> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.asteragents.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Search Google Maps Tool

> Find businesses and places on Google Maps — returns place_id, address, rating, website, hours, and more

## What it does

The Search Google Maps tool finds businesses and places on Google Maps and returns structured details including a `place_id` (required for fetching reviews), address, phone, website, rating, review count, GPS coordinates, categories, and hours. Perfect for local research, lead generation, competitor scanning, and due diligence.

## Key features

* Search by business name, category, or natural-language query
* Returns a Google `place_id` that can be passed to [Get Business Reviews](/tools/get_business_reviews)
* Rating, review count, website, phone, and hours in one call
* Geographic biasing via text location or GPS coordinates
* Pagination for exploring broader result sets

## Parameters

| Parameter  | Type    | Required | Description                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| ---------- | ------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `query`    | string  | Yes      | The Google Maps search query (e.g., `"coffee shop in Austin, TX"`, `"Franklin Barbecue"`)                                                                                                                 |
| `location` | string  | No       | Text location to bias results (e.g., `"Austin, TX"`) — appended to the query if not already present. Also accepts GPS coordinates in Google Maps format `@lat,lng[,zoom]` (e.g., `"@30.267,-97.743,14z"`) |
| `gl`       | string  | No       | Two-letter country code for geolocation (e.g., `"us"`, `"gb"`)                                                                                                                                            |
| `hl`       | string  | No       | Language code for the response (e.g., `"en"`, `"es"`). Default: `"en"`                                                                                                                                    |
| `page`     | integer | No       | Page number for pagination (default `1`)                                                                                                                                                                  |
| `limit`    | integer | No       | Maximum results to return (default `10`, max `20`)                                                                                                                                                        |

## Common use cases

### Find a specific business

```
query: "Franklin Barbecue Austin TX"
```

Returns the business with its `place_id`, rating, address, phone, and website.

### Local competitor scan

```
query: "HVAC contractors"
location: "Tampa, FL"
limit: 20
```

Pulls up to 20 local competitors with rating and review counts.

### Lead-gen enrichment

```
query: "marketing agency in Denver"
```

Returns agencies with websites and contact info for outreach lists.

### Pair with reviews

1. Run `search_google_maps` to find the business
2. Pass the returned `place_id` to `get_business_reviews` for full review detail

## What you get back

Each place includes:

* **`place_id`** — Google's stable identifier, required for `get_business_reviews`
* **`title`** — business/place name
* **`address`**, **`phone`**, **`website`**, **`domain`**
* **`rating`** (0–5), **`reviews_count`**, **`reviews_link`**
* **`gps_coordinates`** — `{ latitude, longitude }`
* **`type`**, **`types`** — Google Maps categories
* **`hours`**, **`open_state`**, **`price`**, **`thumbnail`**

## Best practices

* Include the location directly in the query for more reliable matching (e.g., `"coffee shop in Austin, TX"` works better than query + location for unambiguous cases)
* Use `gl` when you specifically need country-scoped results
* Save the `place_id` — it's stable and lets you skip the lookup step next time

## Troubleshooting

**"No results found"**

* Try broader query terms
* Add location context (city, state, country)
* Remove overly specific modifiers

**"Wrong business returned"**

* For common or ambiguous names, add the city and state
* Capture the `place_id` of the correct result and reuse it in downstream calls

## Related tools

* [Get Business Reviews](/tools/get_business_reviews) — fetch Google reviews using a `place_id` from this tool
* [Search Google](/tools/search_google) — general web, news, and image search
* [Ask Web](/tools/ask_web) — AI-powered answers over web data