Definition
The local lead data source hierarchy ranks data sources for local business lead generation by freshness, accuracy, and signal density, with Google Maps API data at the top and purchased lists at the bottom.
In Depth
Not all lead data is equal. The hierarchy from highest to lowest quality: 1) Google Maps API data (freshest, includes reviews, hours, website presence, photos -- signals that indicate active businesses). Cost: Scavio $0.005/query, Outscraper $1.80/1K. 2) Google Search SERP data (company descriptions, news mentions, hiring signals from search snippets). Cost: Scavio $0.005/query. 3) LinkedIn company pages (employee count, growth, tech stack). Cost: scraped data is legally risky; Sales Navigator $99/mo. 4) Industry directories (Yelp, Angi, Thumbtack). Free to browse but rate-limited for scraping. 5) State business registrations (free but only has registration data, no activity signals). 6) Purchased lead lists (cheapest per lead but often 20-40% stale data). The hierarchy reflects a tradeoff: higher-ranked sources cost more per lead but have dramatically higher contact and conversion rates. Google Maps leads convert at 3-5x purchased list leads because the Maps data proves the business is active (recent reviews, updated hours) rather than just registered.
Example Usage
An agency tested lead sources head-to-head: 100 leads from Google Maps (Scavio, $0.50), 100 from a purchased list ($15). Google Maps leads: 89% valid phone numbers, 34% answered, 12% converted. Purchased list: 62% valid phones, 18% answered, 3% converted. The $0.50 Google Maps batch outperformed the $15 purchased list by 4x on conversions.
Platforms
Local Lead Data Source Hierarchy is relevant across the following platforms, all accessible through Scavio's unified API:
- Google Maps
Related Terms
Google Maps No-Website Business Signal
A Google Maps no-website business signal is a lead qualification indicator where a business has a Google Maps listing wi...
SERP-Based Cold Email Personalization
SERP-based cold email personalization is the practice of querying search engines for prospect-specific information -- re...