Install the Vonsel extension for Google Maps in 3 simple steps

What the extension actually does

The Vonsel extension turns a normal Google Maps search into a source of clean, structured leads. You search the way you always do, and a small pop-up lets you capture the businesses on screen into your own workspace. It is the fastest on-ramp to the rest of the platform.

Here is the important part: the extension is the means, not the destination. Captured businesses land in your mapped Vonsel dashboard, where you get AI review analysis, a per-business email drafted for you, and a CRM to work every lead. The pop-up just gets the data in the door. If you want the bigger picture first, our guide on how to scrape Google Maps walks through the full flow.

Setup is short. The only slightly unfamiliar bit is loading the extension in developer mode, which we explain plainly below. You do it once and forget about it.

Grab the extension first

Free download. No trial, no credit card. Install it, then follow the three steps below.

Add Chrome Extension

Download the extension folder

Start by downloading the Vonsel extension from the Business Finder page. It arrives as a folder (usually a zip you unzip once). Put it somewhere stable, like a "Vonsel" folder in your Documents, so Chrome can keep pointing to it later.

You might wonder why it is a folder instead of a one-click Web Store button. Vonsel ships the extension unpacked, outside the Chrome Web Store, so we can move fast and keep the heavy logic on our own servers. Loading an unpacked folder is a standard, supported Chrome workflow, documented in the official Chrome extensions getting started guide.

Do not delete or rename the folder after you install it. Chrome loads the extension from that exact path every time you open the browser, so if it moves, Chrome quietly drops it. Pick a home for it and leave it there.

Load it in Chrome developer mode

Open a new tab and go to chrome://extensions (type it into the address bar and press Enter). In the top-right corner, flip on the Developer mode toggle. A new row of buttons appears.

Click Load unpacked, then select the extension folder you saved in Step 1. Chrome reads the folder and adds Vonsel to your extensions list. That is it: the extension is now installed. Developer mode simply tells Chrome it is allowed to run an extension you loaded from disk instead of the store, and it is the same mechanism Chrome describes for testing any Manifest V3 extension in its Manifest V3 overview.

Pin it so it is easy to reach. Click the puzzle-piece icon in the Chrome toolbar, find Vonsel in the list, and click the pin. Now the icon sits next to your address bar, ready whenever you open Maps.

Not installed yet?

Free download. No trial, no credit card. Get the folder, then load it with the steps above.

Add Chrome Extension

Open Google Maps and click the pop-up

Head to Google Maps and run a normal search, something like "dentists in Austin" or "gyms near me". Once the results load, the Vonsel pop-up appears on the page. Click it, and you can start capturing the businesses in view.

Select what you want and the businesses flow straight into your mapped dashboard. From there the real work begins: each business carries its reviews, its AI-analyzed pain points, and a draft email written for that specific lead. For a deeper look at turning searches into a pipeline, see how to get leads from Google Maps.

One nice touch: a capture is not a dead end. You can reopen a saved search later, run it again to add newly listed businesses, and even attach fresh reviews to companies you already grabbed. Your lists keep a history and grow with you instead of resetting every time.

If something looks off

Is capturing Maps data allowed?

Public business information (names, addresses, phone numbers, ratings) is exactly the kind of data most sales teams already work with. Google publishes its own Google Maps Platform terms, and it is worth reading them alongside your own compliance needs before you build outreach at scale.

We cover the nuance in more depth in is it legal to scrape Google Maps. The short version: treat public data respectfully, follow local privacy law when you contact people, and keep your outreach relevant. The extension helps you collect; how you use it is on you.