Google Maps vs LinkedIn for B2B Prospecting: Which is Better?

LinkedIn and Google Maps are the two largest B2B data sources in the world. One is a professional network with 1 billion profiles. The other is a business directory with 200 million listings. But which is more effective for generating prospects?

The answer depends on what you're selling and to whom. Here's an honest comparison.

Available data

Google Maps provides company information: name, address, phone, website, hours, rating, reviews. This data is verified by the business owners themselves via Google Business Profile. By enriching with website scraping, you also get professional emails.

LinkedIn provides individual profiles: name, job title, company, career history. You're targeting the person, not the company. The advantage is being able to contact the decision-maker directly (the CEO, the sales director, etc.).

The real cost

This is where the difference becomes significant.

With Google Maps + ContactEra, 1,000 prospects with emails cost about €16, with no subscription. With LinkedIn, you need Sales Navigator (€80-100/mo), an extraction tool like PhantomBuster (€60/mo), then an email finder like Hunter.io (€50/mo) — roughly €190/month in stacked subscriptions.

When to use Google Maps

Google Maps is the best source when you're targeting local businesses: shops, contractors, restaurants, agencies, service providers. These businesses are rarely active on LinkedIn, but they all have a Google Maps listing with their website and phone number.

It's also the ideal tool when geography matters: prospecting city by city, region by region, or even street by street thanks to GPS grid scanning.

When to use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is better suited when you're targeting specific roles in larger companies: the CTO of a tech scale-up, the procurement director of an industrial group. Targeting by job title and company size is unbeatable on LinkedIn.

It's also the best option for personal branding and outreach via InMail or connection requests — a more relationship-driven approach than cold email.

Combining both: the best strategy

The two approaches aren't competitors — they're complementary. Google Maps gives you companies and their contact details. LinkedIn gives you the people behind those companies. The multichannel approach (email + LinkedIn) multiplies response rates by 2-3x compared to a single channel.

Summary

If you're targeting SMBs and local businesses: Google Maps is your primary source. If you're targeting decision-makers in large companies: LinkedIn is essential. And in all cases, combining both sources will deliver the best results.

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