DataForSEO Brain

Google Maps and Local as a DataForSEO Surface

3 min read

Google Maps and Local as a DataForSEO Surface

Google Maps, Local Finder, Google Business Profile, Hotels, and the indexed business-listings database exposed as local-SEO data. Sits under DataForSEO Brain then Platforms.

Overview

The local surface spans two DataForSEO modules. The SERP API reads the live ranked local results (Maps pack and Local Finder) for a keyword at a location, while the Business Data API reads the durable profile of a single establishment (its description, hours, attributes, reviews, Q&A, and updates). Together they let a practitioner track where a business ranks in the map results and audit the profile that those rankings feed. Geo precision comes from location_coordinate, which makes grid-based local rank tracking possible.

What it covers

  • serp/google/maps returns up to 100 (desktop) local business listings: maps_search organic items and maps_paid_item ads.
  • serp/google/local_finder returns the Local Finder pack (local_pack items, up to 20 desktop / 10 mobile by default).
  • business_data/google/my_business_info returns one establishment’s public profile (title, rating, address, phone, work_time, category, attributes, place_id, cid).
  • business_data/google/reviews returns reviews (review_text, rating, owner_answer, review_highlights, local_guide status, images).
  • business_data/google/questions_and_answers returns the listing’s Q&A (items answered, items_without_answers unanswered).
  • business_data/google/my_business_updates, business_data/google/hotel_searches, and business_data/google/hotel_info cover posts and Google Hotels stays.
  • business_data/business_listings/search queries DataForSEO’s indexed Google Maps POI database by category and coordinate radius.

Key parameters / inputs

  • SERP Maps/Local Finder: keyword, one location field (coordinate is key for grid tracking), one language field, depth, device.
  • Local Finder adds min_rating and time_filter (for example “open_now” or “monday;18”).
  • My Business Info / Reviews / Q&A: keyword plus place_id or cid to pin the exact establishment; depth and sort_by for reviews.
  • Hotel Searches: keyword, check_in, check_out, adults, children, currency, sort_by.
  • Business Listings Search: categories (max 10), location_coordinate (“latitude,longitude,radius” in km, 1-100,000), is_claimed, filters.

Response / what you get back

  • Maps items: rank_group, rank_absolute, title, rating (value, votes_count), rating_distribution, address_info, place_id, phone, category, work_hours, latitude, longitude, is_claimed, price_level, hotel_rating.
  • Local Finder items: local_pack with title, rating, phone, booking_url, cid, is_paid.
  • My Business Info: a single profile object keyed by place_id and cid.
  • Business Listings items expose popular_times, place_topics, attributes, services, contact_info.

Cost & method notes

  • SERP Maps and Local Finder bill per SERP (up to 100 / up to 20 results) with Standard and Live methods; priority 2 costs more. See cap-queue-priority-cost-model.
  • Business Data tasks charge only for setting the task; results stay retrievable free for 30 days, and a Live method is also available. See cap-task-vs-live-execution.
  • Business Listings Search and Pinterest are Live-only and charge per request.

When to use / how it fits

  • Per-location map rank plus profile plus reviews tracking: play-local-seo-tracking.
  • Multi-location reputation monitoring blends Maps ranks with Google Reviews and Q&A.
  • Local competitor discovery uses Business Listings Search across a category and radius.
  • Routing a local job to the right module: dec-which-api-for-which-job.

Gotchas / limits

  • Mobile caps Maps at 20 results and Local Finder at 10; pin device and location_coordinate for reproducible grids.
  • Profile data is only as fresh as the last crawl; datetime records when it was captured.
  • 2000 calls/min; 100 tasks/POST (1 for Live). See cap-rate-limits-throughput.
  • place_id and cid are the reliable join keys across Maps, Reviews, and Q&A; keyword-only lookups can drift.

Sources

Graph View

Backlinks