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

Every ad an advertiser or website runs on Google Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps and Play, from the Ads Transparency Center, to the end of the list: variants, per-country dates, impression ranges where published, and a 'Google says N, delivered N' check.

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

## Pricing

from $1.50 / 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.

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

Get every ad an advertiser or a website runs on Google Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps and Play, straight from Google's [Ads Transparency Center](https://adstransparency.google.com/), to the very end of the list. Each search ends with a plain check: **how many ads Google says exist, and how many you received.**

*Versión en español más abajo.*

### What you can search

One per line, mixed freely:

- **An advertiser name**: `nike`. The Actor picks the matching advertiser with the most ads (or the top 2–10, see *Advertisers per name*).
- **A website**: `nike.com`. Every ad that points to that site, from every advertiser.
- **An advertiser ID**: `AR16735076323512287233`.
- **A link copied from adstransparency.google.com**: an advertiser, ad or website page. The country, platform and format filters in the link are kept.

Filters: country where the ad was shown, platform, format (text, image, video) and a date range.

### What you get for each ad

- Advertiser name and ID, ad ID, link to the ad's page
- Format, first and last time shown, number of days shown
- Image link and size, or the preview link for video and dynamic ads

With **Include ad details** turned on, you also get:

- Every variant of the ad (Google's "1 of 4")
- Topic (for example *Apparel & Accessories*)
- Each country where it was shown, with its own first and last date
- **Impression ranges** (for example 1,000–2,000), in total, per country and per platform, wherever Google publishes them. This is mostly the EU; elsewhere Google publishes none, and the fields are empty.
- Platforms (Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps, Play)
- Audience selection: whether demographics and locations were targeted, included or excluded

#### Example (with details, trimmed)

```json
{
  "adId": "CR04967699671523786753",
  "advertiserId": "AR16735076323512287233",
  "advertiserName": "Nike, Inc.",
  "format": "IMAGE",
  "firstShown": "2021-10-25T07:00:00Z",
  "lastShown": "2026-10-08T14:44:26Z",
  "daysShown": 1810,
  "adUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233/creative/CR04967699671523786753",
  "variantCount": 3,
  "topic": "Apparel & Accessories",
  "impressionsMin": 1000,
  "impressionsMax": 2000,
  "platforms": ["GOOGLE_SHOPPING"],
  "countries": [{"country": "US", "countryName": "United States", "lastShown": "2026-10-08", "impressionsMin": null, "impressionsMax": null}],
  "audience": {"demographics": "included", "locations": "included"},
  "detailsError": null
}
```

### The "Google says N, delivered N" check

The **SUMMARY** record in the run's key-value store lists every search with the advertiser found, the range of ads Google reports (for example 8,000–9,000), how many ads you got, whether the list was read to the end, and the reason if it stopped early (your *Max ads per search*, your spending limit, or an error). In a test on 2026-10-08, Nike, Inc. to the end returned 8,216 ads where Google said 8,000–9,000, with 0 errors.

### Pricing

You pay only for ads delivered. There is no fee per search and nothing for an empty or failed search.

- **Ad: USD 1.50 per 1,000** (USD 0.0015 each)
- **Ad with details: USD 3.00 per 1,000** (USD 0.003 each). If Google returns no details for an ad, it is billed as a plain ad.
- Apify also bills its standard tiny start event (USD 0.00005 per run, per GB of memory).

The Actor stops cleanly at your *maximum cost per run*, and the SUMMARY record says where it stopped.

### Rate limits and proxies

Google rate-limits heavy traffic. Leave the proxy setting as it is: the run starts on Apify's datacenter IPs, slows down when Google pushes back, and moves to residential IPs by itself if needed. That costs you nothing extra. If you choose your own proxy groups or proxies, they are used as given.

### Good to know

- Google only applies the platform filter to ads shown since 4 September 2023.
- Many text ads are stored by Google as an archived image, not as text, so they come with an image link.
- Google does not publish ad agencies, spend or click counts, so no tool can return them.
- Google's counts change from day to day, so the same search can return slightly different numbers.

### Is this legal?

The Actor reads only what Google publishes openly in its Ads Transparency Center, without logging in. The data is about ads and advertisers (mostly companies). Some advertisers are individuals, so if you store their names, data-protection law (for example the GDPR) may apply to you. This Actor is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google. Google, YouTube and Google Ads are trademarks of Google LLC.

### Questions or a missing feature?

Open an issue in the **Issues** tab. Answers come in writing.

***

### En español

Todos los anuncios que un anunciante o un sitio web muestra en Google Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps y Play, tomados del [Centro de Transparencia de Anuncios](https://adstransparency.google.com/) de Google, hasta el final de la lista. Cada búsqueda termina con un control simple: **cuántos anuncios dice Google que hay y cuántos recibiste.**

#### Qué podés buscar

Uno por línea, mezclados:

- **Nombre de anunciante**: `nike`. Toma el anunciante que coincide y tiene más anuncios (o los primeros 2 a 10, con *Advertisers per name*).
- **Sitio web**: `nike.com`. Todos los anuncios que llevan a ese sitio, de todos los anunciantes.
- **ID de anunciante**: `AR16735076323512287233`.
- **Un enlace copiado de adstransparency.google.com** (anunciante, anuncio o sitio). Se respetan los filtros de país, plataforma y formato del enlace.

Filtros: país donde se mostró, plataforma, formato (texto, imagen, video) y rango de fechas.

#### Qué recibís

Por cada anuncio: anunciante e ID, ID y enlace del anuncio, formato, primera y última vez que se mostró, días mostrado, e imagen o vista previa. Con **Include ad details** además: todas las variantes, tema, cada país con sus propias fechas, **rangos de impresiones** (total, por país y por plataforma) donde Google los publica (sobre todo la Unión Europea), plataformas y segmentación de audiencia.

El registro **SUMMARY** dice, por cada búsqueda, cuántos anuncios informa Google, cuántos recibiste, si se leyó hasta el final y, si se cortó antes, por qué.

#### Precio

Pagás solo por anuncio entregado; nada por búsqueda ni por búsquedas vacías o fallidas.

- **Anuncio: USD 1,50 cada 1.000**
- **Anuncio con detalles: USD 3,00 cada 1.000** (si Google no devuelve detalles, se cobra como anuncio común)
- Más el evento de inicio estándar de Apify (USD 0,00005 por corrida, por GB de memoria).

El programa se detiene en tu *costo máximo por corrida* y lo informa en SUMMARY.

#### Bueno saber

Dejá el proxy como viene: si Google limita las IPs de centro de datos, la corrida pasa sola a IPs residenciales, sin costo extra para vos. Google no publica agencias, gasto ni clics. El filtro de plataforma solo vale para anuncios mostrados desde el 4 de septiembre de 2023. Este programa no está afiliado a Google ni cuenta con su respaldo.

¿Dudas o algo que falta? Abrí un *issue* en la pestaña **Issues**; se responde por escrito.

# Actor input Schema

## `searches` (type: `array`):

One per line. An advertiser name ("nike"), a website ("nike.com" = every ad pointing to that site, from all advertisers), an advertiser ID (AR…), or a link copied from adstransparency.google.com (advertiser, ad or website page; its region/platform/format filters are kept).

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

Impression counts by country only exist for some countries (mostly the EU).

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

Google can only filter by platform for ads shown on or after 4 Sep 2023.

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

Text, image or video ads.

## `shownFrom` (type: `string`):

Only ads shown on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

## `shownTo` (type: `string`):

Only ads shown on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).

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

0 = all of them, to the end of Google's list.

## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

One extra request per ad: every variant, topic, countries where it was shown with dates, impression ranges (where Google publishes them), platforms and audience selection. Billed at the 'ad with details' price.

## `advertisersPerKeyword` (type: `integer`):

For a name like "nike": how many matching advertisers to take (the ones with most ads first). Example: Nike, Inc. and Nike Retail BV are separate advertisers.

## `detailConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many ad details to fetch at the same time.

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

Leave as is: the run starts on Apify's datacenter IPs and moves by itself to residential IPs if Google rate-limits them. If you pick proxy groups or your own proxies, they are used as given, with no switch.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searches": [
    "nike"
  ],
  "region": "anywhere",
  "platform": "ALL",
  "format": "ALL",
  "maxAdsPerSearch": 100,
  "includeDetails": false,
  "advertisersPerKeyword": 1,
  "detailConcurrency": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

## `summary` (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 = {
    "searches": [
        "nike"
    ],
    "maxAdsPerSearch": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("pampadata/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 = {
    "searches": ["nike"],
    "maxAdsPerSearch": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("pampadata/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 '{
  "searches": [
    "nike"
  ],
  "maxAdsPerSearch": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call pampadata/google-ads-transparency-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,pampadata/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/YNvUcedu6bchrkLQQ/builds/eGMGqZYzM4haprIhB/openapi.json