Google Maps data errors

The map had fewer matching businesses than you asked for.

Cause

`limit` is a ceiling, not a quota. A narrow niche in a small city genuinely runs out of businesses, and no amount of retrying produces more.

Fix

You are only charged for rows actually returned — the rest of the hold comes back. Broaden the query or widen the location if you need more volume.

The query and location combination matched nothing.

Cause

Usually an over-specific query string. Maps matches business categories loosely, but a full sentence or a brand name that does not exist in that city returns nothing.

Fix

Use the category noun rather than a description — `dentists` rather than `dentists accepting new patients`. Confirm the location resolves as a place name on its own.

verify=true drops rows whose contact could not be confirmed deliverable.

Cause

Verification is a filter, not an annotation. A row whose email fails the deliverability check is removed rather than returned with a flag.

Fix

This is working as intended and the dropped rows cost nothing. Drop `verify` if you would rather score contacts yourself.

Email is resolved from the business website, so no website means no email.

Cause

Email is not published on Maps listings. It is found by visiting the business site and reading the contact details there. A business with no site has nothing to read, and some sites publish only a contact form.

Fix

Confirm `enrich=true` — with enrichment off, email is never populated. A row with a website and no email is a site that published no address.

The business listed no website on its Maps profile.

Cause

A genuine gap in the listing, not a collection failure. Roughly a third of local businesses in most categories never add one.

Fix

Nothing to fix — this is the signal, not the noise. It is the exact filter behind the businesses-without-website search.

The listing has no published number, which is rare but real.

Cause

Service-area businesses and some newer listings omit the phone number. It is the least commonly missing of the three fields.

Fix

Nothing to fix. If phone is required for your use, filter the rows client-side after collection.

Enrichment was off for the run.

Cause

With `enrich=false` the response carries the listing only: name, address, rating, review count. Contact resolution is the step that costs the extra credits, so it does not run unasked.

Fix

Set `enrich=true`. Basic rows cost 9 credits and enriched rows cost 17 — the difference is exactly this.

skip_claimed defaults to true and hides leads you already claimed.

Cause

Claimed leads are excluded from later searches by default, which is what stops you buying the same row twice. It also means a business you know exists can look absent.

Fix

Pass `skip_claimed=false` to see the full result including claimed rows.

personal_only=false lets info@ and contact@ addresses through.

Cause

Most small businesses publish a role address rather than a named one. Without the filter those are the majority of what enrichment finds.

Fix

Pass `personal_only=true` alongside `verify=true` to keep named-person addresses only. Expect the row count to drop sharply.