Find businesses using Google maps

Welcome back! Today we're exploring one of Coldout's most powerful prospecting features: finding businesses using Google Maps. This tool lets you build targeted lead lists based on location and business type—perfect for local outreach, sales prospecting, or market research.

What can you do with this feature?

Imagine you want to find all coffee shops in Seattle, every mechanic shop in Austin, or all tax preparation services in your area. Instead of manually searching Google Maps and copying information one by one, Coldout does it automatically and brings all that data into your table in seconds.

Getting started

To access this feature, open your Coldout table and look for the Google Maps integration. You'll see an option called "Find businesses using maps." Click it, and let's dive into the setup.

Understanding the preferred Google API

First, you'll notice a toggle for "Use preferred Google API." Keep this turned on. The preferred API can return more than 200 results and is more accurate for business searches. It's the recommended option for most use cases.

Choosing your search type

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Coldout gives you two ways to search:

Business Types: This option lets you pick from predefined categories that Google recognizes—things like "Restaurant," "Rest Stop," "Coffee Shop," or "Mechanic Shop." These are standardized categories that ensure accurate results. You can select multiple business types at once. For example, if you want both mechanic shops and auto repair shops, just add both.

Free Text: This is for custom keyword searches. Type any phrase like "vintage store," "coffee shop," or "tax preparation." This gives you more flexibility but might return broader or less precise results depending on how specific your keywords are.

For most targeted searches, I recommend starting with Business Types when available, then switching to Free Text for more niche or specific searches.

Setting your search query

If you're using Free Text search, enter your search term in the "Search query" field. Be specific—instead of just "shop," try "vintage clothing store" or "organic grocery store." The more specific you are, the better your results.

Number of results

Next, set how many businesses you want to find per location. The default is 10, but you can adjust this. If you enter "10," Coldout will return the 10 closest matches based on your search criteria. Need more leads? Increase the number. Want just the top few options? Keep it lower.

Running your search

Once everything is configured, hit "Continue" or "Submit" Coldout will now query Google Maps and start pulling business information. Within moments, you'll see new rows populate in your table.

What data do you get?

Coldout returns incredibly valuable information for each business: business name, full address, phone number, website URL, rating, number of reviews, business hours, and even the Google Maps link. This is everything you need to start outreach.

Practical use cases

Let me share some real-world applications:

Local Business Outreach: Marketing agencies can find all restaurants in their city to offer social media services. Set search type to "Restaurant," specify your city, and boom—instant prospect list.

Multi-Location Prospecting: Have a list of 20 cities where you want to expand? Upload those cities, then use Google Maps to find your target business type in each location automatically.

Competitor Research: Find all businesses similar to your clients in different markets to understand competitive density and opportunities.

Partnership Opportunities: Looking for complementary businesses? Find gyms if you sell health products, or coffee shops if you offer WiFi solutions.

Pro tips

After importing, use Coldout's enrichment features to find email addresses and decision-maker contacts for these businesses. Combine this with AI formulas to write personalized outreach mentioning their location, reviews, or business type.

You can also filter and sort your results by rating or review count to prioritize high-quality businesses.

Wrapping up

So there you have it: Coldout's Google Maps integration turns hours of manual research into minutes of automated prospecting. Choose your search type, enter your criteria, specify locations, set your result limit, and let Coldout build your lead list. Combined with enrichment and AI personalization, you've got everything you need for targeted, local outreach.

Start exploring—your next customers are already on the map!