribution of certain businesses in a specific area.

Finally, your reason could be that you are conducting product and market research and need information on local businesses.

In this article, we focus on tools that help you find potential prospects for your business. On a high-level such tools deliver the same result. You get a list of company names and details that are extracted from Google maps. However, the technology that drives the tools can be quite different. There are basically three ways you can extract Google Maps data:

Using a server-based bot

Using a Chrome browser plug-in

Using a locally installed app on your computer/infrastructure

On a high level, there are pros and cons for each of the approaches. So your first choice should be to select the type of technology that fits your needs the best. Then you should select the best of the category you choose.

Using a Server-based bot

Using a Server-based bot means that you collect data from Google via a server to server set up. There are two ways to do this. The first one is to use an API. Google has made an API that lets you collect data that such a service could be built around. That is a smart and safe way of collecting data. However Google’s charge fees for the data you collect is quite costly, so most users go for the sound option. Option two is to scrape the Google Maps data via server calls. That means that your server calls Google Maps as if it was a user. You then collect the response and save it as a data file.

So the biggest advantage of this setup is the ability to extract data on the scale in a robust way. The biggest drawback is the pricing and complexity of use, as such a solution most often requires an expert to operate it.

This brings us to a more affordable way, the Chrome Extention.

Using a Chrome Extension

Using a Chrome Extension means that you collect your data via a browser and save it directly onto your computer. The way it works is by using an extension in your browser that simulates the use of maps for a search and then collects the data you need.

This is smart because such solutions can be made more user-friendly than a server-based solution. And the pricing is at a level where anyone can participate. The drawback is that a browser-based solution cannot be a part of an automation process that is integrated with your business systems. So if you need bulk data on a regular basis, then this setup is not for you.

The last solution is a kind of hybrid between an extension and a server-based solution, and that is the use of a locally installed app.

Using a locally installed app

Using a locally installed app means that you download an app to your local computer. It will then work the same way as a server-based tool would do. Meaning it will call Google from your computer and extract the data. But it will not do so via your browser, the interface is directly from the app and Google.

Such solutions can be set to run in the background and can also interact with your other business systems. So they can be a light version of the server set-up. But it is more simple to implement and can easily be managed. The biggest drawback is that it requires some degree of tech knowledge to install and run. And you also risk that your IT department will not allow you to install such third-party software on your business computers for security reasons.

We have selected the three best for each category for you, so you can select the one that fits your business needs the best.

What are the Google Maps tools that let you collect local business data?

We have selected nine different Google Maps options:

• Octoparse (server-based)
• Phantombuster (server-based)
• Apify (server-based)
• Kaddara (Browser Plug-in based)
• Webscraper.io (Browser Plug-in based)
• Outscraper (Browser Plug-in based)
• Axiom (Installed locally)
• Parsehub (Installed locally)
• Google Map Extractor (Installed locally)

The best server-based bots

Octoparse

The first solution on our list is Octoparse. They are in the data collection industry and the Google maps feature is a sub-component of their data extraction platform.

You can integrate with other business systems via their APIs and it is also possible to design quite complex workflow and automation set-ups with the platform.

https://www.octoparse.com/

Pricing starts at $75 per month.

Phantombuster

Phantombuster has five dedicated data extra features, where one of which is to get data from Google Maps. Like the other server-based solutions, Phantombuster also has API interfaces and simple workflow features built-in. You can use the platform to extract data from both LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. So it could be a great fit if you have a broader view of data extraction that goes beyond Google Maps.

https://phantombuster.com/product

Prices start from $59 per month, and they offer a 14-day free trial.

Apify

Apify is another major player in the server-based market segment. Their solution is a combined RPA and web scraping bot. This makes it possible to design quite advanced automated operations, including some that collect data from Google Maps.

Apify is great if you know that you would need to work with workflows in general, where extracting Google Maps data is one of many tasks you need to automate.

https://apify.com/

Prices start at $49 per month,

The best Chrome Extensions

Kaddara

Kaddara comes with hundreds of rebuild automation that can be run with just one click. One of the automation collects data from Google Maps. This is done simply by performing a search and then using the plug-in to collect as many leads as you need. The leads are then delivered to you as an Excel file.

Simplicity is the tool’s greatest advantage and its biggest drawback. The tool is a true no-code solution that anyone can use. The biggest drawback of this simple approach is that some might miss more advanced features such as API integration and advanced workflow options.

Kaddara.com

Webscraper

Webscraper is the most popular web scraper extension on the Google Store. More than 400.000 people use the software to collect data. It is a simple and robust solution that does what it is designed to do great.

The tool has small-scale automation features built-in, and also the options to integrate with third-party applications such as Google Docs, Dropbox, and AWS.

https://webscraper.io

Prices start at $50 per month.

Outscraper

Outscraper is a quite technically advanced chrome plug-in that has many configuration options. Like many of its competitors, they also offer a set of pre-build automation where one of which is designed to work with Google Maps.

https://outscraper.com/

Pricing: You pay for usage, measured by how many records you collect. Some prefer this plan type a Software As A Services model. This is especially interesting as a customer if you don’t need data on a regular basis.

The best locally installed apps

Axiom

Axiom runs on both PC and Mac in a way where it is also connected to a Chrome Plugin. This hybrid setup makes it possible to use the desktop application to run more powerful operations than what is possible via a pure browser-based setup. The higher price tiers let you run automations that are purely cloud-based.

Axiom claims to be a no-code solution, which is true, but the configuration of automation workflows does require some understanding of tech logic.

The price starts from $15 per month.

https://axiom.ai/

Parsehub

Parsehub is one of the big players in the web scraping industry and is known for its quality products. Parsehub have build a lot of rebuild templates that you can use for different kinds of automation tasks. Some of them are quite advanced and have integrations that make them function as workflow automation. It is also possible to build workflows from scratch.

Its desktop application runs on both PC, Linux and Mac, and can be downloaded for free on their website

https://parsehub.com/

Pricing starts from $59 per month.

Google Map Extractor

https://www.ahmadsoftware.com/115/google-map-extractor.html

Ahmad software has made a series of desktop-based web extraction applications, and one of them is the Google Maps Extractor. It is possible to get the data in Excel, CSV, or as a text file.

The tool only runs on Windows computers and requires installment of the chromium browser to run.

Unlike Pasehub and Axium, this tool has no workflow features, nor is it possible to integrate via APIs to your business systems. So, it should be used for stand-alone data extraction tasks.

Pricing starts at $49 per month, and there is no free version.

Conclusion: How map tools can change your outreach efforts

Using map tools to collect locally based data is a great way to discover information on potential new prospects. It makes lots of sense to use apps to do so, and in this article, we have mapped the nine best tools.

Regardless of the platform you choose, you get the same type of data from all the tools; location, address, phone number, and website address

Which you should choose depends on how tech-savvy you are, how much integration you need, the frequency you expect to use the system.

The entry barrier is relatively low too for many of the platforms, so there should not really be any excuses that should hold you back from using Web scraper tools to get information on local businesses. The price is at a level where most can justify the investment, many of the apps are no-code designed, so there is really no reason why you should not pursue this path.