LSD
APIEndpoint 4 of 40SERP / Local Search / Maps

Google Maps SERP API

The Maps endpoint for the new local SEO stack.

Google Maps uses a different ranking algorithm than the Local Pack — it weights proximity over prominence. The Local Pack shows the 3 best-ranked businesses for your search. Maps shows up to 100 results sorted by how close they are to you. For local SEO, you need to track both. We built infrastructure for agents working on your behalf — full Maps results in one POST call, JSON out, your Claude prompt does the rest.

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POST /v1/serp/maps · 1 credit / call

POST /v1/serp/maps5 of 20 · with GPS
12345
1

Joe's Pizza Brooklyn

4.8 (542)

40.6950, −73.9886 · 0.3 mi

▌ Ask your agent

These prompts are the new local SEO workflow.

Connect Local SEO Data as an MCP server once (60 seconds, below). Then your agent runs the work. Replace bracketed business names with your own.

Maps-vs-Pack gap analysis

Pull the local 3-pack for dentist in Austin, TX. Then pull all Maps results for the same keyword. Compare: which businesses rank in the 3-pack but not in the top 20 of Maps? Which are in the top 20 of Maps but not in the 3-pack?

Proximity-based rank tracking

Pull Maps results for plumber at these 5 coordinates: [client's office, home, warehouse, second office, retail]. Show me which businesses appear in Maps results within 3 miles of each location.

Multi-location competitive landscape

For Joe's Auto Repair, pull Maps results in a 2-mile radius of each of the 8 client locations. Count competitors per location. Flag locations with fewer than 3 competitors in the top 10.

Market expansion research

A prospect wants to open a second salon in Denver. Pull full Maps results for salon across 3 different Denver neighborhoods. Analyze category breakdown, rating distribution, and distance clustering to identify the least saturated neighborhood.

▌ Real response

What you get back

Live response from POST /v1/serp/maps for plumbing services in Denver, Colorado.

response · application/json~2-6s · 1 credit
{
  "status": "success",
  "credits_used": 1,
  "results": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Denver Plumbing Pros",
      "place_id": "ChIJ...",
      "rating": 4.8,
      "reviews_count": 312,
      "phone": "(303) 555-0123",
      "website": "https://denverplumbingpros.com",
      "address": "123 Main St, Denver, CO 80202",
      "hours": "Open 24 hours",
      "latitude": 39.7392,
      "longitude": -104.9903,
      "categories": ["Plumber", "Water Heater Repair"],
      "distance_miles": 0.3
    },
    {
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Summit Plumbing",
      "place_id": "ChIJ...",
      "rating": 4.6,
      "reviews_count": 248,
      "phone": "(303) 555-0456",
      "website": "https://summitplumbing.com",
      "address": "456 Oak Ave, Denver, CO 80205",
      "hours": "Open 7AM-6PM",
      "latitude": 39.7515,
      "longitude": -104.9864,
      "categories": ["Plumber", "Gas Line Installation"],
      "distance_miles": 0.8
    },
    {
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Rocky Mountain Pipe Services",
      "place_id": "ChIJ...",
      "rating": 4.5,
      "reviews_count": 187,
      "phone": "(303) 555-0789",
      "website": "https://rockymountainpipe.com",
      "address": "789 Elm St, Denver, CO 80210",
      "hours": "Open 8AM-5PM",
      "latitude": 39.7430,
      "longitude": -104.9750,
      "categories": ["Plumber", "Drain Cleaning"],
      "distance_miles": 1.2
    }
  ],
  "search_metadata": {
    "keyword": "plumber",
    "location": "Denver, Colorado",
    "total_results": 42,
    "search_radius": "all"
  }
}
▌ Returns

Everything you need for Maps-based local intelligence

Full result set

Up to 100 businesses per query

Google Maps returns far more results than the 3-pack. You get full competitive landscape, not just the top 3. Essential for market analysis and expansion research.

Per result

Position, name, rating, reviews, phone, website, hours, GPS

Every business with complete SERP-visible data plus GPS coordinates and distance from your query location. Place IDs included for profile lookups.

Proximity data

Distance from query location in miles

Maps sorts by proximity, not prominence. Distance field shows exactly how close each result is — critical for understanding why Maps and Local Pack differ.

Extended business fields

Categories, attributes, full operating hours

Maps shows richer data than the Local Pack. Categories, service offerings, and full hours strings for every result.

▌ Built for

What AI-native operators ship with this

Maps vs Local Pack gap analysis

Pull the Local Pack for a keyword, then pull full Maps results. Identify businesses that rank in one but not the other. Understand proximity-driven gaps in your market.

→ Local Pack API

Proximity-based competitive tracking

Track competitor rankings at multiple coordinates within a single market. Your office, client location, retail outpost — pull Maps results from each. See how proximity changes the competitive set.

→ For multi-location businesses

Market expansion research

Evaluating new locations for a salon chain. Pull Maps results for the target category across 5 neighborhoods. Analyze saturation, rating distribution, and competitor concentration to pick the least saturated area.

→ For consultants

Lead generation and prospecting

Pull all businesses in a category within a radius (e.g., all dentists within 3 miles of a prospect address). Use place IDs to enrich with profiles, reviews, and contact info for outreach.

→ Business Profile API
▌ vs. the alternatives

Why not just use Google Maps Platform or raw alternatives?

Google Maps Platform charges $0.20 per call for 25 results — $200 per 1,000 calls. Raw SERP APIs cost $0.35–0.75. For tracking competitor proximity, analyzing market saturation, and batching across multiple locations and keywords, you need a dedicated endpoint built for the agent workflow.

ApproachResults per callGPS dataMulti-location batchAI agent readyCost
Google Maps Platform (official)25 maxYesRequires multiple callsManual conversion needed$0.20 per call ($200/1K)
Custom scrapingUnlimited but fragileYesRequires scalingBreaks with page updatesProxy + maintenance costs
Local Falcon / BrightLocalLimited to dashboardYesYes, built-inDashboard UI only~$199–399/mo per location
DataForSEO / SerpApi / OutscraperUp to 100YesYesREST only, no MCP$0.35–0.75 per call
Local SEO Data Maps APIUp to 100 resultsGPS + distance includedBatch across keywords and coordinatesNative MCP + REST, agent-first$0.005 per call
▌ Connect in 60 seconds

Use it from your agent

Two integration surfaces: MCP for clients that speak MCP, REST API for everything else.

Direct MCP integration

Drop-in support in Claude Desktop, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, and any MCP-aware client.

Add to your client's MCP config (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "localseodata": {
      "url": "https://mcp.localseodata.com",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API

For Perplexity Computer, ChatGPT Custom GPTs, custom agents, and any platform that calls REST endpoints directly.

Base URL:

api.localseodata.com

See the docs for endpoint reference and auth.

▌ Quickstart

Your first call in three lines

The core parameters are `keyword` (e.g. "plumber" or "dentist near me") and `location` (e.g. "Denver, Colorado"). Optional: `limit` (number of results, 1-100, default 20).

terminal · curl
POST /v1/serp/maps
curl -X POST https://api.localseodata.com/v1/serp/maps \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "keyword": "plumber",
    "location": "Denver, Colorado",
    "limit": 20
  }'
Full endpoint reference → · Get an API key →
▌ Pricing for this endpoint

$0.005 per call

Pay-as-you-go starts at $5. Monthly plans from $19. Funds never expire. No seat fees, no per-location tiers.

Free tier
10,000
maps calls on signup (50 credits)
Starter · $19/mo
3,800
calls/mo at this rate
Per-call cost
$0.005
per call, any keyword
▌ FAQ

Common questions

What is the Google Maps SERP API?+
A REST endpoint that returns full Google Maps search results for any keyword and location — up to 100 businesses with position, name, rating, review count, phone, website, address, hours, GPS coordinates, business categories, and place IDs in structured JSON. One call costs 1 credit (~$0.005). This is the data layer underneath Maps-based competitor tracking, market analysis, proximity intelligence, and multi-location audits.
How does Google Maps ranking differ from the Local Pack?+
The Local Pack is the 3-pack at the top of Google Search. Maps is the separate algorithm that runs inside the Google Maps app and map displays. Local Pack weights prominence (reviews, authority, relevance) heavily. Maps weights proximity (physical distance to the searcher) more heavily. A business can rank #1 in Maps but #10 in the Local Pack for the same keyword — not a glitch, a difference in intent. The smartest operators track both.
Why would I need both Maps and Local Pack APIs?+
Maps and Local Pack serve different user intents and show different results. For a prospect or client conducting market research, you want both: the 3-pack (top-ranked competitors) and the full Maps set (local competitive landscape sorted by proximity). Rank trackers that conflate the two miss the gap. We built separate endpoints so you can track them independently.
How do I authenticate with the Maps API?+
Authentication uses a Bearer token. Generate an API key from your Local SEO Data dashboard (Settings → API Keys), then include it as Authorization: Bearer sk_live_... in your request headers. The same key works for MCP integration (in your claude_desktop_config.json) and direct REST calls. No OAuth flow, no project setup, no domain verification. See the authentication docs for key rotation and security best practices.
Where does the Maps SERP data come from?+
Maps data is aggregated from DataForSEO, our upstream provider for SERP endpoints. Data reflects Google's live Maps results at call time, with results refreshing as businesses move in and out of ranking position. We name the source because if you're running real client work you should know where the data comes from.
How fresh is the Maps API data?+
Results reflect the current Maps ranking at call time. For proximity-based tracking workflows, most operators call from multiple coordinates at fixed times to build a time-series by location. Daily calls build strong trend data. Weekly calls work for market analysis. Monthly calls work for baseline research. Because pricing is per-call (not per-seat or per-location), there's no penalty for frequency beyond actual usage.
Can I track competitor Maps rankings for businesses I don't own?+
Yes — and this is the core reason third-party Maps SERP APIs exist. Google doesn't give you a native tool to monitor competitor Maps rankings. Our endpoint accepts any keyword and location — your competitors, your prospects, any business. No verification, no ownership requirement. This is what makes competitor monitoring, market analysis, and multi-location gap detection actually work.
Can AI agents use the Maps API directly?+
Yes. Two integration paths. MCP: add Local SEO Data to your claude_desktop_config.json (or any MCP-aware client — OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, etc.) and the agent calls this endpoint from any prompt. REST: any agent that can make HTTPS calls — ChatGPT Custom GPTs, Perplexity Computer, custom Python agents — hits api.localseodata.com directly with the Bearer token. You don't write integration code. You write the prompt.
How does this compare to Google's Maps Platform API?+
Google Maps Platform charges $0.20 per call for up to 25 results ($200 per 1,000 calls). We return up to 100 results per call at $0.005 per call ($5 per 1,000 calls) — 40x cheaper and 4x more results. Maps Platform also doesn't include distance-from-location (proximity sorting), requires OAuth setup, and isn't designed for agent use cases. For tracking competitor proximity or analyzing market saturation, our endpoint is the right fit.
How does this compare to SerpApi, DataForSEO, or Outscraper?+
All three offer Maps scraping at $0.35–0.75 per call. They're good for one-off pulls or dashboards, but they lack MCP integration, charge 70–150x more than we do, and require REST-only integration (you write the plumbing code). We're built from the ground up for agent workflows — one line of config, then your Claude prompt does the work.
Does this work for multi-location businesses?+
Yes. Each call pulls Maps results for one keyword-location pair, but you can batch as many as you want — the API has no per-call limit beyond your credit balance. Most multi-location operators pull Maps results for each location on a schedule, then use their agent to compare proximity, analyze competition saturation, and flag new entrants or market shifts.
What changed in 2026 that made this category exist?+
MCP — the Model Context Protocol — became standard in late 2024 and went mainstream through 2025. It let agents call external APIs without bespoke integration code. The moment that happened, the right shape of a local SEO data product flipped from "dashboard with a login" to "endpoint your agent calls." The dashboard era is winding down the same way the scraper era is.
▌ Related endpoints

Often used in the same agent prompt

POST /v1/serp/local-pack
Local Pack API

The 3-pack at the top of Google Search — different ranking algorithm than Maps.

POST /v1/local/finder
Local Finder API

Extended local results with CID identifiers and advanced filtering.

POST /v1/business/listings
Business Listings API

All businesses in a category and location with ratings and reviews.

POST /v1/business/profile
Google Business Profile API

Hours, categories, photos, attributes, verification status.

Build your first Maps-based agent in 60 seconds.

50 free credits on signup. Your first Maps pull happens through Claude, not curl.

Start FreeRead the docs
▌ MADE FOR THE NEW LOCAL SEO STACK