What is happening
Google Maps shows a limited number of places for any one search — typically around a hundred and twenty when you keep scrolling. That's a limit of the Maps interface, not of the tool you are using. Every scraper that searches the way people do runs into it.
Why it exists
Maps is designed to show the best matches near where you are looking, not a complete directory. Results are ranked by relevance, distance and prominence; past a certain point it simply stops loading more.
How to get more businesses
1. Search smaller areas
Replace one big area with many small ones. "Electrician in Chicago" becomes "electrician in Evanston", "electrician in Oak Park"… Each search gets its own set of results. See nationwide scraping.
2. Use more keywords
Different keywords surface different businesses: "electrician", "electrical contractor", "EV charger installation", "panel upgrade". See bulk keywords.
3. Combine both
Keywords × locations multiplies your coverage. Prospect Cheap runs every combination and merges the results without duplicates.
How to tell you have covered a niche
Run a second, overlapping search. If most results are already in your list, you have covered the area well; if many are new, add more locations or keywords.
Don't pay for duplicates
Overlapping searches return the same businesses. Prospect Cheap deduplicates before charging, so each business costs one credit no matter how many searches found it.
A quick worked example
Say you want every HVAC company around Phoenix. One search for "HVAC Phoenix" stops early. Instead:
- keywords: HVAC contractor, air conditioning repair, furnace repair, heat pump installation
- locations: Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Glendale, Tempe, Peoria
That is 32 searches, each with its own results. After merging and removing duplicates you have a far more complete list than any single search could give — and you can see which suburb and keyword found each business.
Does a smaller radius always help?
Mostly, but not forever. Very small towns may only have a handful of matching businesses; searching them separately adds little. Use bigger steps for rural areas and smaller ones for dense cities.
What about the API?
Official and third-party APIs have their own limits and pricing per request. For lead generation, searching like a person across many keywords and locations is the most practical way to reach full coverage.