Google Maps Results API

Search places matching a query.

What is this API?

Serqo’s Google Maps Results API returns local results shown for a Google Maps query as structured JSON. Use engine: "google" and type: "maps"; entries may include names, addresses, ratings, categories and place identifiers. It does not render a map or replace Google Places API.

Common use cases

Review local businesses displayed for a location-based query.
Compare local-result visibility across queries and country settings.
Collect visible business details for local search research.

Request example

POST https://api.serqo.io/v1/search

Field	Value
engine	`google`
type	`maps`

Request headers

Create an API key and store it on your server. Send the API key in the x-api-key header.

Header	Value	Description
Content-Type	`application/json`	JSON request body.
x-api-key	`YOUR_API_KEY`	API key used to authenticate the request.

bash

export SERP_API_KEY='YOUR_API_KEY'

curl https://api.serqo.io/v1/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $SERP_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "q": "coffee shops in seattle",
  "engine": "google",
  "type": "maps",
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en"
}'

Code examples

Use the same API key with a standard HTTP client. These examples require Node.js 22 or later, or Python 3.

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('https://api.serqo.io/v1/search', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'x-api-key': process.env.SERP_API_KEY, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({"q": "coffee shops in seattle","engine":"google","type":"maps"}),
});
const result = await response.json();
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`${response.status}: ${result.error?.message ?? 'Search failed'}`);
console.log(result.data);

Python

import json
import os
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen

payload = {"q": "coffee shops in seattle","engine":"google","type":"maps"}
request = Request(
    'https://api.serqo.io/v1/search',
    data=json.dumps(payload).encode(),
    headers={
        'x-api-key': os.environ['SERP_API_KEY'],
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
)
with urlopen(request) as response:
    result = json.load(response)
    print(result['data'])

Parameters

The number of results returned per request depends on the search engine and may vary.

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
q	string	Yes	—	Non-empty search query.
engine	string	No	google	Use google for this API.
type	string	No	web	Use maps for this API.
gl	string	No	—	Two-letter lowercase country code, for example us.
hl	string	No	—	Interface language code, for example en.
start	integer	No	—	Not applied to Google maps searches.
safe	off \| active	No	—	Not applied to Google maps searches.
tbs	string	No	—	Not applied to Google maps searches.

Only q is required by the API, but keep engine and type as shown for this search. A dash means the API does not assign a default. Unknown parameters return 422 INVALID_PARAM.

Response

HTTP 200. A real API response, trimmed to the first three results for readability. Field availability and result groups vary by the returned page; values can be null.

JSON

{
  "success": true,
  "requestId": "req_cc78b864-4412-4fab-9352-e2af97bb288f",
  "data": {
    "engine": "google",
    "type": "maps",
    "query": {
      "q": "coffee shops in seattle",
      "gl": "us",
      "hl": "en"
    },
    "searchInformation": {
      "totalResults": null,
      "timeTakenMs": null,
      "displayed": "20 places"
    },
    "results": [
      {
        "position": 1,
        "type": "local",
        "title": "Storyville Coffee Pike Place",
        "url": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJBR3G8LJqkFQRWD2Wzn0qG3c",
        "displayedUrl": "94 Pike St Top floor Suite 34, Seattle, WA 98101",
        "domain": "storyville.com",
        "source": "Coffee shop",
        "date": null,
        "snippet": "94 Pike St Top floor Suite 34, Seattle, WA 98101",
        "thumbnail": "https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6Uq0FFtNx4I/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/C0vD4GoygMA/s44-p-k-no-ns-nd/photo.jpg",
        "favicon": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=storyville.com&sz=64",
        "duration": null,
        "price": null,
        "rating": 4.6,
        "sitelinks": [],
        "extensions": {
          "placeId": "ChIJBR3G8LJqkFQRWD2Wzn0qG3c",
          "cid": "0x54906ab2f0c61d05:0x771b2a7dce963d58",
          "category": "Coffee shop",
          "address": "94 Pike St Top floor Suite 34, Seattle, WA 98101",
          "addressLines": [
            "94 Pike St Top floor Suite 34",
            "Seattle, WA 98101"
          ],
          "neighbourhood": "Pike Pine Retail Core",
          "latitude": 47.608791599999996,
          "longitude": -122.34004569999999,
          "reviewCount": 3241,
          "reviewSource": "Google",
          "website": "https://storyville.com/pages/pike-place-market",
          "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
          "openingHours": [
            {
              "day": "Thursday",
              "hours": "6:59 AM–5 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Friday",
              "hours": "6:59 AM–6 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Saturday",
              "hours": "6:59 AM–6 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Sunday",
              "hours": "6:59 AM–6 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Monday",
              "hours": "6:59 AM–5 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Tuesday",
              "hours": "6:59 AM–5 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Wednesday",
              "hours": "6:59 AM–5 PM"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "position": 2,
        "type": "local",
        "title": "Overcast Coffee",
        "url": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJ6WqLxohrkFQRfyUGQh-AXmc",
        "displayedUrl": "1517 12th Ave Ste 100, Seattle, WA 98122",
        "domain": "overcastcoffee.co",
        "source": "Coffee shop",
        "date": null,
        "snippet": "1517 12th Ave Ste 100, Seattle, WA 98122",
        "thumbnail": "https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mXlGbUdqDMQ/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/V4rI5yr-a_c/s44-p-k-no-ns-nd/photo.jpg",
        "favicon": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=overcastcoffee.co&sz=64",
        "duration": null,
        "price": null,
        "rating": 4.7,
        "sitelinks": [],
        "extensions": {
          "placeId": "ChIJ6WqLxohrkFQRfyUGQh-AXmc",
          "cid": "0x54906b88c68b6ae9:0x675e801f4206257f",
          "category": "Coffee shop",
          "address": "1517 12th Ave Ste 100, Seattle, WA 98122",
          "addressLines": [
            "1517 12th Ave Ste 100",
            "Seattle, WA 98122"
          ],
          "neighbourhood": "Capitol Hill",
          "latitude": 47.6146106,
          "longitude": -122.3171338,
          "reviewCount": 316,
          "reviewSource": "Google",
          "website": "http://www.overcastcoffee.co/",
          "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
          "openingHours": [
            {
              "day": "Thursday",
              "hours": "7 AM–6 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Friday",
              "hours": "7 AM–6 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Saturday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Sunday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Monday",
              "hours": "7 AM–6 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Tuesday",
              "hours": "7 AM–6 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Wednesday",
              "hours": "7 AM–6 PM"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "position": 3,
        "type": "local",
        "title": "Drip Drip coffeehouse",
        "url": "https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJJylxcL9rkFQR5J62NetzofQ",
        "displayedUrl": "355 15th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122",
        "domain": "dripdripcoffeehouse.com",
        "source": "Coffee shop",
        "date": null,
        "snippet": "355 15th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122",
        "thumbnail": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7nwNnV15AOA/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAAA/OexQouef-wY/s44-p-k-no-ns-nd/photo.jpg",
        "favicon": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=dripdripcoffeehouse.com&sz=64",
        "duration": null,
        "price": null,
        "rating": 4.5,
        "sitelinks": [],
        "extensions": {
          "placeId": "ChIJJylxcL9rkFQR5J62NetzofQ",
          "cid": "0x54906bbf70712927:0xf4a173eb35b69ee4",
          "category": "Coffee shop",
          "address": "355 15th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122",
          "addressLines": [
            "355 15th Ave",
            "Seattle, WA 98122"
          ],
          "neighbourhood": "Minor",
          "latitude": 47.6060841,
          "longitude": -122.3130111,
          "reviewCount": 362,
          "reviewSource": "Google",
          "website": "https://www.dripdripcoffeehouse.com/",
          "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
          "openingHours": [
            {
              "day": "Thursday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5:30 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Friday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5:30 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Saturday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5:30 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Sunday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5:30 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Monday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5:30 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Tuesday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5:30 PM"
            },
            {
              "day": "Wednesday",
              "hours": "8 AM–5:30 PM"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "features": {},
    "pagination": {
      "pageSize": 20,
      "page": 1,
      "start": 0,
      "hasNext": true,
      "nextStart": 20
    },
    "meta": {
      "elapsedMs": 768
    }
  },
  "meta": {
    "cache": "miss"
  }
}

Response fields

Field	Type	Description
data.query	object	Search query passed to the engine.
data.searchInformation	object	Reported result count and search timing, when provided.
success	boolean	Whether the request succeeded. True in this example.
requestId	string	Request identifier to include when troubleshooting.
data.type	string	Search type used for this response.
data.engine	string	Engine that returned the results.
data.results	array	Main result list. Check feature groups as well when present.
data.features	object	Additional result groups; groups not returned by the engine may be absent.
data.pagination	object	Current offset and next-page availability.
data.meta.elapsedMs	number	Search duration in milliseconds, not a performance guarantee.
meta.cache	string \| null	hit, miss, or null if cache status is unknown.

Result fields

Read data.features.localResults when present. Some results may instead appear in data.results; check both before treating a search as empty.

Field	Type	Description
data.features.localResults[].position	integer	Place position.
data.features.localResults[].title	string	Place name.
data.features.localResults[].rating	number \| null	Rating, when shown.
data.features.localResults[].reviews	number \| null	Review count, when shown.
data.features.localResults[].price	string \| null	Displayed price range.
data.features.localResults[].category	string \| null	Business category.
data.features.localResults[].address	string \| null	Displayed address, which may be incomplete.
data.features.localResults[].reviewSnippet	string \| null	Review excerpt, when shown.
data.features.localResults[].placeId	string \| null	Place identifier extracted from the result.

Places may also include phone, website, hours, googlePlaceId, cid or imageId. These fields are optional; addresses may be incomplete.

Main result entries

Field	Type	Description
data.results[].domain	string \| null	Destination domain, when available.
data.results[].favicon	string \| null	Site icon when provided.
data.results[].sitelinks	array	Additional links nested under the result.
data.results[].sitelinks[].title	string	Sitelink label.
data.results[].sitelinks[].url	string \| null	Sitelink destination.
data.results[].extensions	object	Other result-specific properties.
data.results[].snippetHighlightedWords	string[], optional	Highlighted terms in the snippet, when provided.
data.results[].position	integer	Rank on this results page, starting at 1.
data.results[].type	string	Result category: organic, news, image, video, shopping, local, forum, book, patent or ad. This can differ from the request type.
data.results[].title	string \| null	Title shown in the result.
data.results[].url	string \| null	Destination URL when resolved; it may be null.
data.results[].displayedUrl	string \| null	URL or domain displayed by the engine; not always a clickable link.
data.results[].source	string \| null	Source name or displayed domain.
data.results[].date	string \| null	Date text when extracted; not necessarily an ISO timestamp.
data.results[].snippet	string \| null	Result summary.
data.results[].thumbnail	string \| null	Thumbnail URL or inline data URL, when provided.
data.results[].duration	string \| null	Video duration text when provided.
data.results[].price	string \| null	Price text when provided.
data.results[].rating	number \| null	Rating when provided.

Pagination

start is not applied to this search type. Do not use it to request a different page.

Field	Type	Description
data.pagination.nextUrl	string \| null	Search-engine URL for the next page, when available; use nextStart with this API.
data.pagination.requestedPage	integer	Page requested; may differ from the returned page if the engine does not provide it.
data.pagination.page	integer	Current page number.
data.pagination.start	integer	Current result offset.
data.pagination.hasNext	boolean	Whether another page is available.
data.pagination.nextStart	integer \| null	Offset for the next request, or null when unavailable.

Errors

JSON

{
  "success": false,
  "requestId": "req_example",
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_PARAM",
    "message": "Unknown parameter \"page\"",
    "retryable": false
  }
}

Field	Type	Description
error.code	string	Machine-readable error code.
error.message	string	Reason the request failed.
error.retryable	boolean	Whether retrying is recommended.
error.retryAfterMs	number, optional	Minimum wait before retrying, in milliseconds.

HTTP status	Meaning	What to do
400	Invalid request or unsupported search type.	Check the query and engine/type combination.
401	Missing, invalid or revoked API key.	Check the authentication header and API key.
402	Insufficient credits.	Check your credit balance.
403	Permission or plan restriction.	Check account access and plan limits.
422	Invalid parameter.	Correct the parameter identified by error.message.
429	Request rate or queue limit.	Follow the retry rules below.
5xx	Server or search service failure.	Keep the requestId; retry only if allowed.

Retry rules

Retry only when error.retryable is true.
If error.retryAfterMs is present, wait at least that many milliseconds.

Pricing and limits

Successful searches use credits at the applicable rate.
Failed searches and timeouts are not charged.
Cache hits are free at the default rate. Before searching, your available balance must cover the full request cost.

See plan pricing and rate-limit and credit details.

Frequently asked questions

Can I paginate Google Maps results with `start`?

No. The current Google maps search type does not apply start. Use the results returned for the request and check the API reference for supported fields.

How are Google Maps searches charged?

Successful searches use the applicable credit rate for the engine, type and country. Failed searches and timeouts release the reservation; cache hits are free at the default rate. See Pricing and limits below for the current rules.