# Google Ads Transparency Scraper: Ads, Text, Videos, Regions (`kvali/google-ads-transparency-scraper`) Actor Scrape the Google Ads Transparency Center by brand name, domain or advertiser ID. Get every ad a company runs on Google Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps and Play: images, ad text, YouTube links, first and last shown dates, and the countries each ad ran in. No login. - **URL**: https://apify.com/kvali/google-ads-transparency-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Kvali Data](https://apify.com/kvali) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation, SEO tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.80 / 1,000 ads 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 ### What does Google Ads Transparency Scraper do? **Google Ads Transparency Scraper** extracts ads from the [Google Ads Transparency Center](https://adstransparency.google.com), Google's public library of every ad shown on **Google Search, YouTube, Google Shopping, Google Maps, Google Play** and partner sites. Give it a **brand name, a website domain, an advertiser ID or a Transparency Center link**, and get every ad that company runs, with: - πŸ–ΌοΈ the **ad image** (or Google's preview of text and video ads), **format**, and the **domain** it points to - πŸ“… **first shown**, **last shown** and **days shown**, so you can see which ads are new and which have run for years - 🌍 with *Ad details* on: the **ad text**, the **YouTube video link** for video ads, **every variation** (A/B versions), and **every country** the ad ran in with the last date it ran there - πŸ“Š an **Advertisers** mode that returns one summary row per company: is it advertising right now, how many ads, which formats It also has a **monitoring mode** that returns only ads you haven't seen before, so a weekly schedule tells you exactly what your competitors launched. No login, no Google account, no API key, no browser. It talks to the Transparency Center's own data endpoints, so runs are fast and cheap: 1,000 ads take about 20 seconds. ### Why scrape the Google Ads Transparency Center? - **Competitor ad research.** See every creative a competitor is running right now, how long each has been live, and in which countries. Long-running ads are usually the ones that work. - **Creative and copy inspiration.** Build swipe files of ad images, headlines, descriptions and YouTube ads for any industry. - **Lead generation.** Check a list of companies in *Advertisers* mode to find the ones actively spending on Google Ads, a strong buying signal for agencies and ad-tech sales. - **Brand protection.** Find who else is running ads that point to your domain or use your brand name. - **Market and academic research.** Track advertising activity by country, platform and format over time. - **AI pipelines.** Feed ad text and metadata into LLMs to summarize a competitor's messaging or classify offers. ### How to scrape Google ads 1. Click **Try for free**. 2. Under **Brands, domains, advertiser IDs or links**, enter one or more of: - a domain: `nike.com` (every advertiser whose ads point to nike.com) - a brand name: `HelloFresh` (matched to the best advertiser accounts with that name) - an advertiser ID: `AR16735076323512287233` - a link copied from adstransparency.google.com (advertiser page, ad page or domain search) 3. Optionally pick a **region** (country), **ad format**, **Google platforms** and **dates**. 4. Turn on **Ad details** if you want ad text, video links, variations and countries. 5. Click **Start**, then download the data as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML, or get it through the API. ### How much does it cost to scrape Google Ads Transparency? Pay per result. There's **no start fee** and no monthly rental: | Event | Price | |---|---| | Ad (advertiser, format, image or preview, domain, dates, link) | **$1.00 per 1,000 ads** | | Ad details (ad text, video link, variations, all countries), only when you turn it on and only when it succeeds | **$2.00 per 1,000 ads** | | Advertiser summary row (*Advertisers* mode) | **$3.00 per 1,000 advertisers** | Examples: - 1,000 ads from a competitor: **$1.00** - 1,000 ads with text, video links and countries: **$3.00** - Checking 500 companies for active Google Ads in *Advertisers* mode: about **$1.50** - Weekly monitoring of 10 competitors with *Only new ads*: you pay only for ads that are actually new. On the Apify Free plan you get monthly credits, which are enough to try this Actor with thousands of ads. ### Input | Field | What it does | |---|---| | `queries` | Brand names, domains, advertiser IDs or Transparency Center links, one per line. Required. | | `resultType` | `ads` (one row per ad, default) or `advertisers` (one summary row per advertiser). | | `maxAdsPerQuery` | Stop after this many ads per line (per advertiser for brand names). Default 50. | | `region` | Two-letter country code (`US`, `GB`, `DE`, ...). Empty = ads shown anywhere. | | `adFormat` | `ALL`, `TEXT`, `IMAGE` or `VIDEO`. | | `platforms` | Any of `SEARCH`, `YOUTUBE`, `SHOPPING`, `MAPS`, `PLAY`. Empty = all. | | `dateFrom`, `dateTo` | Only ads shown in this period (YYYY-MM-DD). Google's date filter covers about the last 12 months. | | `includeDetails` | Adds ad text, YouTube link, variations and every country the ad ran in. | | `maxAdvertisersPerQuery` | For brand names: how many matching advertiser accounts to use. Default 3. | | `onlyNew`, `monitorName` | Monitoring: return only ads not returned by earlier runs with the same monitor name. | | `proxyConfiguration` | Optional. The Actor switches to Apify Proxy by itself if Google rate-limits it. | Example input: ```json { "queries": ["nike.com", "HelloFresh", "AR16735076323512287233"], "region": "US", "platforms": ["YOUTUBE"], "maxAdsPerQuery": 200, "includeDetails": true } ``` ### Output One row per ad. Example with *Ad details* on (some lists shortened): ```json { "query": "nike.com", "region": "DE", "advertiserId": "AR18378488041124659201", "advertiserName": "Nike Retail BV", "creativeId": "CR15584795828655489025", "format": "TEXT", "domain": "nike.com", "firstShown": "2025-10-25T11:21:51.000Z", "lastShown": "2026-10-15T21:06:05.000Z", "daysShown": 356, "imageUrl": "https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/archive/simgad/2987034419157596157", "imageWidth": 348, "imageHeight": 160, "previewUrl": null, "adUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR18378488041124659201/creative/CR15584795828655489025?region=DE", "adText": "Sponsored\nnike.com\nTraining & Gymwear\nTrain In Style. Support Every Move In Style With Nike Fitness Wear.", "videoId": null, "videoUrl": null, "variationCount": 2, "variations": [{ "imageUrl": "https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/archive/simgad/2987034419157596157", "width": 348, "height": 160, "previewUrl": null }], "regions": [{ "region": "PL", "lastShown": "2026-10-15" }, { "region": "DE", "lastShown": "2026-10-14" }], "regionCount": 12, "verifiedName": "Nike Retail BV", "detailsStatus": "ok", "scrapedAt": "2026-10-15T21:42:48.712Z" } ``` In *Advertisers* mode, one row per advertiser: ```json { "query": "adidas.com", "advertiserId": "AR14017378248766259201", "advertiserName": "Adidas America, Inc", "adsFound": 187, "adsFoundLimitReached": false, "activeLast7Days": true, "formats": { "TEXT": 159, "IMAGE": 10, "VIDEO": 18 }, "domains": ["adidas.com"], "firstShown": "2021-10-25T07:00:00.000Z", "lastShown": "2026-10-15T21:14:05.000Z", "advertiserUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR14017378248766259201" } ``` Field notes: - `imageUrl` is set for image ads and for text ads that Google archived as a picture. Ads that Google renders live (most video and many display ads) have a `previewUrl` instead; turn on *Ad details* to get their text and YouTube link. - `adText` is the visible text of Google's preview. Some previews contain Google's own placeholders such as ``; those are left as they are. - `regions` uses two-letter country codes. ### Monitoring competitors' new ads 1. Enter your competitors' domains, turn on **Only ads not seen in earlier runs**, and give the monitor a name such as `competitors`. 2. Save it as a Task and add a **schedule** (daily or weekly). 3. Connect an integration (Slack, email, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, webhooks) to get each run's new ads. The first run returns the current ads; after that you only get, and pay for, ads that are new. New ads appear first, so a small *Max ads per query* is enough for monitoring. ### Use with AI agents and LLMs The output is clean JSON with the ad text in one field, ready for an LLM to summarize a competitor's offers, compare messaging between brands or tag ads by theme. You can call this Actor from AI agents through the [Apify MCP server](https://mcp.apify.com) or the Apify API. ### FAQ **Is it legal to scrape the Google Ads Transparency Center?** The Transparency Center is a public website that Google publishes so anyone can see who is advertising. This Actor only reads that public data, with no login. As with any data, check the rules that apply to how you use it, especially if you store advertiser names that belong to individuals. **Why are there several advertisers for one brand?** Big brands run ads from several accounts (regional companies and media agencies). A domain search returns all of them; a brand-name search uses the best `maxAdvertisersPerQuery` matches. When you pick a region, advertisers registered in that country come first (for example Shopify's US account before its French ones when the region is US). For full control, paste the advertiser ID (`AR…`) or the Transparency Center link instead of a name. **Why does the date filter return nothing for old dates?** Google's own date filter only covers about the last 12 months. Leave the dates empty to get older ads; every row still has `firstShown` and `lastShown`. **Does it see ad spend or impressions?** No. Google shows spend and impressions only for political ads in some regions. This Actor covers regular commercial ads. **Do I need a proxy?** No. The Actor spaces out its requests and switches to Apify Proxy automatically if Google starts rate-limiting it. **Something doesn't work or you need a field?** Open an issue on the Actor's **Issues** tab. We usually answer within a day. *This Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. "Google Ads Transparency Center" is used only to describe the public website it reads.* # Actor input Schema ## `queries` (type: `array`): One per line. Mix freely: a brand name ("Nike"), a website domain ("nike.com": every advertiser whose ads point there), an advertiser ID ("AR16735076323512287233") or a link copied from adstransparency.google.com (advertiser, ad or domain page). ## `resultType` (type: `string`): "Ads" returns one row per ad. "Advertisers" returns one summary row per advertiser (ads found, formats, first and last shown, active in the last 7 days), which is a cheap way to check which companies run Google Ads. ## `maxAdsPerQuery` (type: `integer`): Stop after this many ads for each line above (for a brand name, for each matching advertiser). Big brands have tens of thousands of ads. ## `region` (type: `string`): Two-letter country code (US, GB, DE, ...) to get only ads shown in that country. Leave empty for ads shown anywhere. ## `adFormat` (type: `string`): Only ads of this format. ## `platforms` (type: `array`): Only ads shown on these Google products. Leave empty for all. Google records platforms only for ads shown since September 2023. ## `dateFrom` (type: `string`): Only ads shown on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD). ## `dateTo` (type: `string`): Only ads shown on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD). ## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`): One extra lookup per ad adds: the ad text (headline, description, display URL, when Google has a text preview), the YouTube video link for video ads, every variation of the ad, and every country it ran in with the last date shown there. Slower, and billed per ad as "ad details". ## `maxAdvertisersPerQuery` (type: `integer`): A brand name can match several advertiser accounts ("Nike, Inc.", "Nike Retail BV", ...). Use this many of the best matches. Domains and advertiser IDs are not affected. ## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`): For scheduled monitoring: skip ads this Actor already returned in earlier runs with the same monitor name. You pay only for new ads. ## `monitorName` (type: `string`): Keeps separate "already seen" lists for different monitors (for example one per competitor). Leave empty to use the shared default list. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Google rate-limits heavy use. The Actor slows down, retries and switches to Apify Proxy by itself when needed; turn a proxy on here for very large jobs. ## Actor input object example ```json { "queries": [ "nike.com", "HelloFresh", "AR16735076323512287233" ], "resultType": "ads", "maxAdsPerQuery": 50, "region": "US", "adFormat": "ALL", "platforms": [], "dateFrom": "2026-01-01", "dateTo": "2026-06-30", "includeDetails": false, "maxAdvertisersPerQuery": 3, "onlyNew": false, "monitorName": "competitors-weekly", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `ads` (type: `string`): One row per ad: advertiser, format, image, ad text, video link, dates and regions (or one row per advertiser in Advertisers mode). ## `advertisers` (type: `string`): Advertiser summaries (Advertisers mode). # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "queries": [ "nike.com" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("kvali/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(`πŸ’Ύ 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); }); // πŸ“š Want to learn more πŸ“–? Go to β†’ 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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "queries": ["nike.com"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("kvali/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"πŸ’Ύ 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) # πŸ“š Want to learn more πŸ“–? Go to β†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "queries": [ "nike.com" ] }' | apify call kvali/google-ads-transparency-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,kvali/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 ` 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/Qlzquj0JqD4yEdapm/builds/FbSmK5BMF87GXzuoN/openapi.json