Google Maps data extraction
Scrape Google Maps to CSV
The export is where most scraping workflows quietly break: encoding mangles the accents, a comma inside an address splits a row, and the column order shifts between files so the CRM mapping stops working. This page covers how the CSV and Excel output is built and how to avoid the usual breakages.
What you get
- UTF-8 encoding so accented and non-Latin names survive the export
- Correct quoting, so commas inside addresses never split a row
- Identical column order in every export from every search
- Excel output for files large enough to choke a CSV viewer
- One business per row, with multi-value fields in their own columns
- Download from the browser with no intermediate cloud storage
Encoding is the failure most people hit first
Business names carry accents, umlauts, Arabic, Urdu and Chinese characters. Files are written as UTF-8, which handles all of them. The catch is on the other end: Excel on Windows often assumes a local code page when you double-click a CSV and turns café into a mess. Use Data then From Text/CSV and pick UTF-8, or take the Excel export and skip the problem.
Commas, quotes and line breaks inside fields
Addresses contain commas. Business names contain quotes. Review snippets occasionally contain line breaks. Any of the three will corrupt a naively written CSV and shift every column after it. Fields are quoted and escaped per RFC 4180, so a spreadsheet or an import script reads the row back exactly as written.
Why the column order never changes
If the column order shifts between exports, every downstream mapping breaks and you re-do the import configuration each time. Columns are emitted in a fixed order regardless of which fields came back populated. A field with no data produces an empty cell rather than a missing column, which keeps files from different searches stackable on top of each other.
CSV or Excel, and when to pick each
CSV imports into almost anything and stays small, which makes it the right default for CRM loading. Excel is the better choice when the file is large, when you want it to open correctly by double-clicking on Windows, or when you are handing it to someone who will work in it rather than import it. Both carry the same columns.
Checking a file before you import several thousand rows
Open the export, sort by the column you care about most, and scan the top and bottom. Empty phone columns across the board usually mean a filter was too tight. A row where the address has bled into the next column means an encoding or quoting problem worth catching now. Two minutes of checking beats repairing a CRM after a bad import.
Frequently asked questions
Why do accented characters look wrong when I open the CSV?
Excel is guessing a local code page instead of UTF-8. Import through Data then From Text/CSV and select UTF-8, or use the Excel export instead.
Do commas inside addresses break the file?
No. Fields are quoted and escaped to RFC 4180, so commas, quotes and line breaks inside a value are read back correctly.
Will the columns be in the same order every time?
Yes. Column order is fixed regardless of which fields came back populated, so exports from different searches stack and CRM mappings keep working.
Which format should I use for a CRM import?
CSV. It is smaller and every CRM accepts it. Excel is the better pick for large files or for handing to someone who will work in the sheet.
Does the file pass through your servers before I get it?
No. The export is generated in your browser and downloaded directly.