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How to

# How to find local businesses without a website

The easiest web design client is a busy local business with no website, or one whose site is down. Google Maps lists them; here is how to pull them out with the reason.

**Short answer**

Run the **Google Maps Scraper** with a business type and a few ZIP codes, and set **Website filter** to “Only places that need website work”. It keeps businesses with no website, a site that is down or suspended, no mobile version, no HTTPS, or a copyright notice five or more years old, and says which one applies. Turn on emails to get the business's own address when its site has one.

## A real use case

A one-person web design studio in Dallas wants 50 roofers and plumbers to call this month. Checking Google Maps listings and websites by hand takes an evening per dozen. In a 400-place test run of Dallas and Phoenix contractors, 57 places (14%) needed website work: 34 had no website, 5 had a site that was down, and 18 had an old copyright year, no HTTPS or no mobile version. Each one came with a phone number and the reason to call.

## Step by step

1. **Open the actor** on Apify and sign in (the free plan is enough to test).
2. **Add business types and locations.** Use ZIP codes or neighborhoods: Google Maps returns about 120 to 200 places per search.
3. **Set Website filter to “Only places that need website work”.** This switches on the website check by itself.
4. **Turn on emails** and set a minimum review count to favor busy businesses.
5. **Start**, then open the **Website check** view or export CSV or Excel.

### Input (paste into the JSON tab)

```
{
  "searchTerms": [
    "plumber",
    "roofing contractor"
  ],
  "locations": [
    "75201",
    "75204",
    "75206",
    "75214"
  ],
  "websiteFilter": "needsWork",
  "scrapeContacts": true,
  "minReviews": 10
}
```

### What you get back

```
[
  {
    "name": "Prairie Roof Co.",
    "category": "Roofing contractor",
    "phone": "(214) 555-0163",
    "rating": 4.7,
    "reviewCount": 88,
    "website": "http://prairieroof.example/",
    "websiteStatus": "down",
    "websiteIssues": [
      "website is down: domain does not resolve"
    ],
    "needsWebsiteWork": true
  },
  {
    "name": "Lakeside Plumbing",
    "category": "Plumber",
    "phone": "(214) 555-0119",
    "rating": 4.9,
    "reviewCount": 212,
    "website": null,
    "websiteStatus": "no-website",
    "websiteIssues": [
      "no website on Google Maps"
    ],
    "needsWebsiteWork": true
  }
]
```

Trimmed example. Names and numbers are illustrative; your run returns real data with more fields.

## Tips

- Expect 5% to 15% of a search to qualify, so use several ZIP codes and two or three related business types.
- Lead with the issue in your first message: “your website link on Google shows Account Suspended” gets more replies than “do you need a website?”.
- Businesses with no website usually have no email here. Call them, or look up their Facebook page.
- Sites that block automated checks come back `unknown` and are left out of the filter, so nothing on the list is a guess.

## What it costs

$1 per 1,000 places, plus $1 per 1,000 websites checked and $1 per 1,000 places with an email. A list of 1,000 businesses that need website work costs about **$2**, and places the filter removes are free.

Plus a small per-run start fee. Apify's free plan includes monthly credit, enough to test. Check the listing for current pricing.

## FAQ

**How does it know a website is broken?**

It opens the site twice. It counts as down only if the domain doesn't resolve, the server refuses connections, the homepage returns 404, 410 or a 5xx error both times, or the page shows a suspended-hosting or domain-for-sale notice.

**Does a Facebook page count as a website?**

No. A business whose only website on Google Maps is a Facebook or Instagram page is listed as having no website.

**Is it legal to contact these businesses?**

The listings are public business information, but outreach is regulated. Follow CAN-SPAM in the US and GDPR in Europe, and keep messages relevant and personal.

## Related

- [**Google Maps Scraper**](/google-maps-scraper/) Local businesses with phone, email and a website check: find the ones with no site, a broken site or no mobile version. $1 / 1,000 places.
- [All How To guides](/how-to/)

## Try it on your own data

Paste the input above, run it, and see your results in a couple of minutes.
[Open Google Maps Scraper](https://apify.com/scrape-lads/google-maps-scraper?utm_source=scrapelads&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=how-to-find-businesses-without-website&utm_content=google-maps-scraper)