Integrations
Business search data, without the copy and paste
For teams that need business listings, details, and photos from Google Places inside a directory or an internal tool. We built this for melodymap.io, a site we run, and it is available as custom work.
Business listings live in a map, not in your product
Names, addresses, hours, and photos for local businesses sit in Google’s map data. Getting them into a directory or an internal tool usually means someone searching by hand and pasting results into a spreadsheet.
Search results and your own records rarely meet in one place, so the same lookups get repeated every time you need a new area or category. When the list is built by hand, nobody can say which entries are still current or where each one came from.
What we built
Two builds on the same Google service: the public directory search on melodymap.io (opens in a new tab), a music-educator directory we run, and BizFinder, a business search tool we use internally.
- Platform
- Google Places, called from our own server code on Google Cloud. The API key stays on the server and never reaches the browser.
- What it reads
- Text search for businesses by type and area, then place details on demand: name, address, location, and category, with photos on the directory listings.
- Cost control
- Every request names the fields it needs through a field mask, because the fields in the mask decide what Google bills for that request.
- Caching
- On the directory we run, results are cached on the server for a set time, so a repeat search inside that window is served without a new Google lookup.
- Data flow
- The browser asks our server, our server asks Google, and the answer comes back cleaned into one consistent shape for the page.
- The result
- Business listings with details and photos inside a product, instead of in a map tab and a spreadsheet of pasted results.
How the two builds compare
| Step | Directory on a site we run | BizFinder (internal) |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | Anyone searching melodymap.io | Our own team only |
| Search | Places text search for businesses and educators in an area | Places text search around an address and radius |
| Details | Place details and photos on the listing | Place details by place ID |
| Fields | Field masks on every request | Field masks on every request |
| Storage | Server-side cache of results | A log of searches run |
Boundaries and status
Status: Live in a site we run (Melody Map); internal tool (BizFinder); available as custom work
- Live on a site we run: the directory search on melodymap.io is public today.
- Internal tool: BizFinder is for our own team. It is not a product on 2diff.io and is not for sale.
- Not a Google product, and not endorsed by Google. We call the public Places service from our own code, and each build pays for its own usage.
- Available as custom work: a directory, a lead list, or a search screen in your own tool, scoped to your business.
Related
- Marketing data integration: Google Ads, Analytics, and Search Console in one place.
- Financial data integration: statements, ratios, and a forecast from your own numbers.
- All integrations, each with its status.
Need business search inside your own tool?
Tell us what you search for, where, and what you do with the results. We reply with a plain answer on whether it is worth building.
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