# Google Ads Transparency Scraper (`adlens-data/google-ads-transparency`) Actor

Get every ad a company runs on Google. Search by website, advertiser name or advertiser ID. Returns format, first and last shown dates, days running, image, preview and countries.

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

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 ad saveds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

### What does Google Ads Transparency Scraper do?

It gets every ad a company runs on Google (Search, YouTube, Display, Shopping) from Google's public [Ads Transparency Center](https://adstransparency.google.com/). Give it a **website**, an **advertiser name** or an **advertiser ID**. It returns each ad's format, first and last shown dates, how many days it has been running, an image or preview link, and optionally every country it ran in.

No login, no cookies, no browser. 1,000 ads take about 30 seconds.

### Who uses it

- **Marketers and agencies**: see what competitors advertise, which ads they keep running (long-running ads usually perform), and where.
- **Brand protection**: find third parties running ads that point to your website.
- **Researchers and journalists**: track advertising by company, country and date.
- **Lead generation**: find companies actively spending on Google Ads in a country.

### How to use it

1. Add one or more search terms, one per line:
   - a website: `nike.com` or `https://www.nike.com/` returns every ad pointing to that site, including ads by resellers and partners
   - a name: `Ooredoo` uses the matching advertiser with the most ads
   - an advertiser ID: `AR16735076323512287233` is exact (copy it from the advertiser's page URL on adstransparency.google.com)
2. Optional: pick a country with a 2-letter code (`US`, `GB`, `QA`, `IN`, `AE`), or leave `anywhere`.
3. Set the maximum ads per term and run.

#### Input example

```json
{
  "searchTerms": ["nike.com", "Ooredoo", "AR16735076323512287233"],
  "region": "US",
  "maxAdsPerSearch": 500,
  "includeRegionDetails": false
}
```

### Output

One row per ad. Download as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML, or read it through the Apify API.

```json
{
  "searchTerm": "nike.com",
  "advertiserId": "AR18378488041124659201",
  "advertiserName": "Nike Retail BV",
  "creativeId": "CR12779319342617591809",
  "format": "TEXT",
  "targetDomain": "nike.com",
  "firstShown": "2025-10-27",
  "lastShown": "2026-09-26",
  "daysShown": 280,
  "imageUrl": "https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/archive/simgad/11100870262063021969",
  "previewUrl": null,
  "adUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR18378488041124659201/creative/CR12779319342617591809?region=anywhere",
  "regions": [{ "country": "NL", "lastShown": "2026-09-26" }]
}
```

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `format` | `TEXT`, `IMAGE` or `VIDEO` |
| `firstShown`, `lastShown` | Dates the ad was first and last seen by Google (UTC) |
| `daysShown` | Days the ad has been running |
| `imageUrl` | Image of the ad. Text ads come as an image of the rendered ad |
| `previewUrl` | Google's interactive preview for image, video and Shopping ads |
| `adUrl` | The ad's page on the Ads Transparency Center |
| `regions` | Countries where the ad ran. Only when "Include countries per ad" is on |

### Pricing

**$1.00 per 1,000 ads** ($0.001 per ad saved). Search terms that match nothing cost nothing. Example: the last 500 ads of 4 competitors = 2,000 ads = $2.00.

Set a maximum cost per run and the scraper stops cleanly when it is reached.

### Limits, stated plainly

- Text ads come as an image of the ad, not as editable text.
- A name search picks one advertiser. If a brand has several (for example one per country), search by website or by advertiser ID instead. The log tells you which advertiser was used.
- Google shows at most what its own website shows. Political ads and some regions have separate rules on Google's side.
- This uses Google's public website. If Google changes it, the scraper may pause until it is updated. Report issues in the Issues tab; they get answered.

### Is this legal?

The Ads Transparency Center is published by Google so anyone can inspect ads. This scraper only reads that public data, with no login. You are responsible for how you use the data, including local rules on data use.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

One per line. A website (nike.com) returns every ad pointing to it. A name (Ooredoo) uses Google's best-matching advertiser. An ID (AR16735076323512287233) is exact.

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

Only ads shown in this country. Use a 2-letter code (US, GB, QA, IN) or 'anywhere'.

## `maxAdsPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many ads for each term. You pay per ad saved.

## `includeRegionDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Adds the list of countries where each ad ran and when it was last shown there. Slower: one extra request per ad.

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

Usually not needed. Turn on if Google starts rate-limiting your runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchTerms": [
    "nike.com"
  ],
  "region": "anywhere",
  "maxAdsPerSearch": 100,
  "includeRegionDetails": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `ads` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {
    "searchTerms": [
        "nike.com"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("adlens-data/google-ads-transparency").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 = {
    "searchTerms": ["nike.com"],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("adlens-data/google-ads-transparency").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 '{
  "searchTerms": [
    "nike.com"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call adlens-data/google-ads-transparency --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/dJ1jlaE9c32xCmRWQ/builds/rBvCdnRSEshtSGvmC/openapi.json