Cross-Platform Ad Search

What does Cross-Platform Ad Search do?

Cross-Platform Ad Search looks up one brand's current advertising on Facebook/Instagram, Google/YouTube and LinkedIn in a single run, and returns every result in one combined, clearly-tagged dataset. Instead of running three separate ad-library tools and stitching the results together yourself, you get one search and one table. No login, no account needed on any of the three platforms.

Why use Cross-Platform Ad Search?

• One search, three networks - stop running Meta, Google and LinkedIn ad lookups separately and merging the results by hand.
• Clearly tagged by platform - every row carries a sourcePlatform field, so you can filter, group or compare across networks instantly.
• No login needed - works fully logged out on every platform it searches.
• Pick your own mix - search all three platforms, or just the ones relevant to this brand.
• Full detail preserved - each row also carries the complete original record from its source platform, so nothing is lost in the merge.

What makes this different

Competitor research usually means opening three different tools, running the same search three times, and copy-pasting results into one spreadsheet yourself. This Actor does that merge for you - one input, one run, one dataset - so you can see a brand's cross-platform advertising footprint at a glance instead of assembling it manually.

Who uses Cross-Platform Ad Search?

• Marketing and competitive-intelligence teams - get a brand's full paid-advertising footprint across the major ad networks in one pass.
• Agencies pitching new clients - quickly show a prospect what they (or their competitors) are currently running everywhere, without a multi-tool workflow.
• Market researchers and consultants - build a cross-platform advertising snapshot for a report without manually reconciling three different data formats.
• Brand and PR teams - monitor a brand's own advertising consistency and messaging across every major network at once.

How it works

1. Your input - a brand name and/or website domain, and which platforms to search.
2. The Actor collects it - it searches Facebook/Instagram, Google/YouTube and LinkedIn's own ad libraries for that brand, works fully logged out, and tags every result by platform.
3. Your output - one unified dataset with every ad found, ready for a spreadsheet, dashboard or report.

What data can you extract?

Field	Description
sourcePlatform	Which platform this ad came from: facebook, google or linkedin
advertiserName	The advertiser's name as shown on that platform
country	The country filter applied for this ad, when one was given (platforms default differently when none is given)
headline	The ad's headline, when that platform provides one
bodyText	The ad's text/copy, when that platform provides it
imageUrl / videoUrl / previewUrl	Creative preview links, by type
ctaText	The call-to-action text, when available
format	The ad's format/type as that platform describes it
startDate	When the ad started running, when that platform discloses it
detailUrl	Direct link to view this ad on its own platform
raw	The complete original record from the underlying platform search, for full detail

How to use Cross-Platform Ad Search

1. Open the Actor and go to the Input tab.
2. Enter a Brand name and/or Website domain (see the screenshot below).
3. Choose which Platforms to search - all three are selected by default.
4. Optionally set Max results per platform.
5. Click Start.
6. Open the Dataset tab, or pull results via the API, once the run finishes.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
brandName	String	No*	"Nike"	Used to search Facebook/Instagram and LinkedIn
domain	String	No*	"nike.com"	Used to search Google/YouTube
pageUrl	String	No	-	A specific Facebook page, used instead of brandName for that platform only
companyId	String	No	-	A specific LinkedIn company ID, used instead of brandName for that platform only
country	String	No	-	Limit every platform to one country (2-letter code), e.g. "US", "GB"
platforms	Array	No	all three	Which platforms to search: facebook, google, linkedin
maxItemsPerPlatform	Integer	No	10	Maximum number of ads to return from each platform

*Provide brandName for Facebook/LinkedIn and/or domain for Google - a platform you select without enough matching input is simply skipped.

Output Data

Each ad produces one dataset record. Example:

{
    "sourcePlatform": "facebook",
    "advertiserName": "Nike",
    "country": "ALL",
    "headline": "Nike ACG Polartec® 'Wolf Tree' Women's Mid-Rise Trousers",
    "bodyText": "Bring sports more fully into your day with the Nike App.",
    "imageUrl": "https://scontent.fbcdn.net/...",
    "videoUrl": null,
    "previewUrl": null,
    "ctaText": "Install Now",
    "format": "DPA",
    "startDate": "2025-04-07T07:00:00.000Z",
    "detailUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=1702938977100376",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-10-21T06:34:48.755Z",
    "raw": { "...": "the complete original Facebook record" }
}

Usage Examples

• Full competitor snapshot - leave all three platforms selected to see a competitor's complete current cross-platform advertising footprint in one run.
• B2C-focused check - search only facebook and google for a consumer brand.
• B2B-focused check - search only linkedin and google for a B2B or recruiting brand.
• Precise targeting - combine brandName with pageUrl and/or companyId when you already know the exact advertiser account on one or more platforms.
• Market-specific check - set country to see only ads targeted at or shown in one market, across all three platforms at once.

Tips for Best Results

• Provide both brandName and domain when you have them - between the two, this covers all three platforms' search requirements.
• A platform is silently skipped if you select it without the input it needs (e.g. Google without a domain) - check the run log if a platform's results are missing.
• Use pageUrl/companyId to disambiguate when a brand name is shared by multiple advertiser accounts on a given platform.

Known Limitations

• Each platform discloses different information, so not every field is populated for every row - a platform's own Actor README documents exactly what it does and doesn't expose.
• This Actor runs three other published Actors in the background; depending on how they're priced, their own small per-ad charges apply in addition to this Actor's own charges.
• Reflects a snapshot at the time of the run; each platform's current ads change over time.

Integrations

Connect Cross-Platform Ad Search to the rest of your stack via the Apify API, webhooks, scheduled runs, or directly to Google Sheets, Make, and Zapier through Apify's built-in integrations.

Export Formats

Download results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML from the Dataset tab, or fetch them programmatically via the Apify API.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an account on Facebook, Google or LinkedIn?

No. Every platform is searched fully logged out.

What happens if I only fill in brandName and not domain?

Facebook and LinkedIn will still be searched normally; Google/YouTube will be skipped, since it needs a website domain to search by.

Why are some fields empty for certain platforms?

Each platform's own ad library discloses different information - for example, Google's transparency tool gives a creative preview but not separate headline/body text fields, while Facebook and LinkedIn do. The raw field always has that platform's complete original record.

Can I schedule this to run automatically?

Yes, use Apify's built-in Scheduler to re-check a brand on any interval you choose.

Support

Found an issue or have a request? Open it on the Actor's Issues tab in the Apify Console.

Legal / Responsible Use

You're responsible for using this Actor in compliance with applicable laws and each target platform's terms of service. This Actor retrieves publicly viewable ad information only; it does not collect personal data.