# Google Ads Transparency Scraper: Ads & Domain Check (`adintel/google-ads-transparency-scraper`) Actor

Scrape every ad a company runs on Google Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps & Play from the Ads Transparency Center. Impressions by country, ad text, video links, and bulk 'is this domain advertising?' checks. From $0.25/1k.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/adintel/google-ads-transparency-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [AdIntel](https://apify.com/adintel) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.56 / 1,000 ad with full details

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Google Ads Transparency Scraper

Extract **every ad a company runs on Google** (Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps and Play) from the public [Google Ads Transparency Center](https://adstransparency.google.com/). Get ad creatives, first and last shown dates, days running, **impressions by country and platform**, ad text and YouTube links, and check in bulk **whether a website is advertising on Google**.

No login, no Google account, no API key. Paste domains, brand names, advertiser IDs or Transparency Center URLs and run.

### What can you do with it?

- **Competitor research:** see every ad a competitor is running, how long each ad has run (long-running ads are usually the winners), and in which countries.
- **Lead generation for agencies:** feed a list of domains into **Domain check** and get one row per domain: is it advertising on Google, since when, how many ads, which advertiser accounts. Businesses that already buy ads are warm leads for PPC and creative services.
- **Creative inspiration:** collect ad copy, images and videos by brand, country, format or date.
- **Market monitoring:** schedule the actor daily or weekly and track new ads in your niche.

### What data do you get?

| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Advertiser name and ID | Canva, Pty Ltd · AR06374349942554624001 |
| Ad ID and Transparency Center link | CR02915645541096357889 |
| Format | text / image / video |
| First shown, last shown, days shown | 2025-06-24 → 2026-10-25 · 400 days |
| Landing domain | canva.com |
| Preview image | Google-hosted image of the ad |
| **Impressions** (min-max), total and **per country** | 225,000–250,000 · Netherlands, Germany, Belgium |
| **Platforms** where the ad ran, per country | SEARCH, YOUTUBE, MAPS |
| **Ad text** (headline, description, display URL, business name) | "Kunstwinkel Hardenberg" |
| YouTube video link (video ads) | youtube.com/watch?v=… |
| Number of variations | 3 |

Impression and audience figures are published by Google mainly for ads shown in the EU/EEA; for other regions these fields can be empty.

### How to use it

1. Add one input per line in **Brands, domains, advertiser IDs or URLs**. Website domains (`canva.com`) are the most reliable way to find all of a brand's ads.
2. Choose **What to extract**: *Ads*, *Advertisers*, or *Domain check*.
3. Optional: filter by region, platform, ad format and date range. Choose *Fast* detail for list data only at a lower price.
4. Click **Start**, then download the results as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML, or connect them to your tools.

#### Input examples

All ads for a domain, full detail:

```json
{ "queries": ["canva.com"], "maxAdsPerQuery": 200 }
```

Only YouTube video ads shown in the United States since September:

```json
{ "queries": ["canva.com"], "region": "US", "platform": "YOUTUBE", "format": "VIDEO", "dateFrom": "2026-09-01" }
```

Bulk domain check for a lead list:

```json
{ "queries": ["canva.com", "notion.so", "example-bakery.com"], "resultType": "domainCheck" }
```

A pasted Transparency Center URL (its filters are kept):

```json
{ "queries": ["https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR03819338528832094209?region=NL&format=TEXT"] }
```

#### Output example (one ad, full detail)

```json
{
  "type": "ad",
  "adId": "CR02049973991866630145",
  "advertiserName": "Canvasso",
  "landingDomain": "canvasso.com",
  "format": "text",
  "firstShown": "2025-11-18",
  "lastShown": "2026-10-24T14:56:42Z",
  "shownDays": 326,
  "headline": "Kunstwinkel Hardenberg",
  "description": "Bekijk schilderijen in het echt en ervaar kleuren, formaten en details in onze showroom.",
  "displayUrl": "canvasso.com",
  "impressionsMin": 8000,
  "impressionsMax": 9000,
  "surfaces": ["SEARCH", "MAPS", "YOUTUBE"],
  "regionStats": [
    { "region": "NL", "regionName": "Netherlands", "impressionsMin": 8000, "impressionsMax": 9000,
      "firstShown": "2025-11-18", "lastShown": "2026-10-24" }
  ],
  "adUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR03819338528832094209/creative/CR02049973991866630145?region=anywhere"
}
```

A domain check row:

```json
{ "type": "domainCheck", "domain": "canva.com", "hasAds": true, "activeLast30Days": true,
  "totalAdsLow": 40000, "totalAdsHigh": 50000, "advertisers": ["Canva, Pty Ltd", "CANVA US, INC."],
  "formats": { "text": 15, "image": 3, "video": 22 } }
```

Inputs that can't be resolved return an **error row** (`"type": "error"`) with a reason. Error rows are **never charged**.

### Pricing

Pay only for results. There's no monthly fee, and no separate platform-usage charge.

| Result | Price |
|---|---|
| Ad, full detail (impressions, regions, text, video link) | **$0.70 per 1,000** |
| Ad, fast mode (list data) | **$0.25 per 1,000** |
| Domain check | **$1.50 per 1,000 domains** |
| Advertiser | **$0.40 per 1,000** |

Higher Apify subscription plans get up to 20% off these prices. Example: 1,000 ads with full detail cost $0.70; checking 500 domains costs $0.75.

Set **Maximum cost per run** in the run options to cap spending; the actor stops cleanly at your limit and keeps everything collected so far.

### Integrations

Use the results anywhere: the Apify API, Python and JavaScript clients, Zapier, Make, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack, webhooks, or Clay. AI agents can call this actor through the Apify MCP server.

### FAQ and limits

- **How far back does it go?** As far as the Transparency Center shows. Google keeps roughly the last 12 months of ads for most advertisers.
- **Why is a brand name not finding the right company?** Brand names are matched to Google's advertiser suggestions, which can pick a similarly named company. Use the website domain instead.
- **Why is ad text missing for some text ads?** Google publishes most text ads as images. The actor extracts the text wherever Google provides it (about a quarter of text ads); otherwise use the preview image.
- **Is it legal?** The actor reads only public data that Google publishes for transparency, without logging in. You're responsible for how you use the data.

*This actor is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google. "Google" is a trademark of Google LLC and is used here only to describe the data source.*

# Actor input Schema

## `queries` (type: `array`):

One per line. Accepts a website domain (canva.com), a brand name (resolved to the best-matching advertiser), an advertiser ID (AR…), or any Ads Transparency Center URL (filters in the URL are kept). Domains are the most reliable way to find a brand's ads.

## `resultType` (type: `string`):

Ads: one row per ad. Advertisers: one row per advertiser. Domain check: one row per domain saying whether it runs Google ads (great for lead lists).

## `detailLevel` (type: `string`):

Full adds impressions per country and platform, every variation, and ad text / video links. Fast returns list data only (dates, format, preview image, landing domain) and costs less.

## `fetchCreativeContent` (type: `boolean`):

Full mode only. Reads headline, description and display URL where Google provides them (about a quarter of text ads; the rest are images) and YouTube links for video ads.

## `maxAdsPerQuery` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many ads for each input line.

## `maxAdvertisersPerKeyword` (type: `integer`):

How many matching advertisers to use when an input is a brand name, not a domain.

## `region` (type: `string`):

Only ads shown in this country.

## `platform` (type: `string`):

Only ads shown on this Google platform.

## `format` (type: `string`):

Only ads of this format.

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Only ads shown on or after this date.

## `dateTo` (type: `string`):

Only ads shown on or before this date.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Higher is faster but more likely to be rate-limited.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Not needed normally. Turn on Apify Proxy only if runs get blocked.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "canvasso.com"
  ],
  "resultType": "ads",
  "detailLevel": "full",
  "fetchCreativeContent": true,
  "maxAdsPerQuery": 10,
  "maxAdvertisersPerKeyword": 1,
  "region": "anywhere",
  "platform": "any",
  "format": "any",
  "maxConcurrency": 3,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Ads, advertisers or domain checks (depending on 'What to extract'), plus unbilled error rows.

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Per-run stats: requests, retries, rate limits by host, inputs succeeded and failed.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "queries": [
        "canvasso.com"
    ],
    "maxAdsPerQuery": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("adintel/google-ads-transparency-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "queries": ["canvasso.com"],
    "maxAdsPerQuery": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("adintel/google-ads-transparency-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "queries": [
    "canvasso.com"
  ],
  "maxAdsPerQuery": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call adintel/google-ads-transparency-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,adintel/google-ads-transparency-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/5LhbwLVv5PkY1hd3Q/builds/DGgO4MnYSD2r9cTqj/openapi.json