How to Prospect on Google Maps: Complete Guide 2025

Google Maps is no longer just an app for finding an address. It has become a massive business database containing millions of business listings, their contact information, customer reviews, and opening hours.

Google Maps prospecting is the smart exploitation of this data to identify prospects in your industry and a targeted geographical area. Instead of searching for leads via LinkedIn or expensive directories, you leverage a free and real-time updated source.

Here’s how to turn Google Maps into a lead generation machine.

Why Prospect on Google Maps?

The 3 Key Advantages

1. Access to Up-to-Date Data

Google Maps listings are updated daily by the businesses themselves. A plumber changes their phone number? The listing updates within hours. A restaurant closes? You see it immediately.

Unlike static directories or purchased lists, you work with fresh data. Your valid contact rate will be 40% higher than with a list purchased 6 months ago.

2. Hyper-Precise Targeting

You can search by: - Exact location (a city, a neighborhood, a 5 km radius) - Activity (plumbers, pizzerias, real estate agencies, etc.) - Google rating (find poorly rated businesses for a service opportunity) - Number of reviews (identify established players vs. newcomers)

No other channel offers you this precision without prior investment. LinkedIn? You pay per lead. Google Ads? You pay per click. Google Maps? Free.

3. Zero Cost (or Nearly Zero)

Consulting Google Maps is free. Exporting basic data (name, address, phone) is also free. If you need to automate or retrieve 10,000+ contacts with enriched emails, you invest in a tool — but that’s optional.

Compare: a LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription costs €80/month. A B2B database costs €300-500/month. Google Maps prospecting costs €0 if you do it manually, or €44/month if you automate.

The Data Available on Google Maps

Before starting your prospecting, understanding what you can extract from Google Maps is crucial.

Basic Data (Visible to the Naked Eye)

Business Name
Full Address (street, postal code, city)
Phone (main and sometimes secondary)
Website (clickable link)
Opening Hours (including holidays)
Google Rating (1 to 5 stars)
Number of Reviews
Categories (e.g., "Restaurant", "Pizzeria", "Italian Restaurant")

Enriched Data (via Reviews and Photos)

Customer Reviews: text, rating, date, author
Photos: number of photos published by the business
Social Media: link to Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Special Hours: temporary closures, reduced hours

Advanced Data (Technology Detection)

Some tools also detect: - The technologies used (WordPress, Shopify, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, etc.) - If the listing is "claimed" (actively managed by the business) - Precise GPS coordinates - The Google Place ID (unique identifier)

Step 1: Define Your Prospecting Goals

Before opening Google Maps, ask yourself these questions:

What is my main goal? - Increase my sales in a specific area? - Find potential partners? - Identify prospects with a problem I can solve? - Enrich an existing contact list?

Who is my ideal prospect? - Industry: plumbers, restaurants, real estate agencies, etc. - Size: micro-enterprises, SMEs, large chains? - Location: a city, a region, an entire country? - Additional criteria: Google rating, number of reviews, seniority?

Concrete Example: You sell CRM software for real estate agencies. Your goal: find 500 small real estate agencies in Île-de-France with fewer than 50 Google reviews (a sign that they have not yet invested in modern tools).

Clear goal = targeted strategy = better conversion rate.

Step 2: Search and Filter on Google Maps

Manual Search (Free, Slow)

Open Google Maps
Type your search: "plumbers Paris" or "restaurants Lyon"
Click on each listing to see the details
Manually note the information (name, phone, email if visible)

Time for 100 contacts: 3-4 hours Data collected: name, address, phone

It’s free, but it’s laborious. You will quickly give up after 50 contacts.

Search with Google Maps Filters

Google Maps offers native filters: - Sort by rating (ascending or descending) - Show "Open Now" places - Filter by type (e.g., "with terrace" for restaurants)

These filters are limited, but they help you refine your initial search.

Example: You are looking for pizzerias in Marseille. You filter by "descending rating" to identify the best pizzerias (quality prospects) or by "ascending rating" to find those that could benefit from a reputation management service.

Search with Tools (Automated, Fast)

If you need 1,000+ contacts, doing a manual search is not viable. This is where Google Maps scraping tools come in.

These tools: - Automatically extract listings from a search - Collect all data (name, address, phone, email, website, rating, number of reviews) - Export to CSV in minutes - Allow filtering by advanced criteria

Time for 1,000 contacts: 5 minutes Data collected: 15+ fields per contact

Step 3: Collect the Data

Option A: Manual Collection

Advantages: - Free - You can verify each contact - You learn your market in detail

Disadvantages: - Very slow (100 contacts = 3-4 hours) - Risk of data entry errors - Difficult to scale

When to Use It: If you need fewer than 50 contacts or if you are doing exploratory research.

Option B: Scraping Tools

Google Maps scraping tools automate the collection. Here’s what they do:

You specify your search (city, category, filters)
The tool scrapes the Google Maps results
It enriches the data (website email, detected technologies, etc.)
You download a CSV file with all the contacts

Typical data collected: - Name, address, phone, email, website - Google rating, number of reviews - Social media - Opening hours - Google reviews (text, rating, date, author) - Detected technologies (WordPress, Shopify, etc.)

Time: 5-10 minutes for 1,000-5,000 contacts Cost: €0-100/month depending on the tool and volume

Step 4: Clean and Segment Your Data

You now have a raw list of 1,000 contacts. Before prospecting, clean it up.

Cleaning

Remove Duplicates: Use Excel or Google Sheets to identify businesses listed twice. Command: Data > Remove Duplicates.

Verify Contact Information: - Call 10 random numbers to verify they are valid - Check that emails are not generic (contact@, info@, etc.) - Remove closed or liquidated businesses

Enrich Missing Data: If 20% of your contacts do not have an email, search for it manually via the website or LinkedIn.

Segmentation

Divide your list into logical segments to tailor your prospecting.

Example for an SEO Agency:

Segment	Criterion	Size	Approach
Segment A	Restaurants with 10-50 reviews	300 contacts	Email + call (hot prospects)
Segment B	Restaurants with 50-200 reviews	500 contacts	Email only (warm prospects)
Segment C	Restaurants with 200+ reviews	200 contacts	Email + premium offer (major accounts)

Each segment receives a personalized message. Segment A? You mention that their site does not appear in the top 3 Google local. Segment C? You offer a thorough SEO audit.

Step 5: Develop Your Prospecting Strategy

Having a list is good. Having a strategy is better.

1. Define Your Prospecting Message

Your email or call should: - Identify a specific problem of the prospect - Propose a concrete solution - Include a clear call to action

Bad Example: "Hello, we offer digital marketing services. Interested?"

Good Example: "Hello [Name], I noticed that your restaurant does not appear in the top 3 Google results for 'restaurants [city]'. We have helped 15 similar restaurants increase their bookings by 30% in 3 months through a local SEO strategy. Available for a 15-minute call?"

The good example: - Shows that you have done your homework (manual research) - Identifies a problem (absence from the top 3) - Proposes a concrete benefit (30% more bookings) - Includes a soft CTA (15 min, not "buy now")

2. Choose Your Channel

Email: Best for large lists (500+). Response rate: 2-5%.

Phone Call: Best for targeted lists (50-200). Pickup rate: 30-40%. Conversion rate: 5-10%.

LinkedIn: Best for decision-makers. Response rate: 3-8%.

SMS: Best for follow-ups after email. Open rate: 90%+.

Optimal Strategy: Email → SMS (follow-up) → Call (if no response).

3. Automate If Possible

If you are sending 500+ emails, use an automation tool: - Lemlist: advanced personalization, integration with LinkedIn - Instantly: high volume, good deliverability - Brevo: French, affordable, email + SMS

These tools allow: - To schedule sends - To track opens and clicks - To automatically follow up with non-responders - To personalize each email

Cost: €50-200/month depending on volume.

4. Measure Your Results

Track these metrics: - Open Rate: % of emails opened (goal: 20-30%) - Click Rate: % of clicks on your link (goal: 3-5%) - Response Rate: % of responses (goal: 2-5%) - Conversion Rate: % of leads converted into customers (goal: 5-15%)

If your open rate is 15% (low), test: - A new email subject - A new sending time - A new approach (question vs. statement)

Step 6: Use Google Reviews as Leverage

Google reviews are not just numbers. They are a goldmine for prospecting.

Identify Prospects with Problems

If a business has 3.2 stars, it has a reputation problem. This is an opportunity to sell: - A reputation management service - Customer service training - Customer feedback software

Manual Search: Open Google Maps, search for "restaurants Paris", sort by ascending rating. Restaurants with 2-3 stars are your prospects.

Automated Search: Use a tool that filters by Google rating. Extract all restaurants with a rating < 3.5 stars. You have 200 qualified prospects in 2 minutes.

Read Reviews to Personalize

Before calling a prospect, read their reviews.

Example: A restaurant has reviews like "Good, but slow service" and "30 min wait, too bad". You can call and say: "I read that your customers find the service a bit slow. We have a solution to optimize your customer flow..."

This shows that you have really studied their situation. Your conversion rate will skyrocket.

Step 7: Analyze Your Market

Before prospecting, understand your market.

Analyze the Competition

Look for your top 3 competitors on Google Maps.

Ask Yourself: - How many reviews do they have? - What is their average rating? - What types of customers evaluate them? - What problems do customers mention?

Example: You sell inventory management software for small restaurants. You find a competitor with 150 reviews and 4.8 stars. The reviews mention "intuitive interface" and "time-saving".

Conclusion: the market values simplicity and time-saving. Your prospecting message should emphasize this, not technical features.

Identify Industry Trends

Look for 50 businesses in your target sector. Analyze: - Average sector rating - Average number of reviews - Recurring problems mentioned

Example: You analyze 50 hairdressers in Lyon. You discover that: - Average rating: 4.3 stars - Frequent negative reviews: "Difficult to make an appointment", "No response to messages"

Conclusion: hairdressers have an appointment management problem. This is your prospecting angle.

Best Practices for Successful Google Maps Prospecting

1. Respect Follow-Up Timelines

Do not follow up with a prospect after 2 days. Wait at least 7-10 days. People are busy.

Optimal Schedule: - Day 1: Initial email - Day 7: Email follow-up (different subject) - Day 14: Phone call - Day 21: Last follow-up (SMS or email) - Day 30: Mark as "not interested"

2. Personalize Your Messages

A generic email gets deleted in 2 seconds. A personalized email gets read.

Elements to Personalize: - Prospect's name - Name of their business - Specific detail (e.g., "I saw that you have 4.6 stars, that's excellent") - Identified problem (e.g., "You do not appear in the top 3 for 'restaurants [city]'" )

3. Test Your Approach

Before sending 1,000 emails, test your message on 50 prospects.

Measure: - Open rate - Response rate - Quality of responses

If the open rate is low, change the subject. If the response rate is low, change the body of the message.

4. Clean Your List Regularly

Every 3 months, check that your contacts are still valid.

Call a few prospects at random
Verify that the businesses still exist
Remove email addresses that bounce