---
name: google-maps-list-builder
description: Scrape Google Maps for local businesses by category and location, output CSV ready for cold email enrichment. Best for SMB campaigns targeting restaurants, clinics, gyms, salons, contractors, etc. Uses RapidAPI Maps Data API. Output feeds directly into /blitz-list-builder (to find owner contacts) or /email-waterfall (if you have names already).
---

# Google Maps List Builder

A self-contained tool for scraping business listings from Google Maps. Give it a search query (e.g., "pizza restaurant") and a location (zip code, city, or coordinates), and it returns structured data for every matching business — written to CSV.

## How this fits in the cold email flow

Google Maps gives you COMPANIES (name, domain, phone, address, ratings). It does NOT give you PEOPLE. To run cold email:

1. Run this skill → CSV of businesses with `company_domain`
2. **Run `/icp-prompt-builder` on a sample of 50** — tune a qualification prompt to filter out bad fits before paying for downstream enrichment
3. Run `/blitz-list-builder` with the filtered CSV → adds owners/managers to each business
4. Run `/email-waterfall` → fills in missing emails
5. Run `/cold-email-starter-kit`'s `smartlead-add-leads.ts` → upload to Smartlead

This skill is only the first step.

## Required step: Qualify with /icp-prompt-builder

**This is a required step. Do not skip it.**

Google Maps will happily return 10,000 "pizza restaurants in Illinois," but most of those won't match your actual ICP (maybe you only want 50-200 seat operators, or only ones without online ordering). Before spending on enrichment, sample ~50 results and run `/icp-prompt-builder`:

1. Evaluate 10 results with an AI qualification prompt
2. You flag "this one should be NO, they're a chain franchise"
3. Refine, run next 10
4. Stop when 2 rounds show no corrections
5. Apply tuned prompt to filter the rest of the scrape

**Why required:** downstream owner-finding (via `/blitz-list-builder`) and email waterfall cost $0.10-$0.30 per contact. On a 10,000-business scrape, that's $1K-$3K. Qualifying upfront saves 50-80% of that spend on average.

## What You Need Before Starting

1. **Node.js 18+** and **npm** installed
2. **A RapidAPI account** (free tier available) with a subscription to the **Maps Data API**:
   - Sign up at https://rapidapi.com
   - Subscribe to the API: https://rapidapi.com/alexanderxbx/api/maps-data
   - Copy your RapidAPI key from the dashboard (it's in the `X-RapidAPI-Key` header on any endpoint page)

That's it. No Google Cloud account, no OAuth, no billing setup beyond RapidAPI.

## Project Setup

Create a new project directory and initialize it:

```bash
mkdir google-maps-scraper && cd google-maps-scraper
npm init -y
npm install typescript bottleneck
npm install -D @types/node tsx
```

Add to `package.json` scripts:
```json
{
  "scripts": {
    "scrape": "tsx src/index.ts"
  }
}
```

Create `tsconfig.json`:
```json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "ESNext",
    "moduleResolution": "bundler",
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "strict": true,
    "outDir": "dist",
    "rootDir": "src",
    "skipLibCheck": true
  },
  "include": ["src"]
}
```

Set your API key as an environment variable:
```bash
export RAPIDAPI_KEY=your_key_here
```

Or create a `.env` file (add `.env` to `.gitignore`):
```
RAPIDAPI_KEY=your_key_here
```

## File Structure

```
google-maps-scraper/
  data/
    us-zip-codes.csv   # 42,734 US zip codes with city, state, lat/lng, population
  src/
    index.ts           # CLI entry point
    client.ts          # RapidAPI Maps Data client with rate limiting
    types.ts           # TypeScript interfaces
    csv.ts             # CSV export
    zips.ts            # Zip code loader (filter by state, city, population)
```

## Bundled Zip Code Database

The repo includes `data/us-zip-codes.csv` — a complete US zip code reference with 42,734 entries. Columns:

```
zip,primary_city,state,timezone,area_codes,world_region,country,latitude,longitude,irs_estimated_population
```

This lets you scrape an entire state or metro area without manually listing zip codes. The `src/zips.ts` loader provides filtering by state, city, and minimum population.

## Core Files

### src/types.ts

```typescript
export interface SearchParams {
  query: string;       // "pizza restaurant", "dentist", "gym"
  lat?: number;        // Center latitude (optional if using "query in zipcode" format)
  lng?: number;        // Center longitude
  limit?: number;      // Max results per search (default 20, max 20)
  zoom?: number;       // Map zoom level (default 13 = neighborhood)
  country?: string;    // Country code (default "us")
}

export interface Place {
  place_id: string;
  name: string;
  address: string;
  lat: number;
  lng: number;
  rating?: number;
  reviews_count?: number;
  phone?: string;
  website?: string;
  types?: string[];
  category?: string;
}

export interface ScrapeResult {
  query: string;
  location: string;
  total_results: number;
  unique_results: number;
  places: Place[];
  duration_ms: number;
}
```

### src/zips.ts

Loads and filters the bundled zip code CSV. Lets you target by state, city name, or minimum population.

```typescript
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { join, dirname } from 'path';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';

export interface ZipEntry {
  zip: string;
  city: string;
  state: string;
  lat: number;
  lng: number;
  population: number;
}

let cache: ZipEntry[] | null = null;

function loadAll(): ZipEntry[] {
  if (cache) return cache;
  const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
  const csvPath = join(__dirname, '..', 'data', 'us-zip-codes.csv');
  const raw = readFileSync(csvPath, 'utf-8');
  const lines = raw.trim().split('\n').slice(1); // skip header

  cache = lines.map(line => {
    // Handle quoted fields (area_codes can contain commas)
    const parts: string[] = [];
    let current = '';
    let inQuotes = false;
    for (const ch of line) {
      if (ch === '"') { inQuotes = !inQuotes; continue; }
      if (ch === ',' && !inQuotes) { parts.push(current); current = ''; continue; }
      current += ch;
    }
    parts.push(current);

    return {
      zip: parts[0]?.padStart(5, '0') || '',
      city: parts[1] || '',
      state: parts[2] || '',
      lat: parseFloat(parts[7]) || 0,
      lng: parseFloat(parts[8]) || 0,
      population: parseInt(parts[9]) || 0,
    };
  }).filter(z => z.zip.length === 5);

  return cache;
}

/** Get zips for a US state (2-letter code, e.g. "CA", "TX") */
export function getZipsByState(stateCode: string): ZipEntry[] {
  return loadAll().filter(z => z.state.toUpperCase() === stateCode.toUpperCase());
}

/** Get zips for a city name (case-insensitive, partial match) */
export function getZipsByCity(city: string, state?: string): ZipEntry[] {
  const cityLower = city.toLowerCase();
  return loadAll().filter(z => {
    const cityMatch = z.city.toLowerCase().includes(cityLower);
    const stateMatch = !state || z.state.toUpperCase() === state.toUpperCase();
    return cityMatch && stateMatch;
  });
}

/** Get zips with population above a threshold */
export function getZipsByMinPopulation(minPop: number, state?: string): ZipEntry[] {
  return loadAll().filter(z => {
    const popMatch = z.population >= minPop;
    const stateMatch = !state || z.state.toUpperCase() === state.toUpperCase();
    return popMatch && stateMatch;
  });
}

/** Get all loaded zip entries */
export function getAllZips(): ZipEntry[] {
  return loadAll();
}
```

### src/client.ts

This is the core API client. It handles rate limiting (2 req/sec) and retries with exponential backoff.

```typescript
import Bottleneck from 'bottleneck';
import type { SearchParams, Place } from './types.js';

interface RawSearchResponse {
  data?: Array<{
    place_id?: string;
    title?: string;
    name?: string;
    address?: string;
    latitude?: number;
    longitude?: number;
    rating?: number;
    reviews?: number;
    phone?: string;
    website?: string;
    types?: string[];
    type?: string;
    category?: string;
  }>;
  error?: string;
}

interface GeocodingResponse {
  latitude?: number;
  longitude?: number;
  formatted_address?: string;
  error?: string;
}

export class GoogleMapsClient {
  private limiter: Bottleneck;
  private apiKey: string;
  private host = 'maps-data.p.rapidapi.com';
  private maxRetries: number;

  constructor(opts: { apiKey: string; requestsPerSecond?: number; maxRetries?: number }) {
    this.apiKey = opts.apiKey;
    this.maxRetries = opts.maxRetries ?? 3;
    this.limiter = new Bottleneck({
      maxConcurrent: 1,
      minTime: Math.floor(1000 / (opts.requestsPerSecond ?? 2)),
    });
  }

  /** Search Google Maps for businesses */
  async search(params: SearchParams): Promise<Place[]> {
    const response = await this.request<RawSearchResponse>('searchmaps.php', {
      query: params.query,
      limit: String(params.limit ?? 20),
      country: params.country ?? 'us',
      ...(params.lat != null && { lat: String(params.lat) }),
      ...(params.lng != null && { lng: String(params.lng) }),
      ...(params.zoom != null && { zoom: String(params.zoom) }),
    });

    if (response.error) throw new Error(`Search failed: ${response.error}`);
    return this.transform(response.data || []);
  }

  /** Geocode a zip code or address to lat/lng */
  async geocode(query: string, country = 'us'): Promise<{ lat: number; lng: number }> {
    const response = await this.request<GeocodingResponse>('geocoding.php', {
      query: `${query}, ${country.toUpperCase()}`,
    });
    if (!response.latitude || !response.longitude) {
      throw new Error(`Could not geocode: ${query}`);
    }
    return { lat: response.latitude, lng: response.longitude };
  }

  private async request<T>(endpoint: string, params: Record<string, string>): Promise<T> {
    return this.limiter.schedule(() => this.requestWithRetry<T>(endpoint, params));
  }

  private async requestWithRetry<T>(
    endpoint: string,
    params: Record<string, string>,
    attempt = 0
  ): Promise<T> {
    const url = new URL(`https://${this.host}/${endpoint}`);
    for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(params)) {
      if (v != null) url.searchParams.set(k, v);
    }

    try {
      const res = await fetch(url.toString(), {
        headers: {
          'X-RapidAPI-Key': this.apiKey,
          'X-RapidAPI-Host': this.host,
        },
      });

      if (!res.ok) {
        const err: any = new Error(`API ${res.status}: ${res.statusText}`);
        err.statusCode = res.status;
        throw err;
      }

      return (await res.json()) as T;
    } catch (err: any) {
      const retryable =
        attempt < this.maxRetries &&
        (err.statusCode === 429 || err.statusCode >= 500 ||
         err.code === 'ECONNRESET' || err.code === 'ETIMEDOUT');

      if (retryable) {
        const delay = 1000 * Math.pow(2, attempt);
        console.log(`  Retry ${attempt + 1}/${this.maxRetries} in ${delay}ms...`);
        await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, delay));
        return this.requestWithRetry<T>(endpoint, params, attempt + 1);
      }
      throw err;
    }
  }

  private transform(data: NonNullable<RawSearchResponse['data']>): Place[] {
    return data.map(item => ({
      place_id: item.place_id || '',
      name: item.title || item.name || '',
      address: item.address || '',
      lat: item.latitude || 0,
      lng: item.longitude || 0,
      rating: item.rating,
      reviews_count: item.reviews,
      phone: item.phone,
      website: item.website,
      types: item.types || (item.type ? [item.type] : []),
      category: item.category || item.type,
    }));
  }
}
```

### src/csv.ts

```typescript
import { writeFile, mkdir } from 'fs/promises';
import { dirname } from 'path';
import type { Place } from './types.js';

const HEADERS = [
  'place_id', 'name', 'address', 'phone', 'website',
  'rating', 'reviews_count', 'lat', 'lng', 'category',
];

function escape(val: string | number | undefined | null): string {
  if (val == null) return '';
  const s = String(val);
  return s.includes(',') || s.includes('"') || s.includes('\n')
    ? `"${s.replace(/"/g, '""')}"`
    : s;
}

export async function exportCSV(places: Place[], outputPath: string): Promise<void> {
  await mkdir(dirname(outputPath), { recursive: true });
  const lines = [
    HEADERS.join(','),
    ...places.map(p =>
      HEADERS.map(h => escape(p[h as keyof Place])).join(',')
    ),
  ];
  await writeFile(outputPath, lines.join('\n') + '\n', 'utf-8');
}
```

### src/index.ts

```typescript
import { GoogleMapsClient } from './client.js';
import { exportCSV } from './csv.js';
import { getZipsByState, getZipsByCity, getZipsByMinPopulation } from './zips.js';
import type { Place } from './types.js';

function dedup(places: Place[]): Place[] {
  const seen = new Set<string>();
  return places.filter(p => {
    if (seen.has(p.place_id)) return false;
    seen.add(p.place_id);
    return true;
  });
}

function getArg(args: string[], prefix: string): string | undefined {
  const match = args.find(a => a.startsWith(prefix));
  return match ? match.split('=').slice(1).join('=') : undefined;
}

async function main() {
  const args = process.argv.slice(2);

  const query = getArg(args, '--query=');
  const zips = getArg(args, '--zips=');
  const cities = getArg(args, '--cities=');
  const state = getArg(args, '--state=');
  const minPop = getArg(args, '--min-pop=');
  const limit = parseInt(getArg(args, '--limit=') || '20', 10);
  const output = getArg(args, '--output=') || './output/results.csv';

  if (!query || (!zips && !cities && !state)) {
    console.log(`
Google Maps Scraper

USAGE:
  npm run scrape -- --query="pizza restaurant" --zips=10014,10013,10012
  npm run scrape -- --query="dentist" --state=TX
  npm run scrape -- --query="dentist" --state=TX --min-pop=10000
  npm run scrape -- --query="gym" --cities="Austin TX,Dallas TX"

OPTIONS:
  --query=QUERY      Business type to search for (required)
  --zips=ZIP,ZIP     Comma-separated zip codes to search
  --cities=CITY,CITY Comma-separated cities to search
  --state=XX         Search all zip codes in a US state (2-letter code)
  --min-pop=N        Filter zips to those with population >= N (use with --state)
  --limit=N          Max results per location (default 20, max 20)
  --output=PATH      Output CSV path (default ./output/results.csv)

ENVIRONMENT:
  RAPIDAPI_KEY       Your RapidAPI key (required)
                     Get one at: https://rapidapi.com/alexanderxbx/api/maps-data

EXAMPLES:
  # All pizza places in California (zips with pop >= 5000)
  npm run scrape -- --query="pizza restaurant" --state=CA --min-pop=5000

  # Dentists in specific NYC zip codes
  npm run scrape -- --query="dentist" --zips=10014,10013,10012

  # Gyms across Texas cities
  npm run scrape -- --query="gym" --cities="Austin TX,Dallas TX,Houston TX"
`);
    process.exit(1);
  }

  const apiKey = process.env.RAPIDAPI_KEY;
  if (!apiKey) {
    console.error('Error: RAPIDAPI_KEY environment variable is required');
    console.error('Get your key at: https://rapidapi.com/alexanderxbx/api/maps-data');
    process.exit(1);
  }

  // Build location list from all sources
  const locations: string[] = [];

  if (zips) {
    locations.push(...zips.split(',').map(s => s.trim()));
  }
  if (cities) {
    locations.push(...cities.split(',').map(s => s.trim()));
  }
  if (state) {
    const minPopNum = minPop ? parseInt(minPop, 10) : 0;
    const stateZips = minPopNum > 0
      ? getZipsByMinPopulation(minPopNum, state)
      : getZipsByState(state);
    locations.push(...stateZips.map(z => z.zip));
    console.log(`Loaded ${stateZips.length} zip codes for ${state.toUpperCase()}${minPopNum > 0 ? ` (pop >= ${minPopNum.toLocaleString()})` : ''}`);
  }

  if (locations.length === 0) {
    console.error('No locations to search. Provide --zips, --cities, or --state.');
    process.exit(1);
  }

  console.log(`Scraping "${query}" across ${locations.length} location(s)...\n`);

  const client = new GoogleMapsClient({ apiKey, requestsPerSecond: 2 });
  const allPlaces: Place[] = [];
  const start = Date.now();

  for (let i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
    const loc = locations[i];
    console.log(`  [${i + 1}/${locations.length}] Searching: ${query} in ${loc}`);

    try {
      const results = await client.search({
        query: `${query} in ${loc}`,
        limit,
        country: 'us',
      });
      allPlaces.push(...results);
      console.log(`    Found ${results.length} results`);
    } catch (err: any) {
      console.error(`    Error: ${err.message}`);
    }
  }

  // Deduplicate
  const unique = dedup(allPlaces);
  console.log(`\nTotal: ${allPlaces.length} results, ${unique.length} unique after dedup`);

  // Export
  await exportCSV(unique, output);
  console.log(`Saved to: ${output}`);

  const duration = ((Date.now() - start) / 1000).toFixed(1);
  console.log(`Done in ${duration}s`);

  // Print sample
  if (unique.length > 0) {
    console.log('\nSample result:');
    const sample = unique[0];
    console.log(`  ${sample.name}`);
    console.log(`  ${sample.address}`);
    if (sample.phone) console.log(`  ${sample.phone}`);
    if (sample.website) console.log(`  ${sample.website}`);
    if (sample.rating) console.log(`  ${sample.rating} stars (${sample.reviews_count} reviews)`);
  }
}

main().catch(err => {
  console.error('Fatal:', err.message);
  process.exit(1);
});
```

## Running It

### Local CLI

```bash
# Search pizza places in 3 NYC zip codes
npm run scrape -- --query="pizza restaurant" --zips=10014,10013,10012

# Search ALL dentists in Texas (zips with population >= 5000)
npm run scrape -- --query="dentist" --state=TX --min-pop=5000

# Every gym in California (all 2,657 zip codes — takes a while)
npm run scrape -- --query="gym" --state=CA

# Search dentists across specific cities
npm run scrape -- --query="dentist" --cities="Austin TX,Dallas TX,San Antonio TX"

# Custom output file
npm run scrape -- --query="gym" --zips=90210 --output=./data/gyms.csv
```

### Programmatic Usage

```typescript
import { GoogleMapsClient } from './client.js';

const client = new GoogleMapsClient({
  apiKey: process.env.RAPIDAPI_KEY!,
  requestsPerSecond: 2,
});

// Simple search
const places = await client.search({
  query: 'coffee shop in 94105',
  limit: 20,
});

// Search with coordinates
const { lat, lng } = await client.geocode('94105');
const nearby = await client.search({
  query: 'coffee shop',
  lat,
  lng,
  zoom: 14,
  limit: 20,
});
```

## Deploying as a Web App (Optional)

If you want a browser UI instead of (or in addition to) the CLI, add Express:

```bash
npm install express
npm install -D @types/express
```

Create `src/server.ts`:

```typescript
import express from 'express';
import { GoogleMapsClient } from './client.js';
import { exportCSV } from './csv.js';
import { tmpdir } from 'os';
import { join } from 'path';
import { readFile, unlink } from 'fs/promises';

const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: true }));

const client = new GoogleMapsClient({
  apiKey: process.env.RAPIDAPI_KEY!,
  requestsPerSecond: 2,
});

// Simple HTML form
app.get('/', (_req, res) => {
  res.send(`<!DOCTYPE html>
<html><head><title>Google Maps Scraper</title></head>
<body style="font-family:sans-serif;max-width:600px;margin:40px auto;padding:0 20px">
  <h1>Google Maps Scraper</h1>
  <form method="POST" action="/scrape">
    <label>Search query:<br>
      <input name="query" placeholder="pizza restaurant" style="width:100%;padding:8px;margin:4px 0 12px" required>
    </label>
    <label>Locations (comma-separated zips or cities):<br>
      <input name="locations" placeholder="10014, 10013, 10012" style="width:100%;padding:8px;margin:4px 0 12px" required>
    </label>
    <button type="submit" style="padding:10px 24px;cursor:pointer">Scrape</button>
  </form>
</body></html>`);
});

app.post('/scrape', async (req, res) => {
  const { query, locations: locStr } = req.body;
  const locations = locStr.split(',').map((s: string) => s.trim()).filter(Boolean);

  const allPlaces: any[] = [];
  for (const loc of locations) {
    try {
      const results = await client.search({ query: `${query} in ${loc}`, limit: 20 });
      allPlaces.push(...results);
    } catch {}
  }

  // Dedup
  const seen = new Set<string>();
  const unique = allPlaces.filter(p => { if (seen.has(p.place_id)) return false; seen.add(p.place_id); return true; });

  // Export CSV and send as download
  const tmpPath = join(tmpdir(), `scrape-${Date.now()}.csv`);
  await exportCSV(unique, tmpPath);
  const csv = await readFile(tmpPath, 'utf-8');
  await unlink(tmpPath);

  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/csv');
  res.setHeader('Content-Disposition', `attachment; filename="maps-scrape-${Date.now()}.csv"`);
  res.send(csv);
});

const port = parseInt(process.env.PORT || '3000', 10);
app.listen(port, () => console.log(`Scraper running at http://localhost:${port}`));
```

Add a script to `package.json`:
```json
{
  "scripts": {
    "scrape": "tsx src/index.ts",
    "serve": "tsx src/server.ts"
  }
}
```

Run locally: `npm run serve` then open http://localhost:3000

### Deploying to Railway

1. Push your project to a GitHub repo
2. Go to https://railway.com, create a new project, connect the repo
3. Set the environment variable `RAPIDAPI_KEY` in Railway's dashboard
4. Set the start command to `npx tsx src/server.ts`
5. Railway auto-detects the port from `process.env.PORT` and gives you a public URL

You can add password protection by checking a `PASSWORD` env var in the POST handler, or use Railway's built-in auth features.

### Deploying to Other Platforms

This is a standard Node.js app. It runs anywhere:
- **Render**: Connect GitHub repo, set env vars, done
- **Fly.io**: `fly launch`, set secrets with `fly secrets set RAPIDAPI_KEY=xxx`
- **Vercel**: Deploy as a serverless function (modify server.ts to export handlers)
- **Docker**: `FROM node:20-slim` + `npm install` + `npx tsx src/server.ts`

## API Reference

The underlying API is the **Maps Data API** on RapidAPI:
https://rapidapi.com/alexanderxbx/api/maps-data

### Key Endpoints Used

| Endpoint | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `searchmaps.php` | Search businesses by query + location | `?query=pizza+in+10014&limit=20` |
| `geocoding.php` | Convert address/zip to lat/lng | `?query=10014,+US` |
| `nearby.php` | Search near a lat/lng point | `?query=pizza&lat=40.73&lng=-74.00` |
| `place.php` | Get full details for one business | `?place_id=ChIJ...` |

### Rate Limits

The free tier on RapidAPI has request limits (check your plan). The client is hard-coded to 2 requests/second with automatic retries on 429s. Adjust `requestsPerSecond` if your plan allows more.

### Response Fields

Each result includes:
- `place_id` — unique Google Maps identifier
- `name` — business name
- `address` — full street address
- `phone` — phone number (if listed)
- `website` — website URL (if listed)
- `rating` — star rating (1-5)
- `reviews_count` — number of Google reviews
- `lat` / `lng` — coordinates
- `types` / `category` — business categories (e.g., "pizza_restaurant")

## Tips

- **"query in zipcode"** format works best for US searches. No coordinates needed.
- **20 results per search** is the max. To get more coverage, search multiple overlapping zip codes.
- **Dedup by `place_id`** — the same business often shows up in adjacent zip code searches.
- **Cuisine/category filtering**: The `types` field tells you what kind of business it is. Use it to filter out irrelevant results (e.g., filter out "bar" when searching for "restaurant").
- **Cost**: Check your RapidAPI plan. The free tier usually gives you enough for testing. Paid plans are cheap for bulk scraping.

---

## What to do next

**Run `/icp-prompt-builder`** on a 50-business sample (required step above). Then `/blitz-list-builder` with the filtered domains to find owner contacts — Google Maps returns businesses, not people.

After owner discovery: `/email-waterfall` to fill missing emails, then `/list-quality-scorecard` to grade.

**Or wait:** if your scrape returned <200 businesses, your query + location is too narrow. Widen before proceeding.

## Related skills

- `/icp-prompt-builder` — required qualification pass
- `/blitz-list-builder` — find owner contacts at each business
- `/email-waterfall` — fill missing emails
- `/list-quality-scorecard` — grade the final list