# Google Ads Transparency Center Scraper (`leorochasantos/google-ads-transparency-scraper`) Actor

Scraper for public Google Ads Transparency Center creatives by domain or advertiser, with a detail lookup mode. No API key or login.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/leorochasantos/google-ads-transparency-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Leonardo Santos](https://apify.com/leorochasantos) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.14 / 1,000 ad creative records

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?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Google Ads Transparency Center Scraper

Search Google's public Ads Transparency Center by advertiser domain, company
name, or AR advertiser id. Each ad becomes a typed row with advertiser and
creative ids, preview URL, format, first/last shown dates, region and a stable
detail URL. Detail mode resolves one AR/CR creative URL and counts its variants.
No Google API key or login is required.

### Why this actor?

- **Direct public-data transport** — calls the same JSON RPC surface as the
  Transparency Center instead of running a browser.
- **Two useful modes** — discover creatives with `search`, then resolve one
  creative with `detail`.
- **Typed, null-safe rows** — optional fields are explicit `null`; IDs and dates
  are normalized for data pipelines and agents.
- **Bounded billing** — `maxResults` is enforced locally. Every successful row
  is pushed before its event is charged; errors and empty searches are free.

### Input

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "nike.com",
  "region": "US",
  "maxResults": 20
}
```

`query` accepts a domain, advertiser name, or `AR…` id. In `detail` mode, pass
`creativeUrl` containing both the `AR…` advertiser id and `CR…` creative id.
Supported region presets are US, GB, CA, AU, DE, FR, BR, IN and JP; `anywhere`
removes the region filter. The hard result cap is 100 rows.

### Output

One row per public ad creative:

```json
{
  "recordType": "ad",
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "nike.com",
  "advertiser_id": "AR16735076323512287233",
  "advertiser_name": "Nike, Inc.",
  "advertiser_domain": "nike.com",
  "creative_id": "CR09057905879155736577",
  "format": "image",
  "preview_url": "https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/archive/simgad/…",
  "preview_width": 348,
  "preview_height": 282,
  "first_shown": "2023-11-17T…Z",
  "last_shown": "2026-09-07T…Z",
  "advertiser_total_ads_min": 100000,
  "advertiser_total_ads_max": 200000,
  "variation_count": null,
  "region": "US",
  "detail_url": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR…/creative/CR…?region=US",
  "error": null,
  "scraped_at": "2026-09-07T…Z"
}
```

Detail rows populate `variation_count`; fields Google does not return on that
RPC remain explicit `null`.

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `recordType` | `ad` on successful rows; `null` on free error rows. |
| `mode` | Requested `search` or `detail` mode. |
| `query` | Search query, or the detail URL in detail mode. |
| `advertiser_id` | Google's public `AR…` advertiser identifier. |
| `advertiser_name` | Public advertiser name returned by Google. |
| `advertiser_domain` | Normalized advertiser domain when available. |
| `creative_id` | Google's public `CR…` creative identifier. |
| `format` | `image`, `text`, `video`, or `unknown`. |
| `preview_url` | Public creative preview or media URL. |
| `preview_width` | Preview width in pixels when supplied upstream. |
| `preview_height` | Preview height in pixels when supplied upstream. |
| `first_shown` | Earliest public display timestamp when available. |
| `last_shown` | Latest public display timestamp when available. |
| `advertiser_total_ads_min` | Lower bound of Google's advertiser-result estimate. |
| `advertiser_total_ads_max` | Upper bound of Google's advertiser-result estimate. |
| `variation_count` | Number of creative variants in detail mode. |
| `region` | Requested region code or `anywhere`. |
| `detail_url` | Stable Transparency Center URL for the creative. |
| `error` | Free per-run error message; `null` on successful rows. |
| `scraped_at` | ISO 8601 time when the row was assembled. |

### Pricing

### Pricing

Pay per event, and **the platform usage is on us** — the price you see is the price you pay, with no compute bill on top.

| Event | Price | What one charge buys |
|---|---|---|
| Ad creative record | **$0.00175** | Charged once per delivered public ad creative row. Rows are pushed before charging. Missing or invalid input, no-match searches, unsupported regions, upstream blocks, 5xx responses and timeouts are free error items and never charged. |
| Actor Start | **$0.002** | One run, whatever it returns. |

Higher Apify subscription tiers pay less on every event (Silver −20%, Gold −35%).

### Use cases

- Monitor when a competitor launches or retires creative variants.
- Build an image/text creative swipe file with stable advertiser and creative IDs.
- Compare ad formats and activity dates across regions.
- Feed normalized public-ad metadata into an LLM, MCP tool or warehouse.

### FAQ

**Does this use the Google Ads API?** No. It reads the public Ads Transparency
Center. No Google account, API key, or advertiser access is used.

**What happens when no ads match?** The actor delivers one free error row. A
missing field, malformed creative URL, unsupported region, upstream block,
server error or timeout is also free and never charged.

**Does it download media or scrape personal data?** No. It returns public
advertiser and creative metadata plus preview links; it does not download ad
media, collect contacts, log in, or access private campaign performance.

***

*Independent tool; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google LLC.*

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Use search to list public ad creatives for a domain, advertiser name, or AR advertiser id. Use detail for one AR/CR creative URL.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Search target. Examples: nike.com, Nike, or AR16735076323512287233. Required in search mode.

## `creativeUrl` (type: `string`):

A Google Ads Transparency creative URL containing both AR advertiser and CR creative ids. Required in detail mode.

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

Country where Google showed the ads, or anywhere for no region filter.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Hard local limit on delivered ad rows and charges.

## `simulate_upstream_block` (type: `boolean`):

Test hook for verifying that blocked responses become free error items. Leave disabled.

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

Proxy for Google requests. Datacenter is the default validated tier.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "nike.com",
  "creativeUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233/creative/CR09057905879155736577",
  "region": "US",
  "maxResults": 20,
  "simulate_upstream_block": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 = {
    "query": "nike.com",
    "creativeUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233/creative/CR09057905879155736577",
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("leorochasantos/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 = {
    "query": "nike.com",
    "creativeUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233/creative/CR09057905879155736577",
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("leorochasantos/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 '{
  "query": "nike.com",
  "creativeUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233/creative/CR09057905879155736577",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call leorochasantos/google-ads-transparency-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,leorochasantos/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/GJrr3AeDz2VYriU2L/builds/lFvI2dy5yg3BvAlQT/openapi.json