# Google Search Scraper (`plumblinedata/google-search-scraper`) Actor

Google search results with AI Overview and People Also Ask: title, URL, description, rank, sitelinks, and related searches.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/plumblinedata/google-search-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Plumbline](https://apify.com/plumblinedata) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Marketing
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 search results

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

## Google Search Scraper

Google search results with AI Overview and People Also Ask: title, URL, description, rank, sitelinks, and related searches.

For SEO teams, marketers, and developers who need search rankings as data. Every run tells you plainly what worked and what did not: no silent empty runs.

### What you can do with it

- **Rank tracking:** run your keywords on a schedule and record `rankOrganic` for your domain.
- **SERP research:** collect the top results and descriptions for content briefs.
- **Lead lists:** turn a search like "plumbers in Austin" into a list of websites.
- **AI Overview tracking:** see what Google's AI answer says for your keywords and which sites it cites (`aiOverviewSources`).
- **Content ideas:** use `peopleAlsoAsk` and `relatedSearches` to plan FAQs and articles.

### What you get

| Field | What it is | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | The search term that produced this row. | how to lower cholesterol naturally |
| `type` | organic, paid, overview (one per search: AI Overview, People Also Ask, related searches), or error. | overview |
| `position` | 1-based rank in this Actor's list (organic first). Null on the overview row. | 1 |
| `page` | Google results page number. | 1 |
| `title` | Listing headline. | Effectiveness of altering serum cholesterol levels without drugs |
| `url` | Destination URL. | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1312230/ |
| `urlShown` | Simplified URL Google showed. | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov› articles › PMC1312230 |
| `description` | Listing description text. | by RL Rosenthal · 2000 · Cited by 58 — Soluble fibers—such as psylliu… |
| `rankOrganic` | Rank within organic or paid group. | 1 |
| `rankOverall` | Rank among mixed organic and paid listings. | 2 |
| `sitelinks` | Extra title/URL links Google showed under this listing. |  |
| `aiOverview` | Overview row only. Google's AI Overview as plain text, bullets on their own lines. Null when Google showed none. | You can lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol and improve your heart healt… |
| `aiOverviewSources` | Overview row only. Sites the AI Overview cites: source and url. | \[{"source": "mayoclinic.org", "url": "https://www.…, …] |
| `peopleAlsoAsk` | Overview row only. The People Also Ask questions, in page order. | \[What is VLDL cholesterol?, …] |
| `relatedSearches` | Overview row only. Google's related searches at the bottom of the page. | \[What reduces cholesterol quickly naturally, …] |
| `totalResults` | Overview row only. Result count Google reports for the search. | 202 |

Examples come from a real run. Every row has every field; a value the page did not show is `null`, never guessed.

Each search also gets one overview row (`type` = `overview`) with the AI Overview, People Also Ask, and related searches. It counts as one result; turn off **Include AI Overview and People Also Ask** to skip it.

### How to use it

1. Click **Try for free** (or **Start**) on this page.
2. Enter one search query per line in the first field. The form is prefilled with a working example.
3. Optional: set **Max results** and the other options.
4. Click **Start**. Open the **Output** tab, or export JSON, CSV, Excel, or HTML.

#### Example input

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "how to lower cholesterol naturally"
  ],
  "pages": 1,
  "includeOverview": true,
  "maxResults": 10
}
```

#### Example output

Real rows from a run on 27 October 2026 (long values shortened here), one of each `type`:

`overview` row:

```json
{
  "query": "how to lower cholesterol naturally",
  "type": "overview",
  "position": null,
  "page": 1,
  "title": null,
  "url": null,
  "urlShown": null,
  "description": null,
  "rankOrganic": null,
  "rankOverall": null,
  "sitelinks": null,
  "aiOverview": "You can lower your \"bad\" LDL cholesterol and improve your heart health naturally by changing your diet, increasing exercise, and dropping unhealthy habits. G…",
  "aiOverviewSources": [
    {
      "source": "mayoclinic.org",
      "url": "https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935"
    },
    {
      "source": "cdc.gov",
      "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/prevention/index.html"
    },
    {
      "source": "coscardiology.com",
      "url": "https://coscardiology.com/how-to-reduce-cholesterol-naturally/"
    },
    "…"
  ],
  "peopleAlsoAsk": [
    "What is VLDL cholesterol?",
    "Can alcohol affect LDL cholesterol?",
    "What are the main causes of high cholesterol?",
    "…"
  ],
  "relatedSearches": [
    "What reduces cholesterol quickly naturally",
    "How to reduce cholesterol in 7 days",
    "What supplements lower cholesterol",
    "…"
  ],
  "totalResults": 202
}
```

`organic` row:

```json
{
  "query": "how to lower cholesterol naturally",
  "type": "organic",
  "position": 1,
  "page": 1,
  "title": "Effectiveness of altering serum cholesterol levels without drugs",
  "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1312230/",
  "urlShown": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov› articles › PMC1312230",
  "description": "by RL Rosenthal · 2000 · Cited by 58 — Soluble fibers—such as psyllium, oat bran, guar gum, and pectin—have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels in multip…",
  "rankOrganic": 1,
  "rankOverall": 2,
  "sitelinks": null,
  "aiOverview": null,
  "aiOverviewSources": null,
  "peopleAlsoAsk": null,
  "relatedSearches": null,
  "totalResults": null
}
```

### Pricing

Pay per result: **$1.00 per 1,000 rows**, plus **$0.001** per run start. No subscription.

| Event | When | Price |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Actor start | Once per run (per GB of memory; the default 256 MB counts as one) | $0.001 |
| Result row | Each row saved to the dataset | $0.001 |

| Example | Rows | Cost |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 results | 10 | $0.001 + $0.01 = **$0.011** |
| 100 results | 100 | $0.001 + $0.10 = **$0.101** |
| 1,000 results | 1,000 | $0.001 + $1.00 = **$1.001** |

- Retries after a bot check or a temporary error cost you nothing. You pay only for rows saved.
- An input that fails after all retries saves one error row (one row charge), so you can see what failed and why.
- On Apify's free plan a run stops at 20 rows. Any paid Apify plan removes this limit.
- Set **Max total charge per run** in the run options. The Actor stops cleanly at that limit and keeps every row saved so far.

### What you can count on

- **Same columns on every row.** Missing values are `null`, so spreadsheets and databases never break.
- **No silent failures.** An input that fails gets an error row with `errorCode` and a plain-language `errorMessage`. The other inputs keep running.
- **A clear run summary.** The run status says how many results were saved, how many inputs failed, and why. The same numbers are saved as the `RUN_SUMMARY` record in the run's key-value store, for automations.
- **Automatic retries.** Bot checks and temporary errors are retried with a fresh request before an input counts as failed.
- **Limits respected.** **Max results** and your spending limit stop the run cleanly.

### Use it from code, automations, and AI agents

**API** (returns the rows when the run finishes):

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/plumblinedata~google-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries": ["how to lower cholesterol naturally"], "pages": 1, "includeOverview": true, "maxResults": 10}'
```

**Python** (`pip install apify-client`):

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("plumblinedata/google-search-scraper").call(run_input={"queries": ["how to lower cholesterol naturally"], "pages": 1, "includeOverview": true, "maxResults": 10})
for row in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(row)
```

**JavaScript** (`npm install apify-client`):

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('plumblinedata/google-search-scraper').call({"queries": ["how to lower cholesterol naturally"], "pages": 1, "includeOverview": true, "maxResults": 10});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

**No-code:** connect the Actor in Make, Zapier, n8n, or Google Sheets through Apify's integrations, or add a webhook to get notified when a run finishes.

**AI agents (MCP):** add `https://mcp.apify.com?tools=plumblinedata/google-search-scraper` to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client. The agent can call this Actor as a tool with the same input as above.

### Limitations

- People Also Ask gives the questions only; Google loads the answers when someone clicks.
- Google shows an AI Overview for many questions but not for every search; `aiOverview` is null when there is none.
- The knowledge panel is not returned.
- Results depend on **Location** and **Interface language**.

### FAQ

**Can I search from another country?**
Yes. Set **Location** (for example `London, United Kingdom`) and **Interface language** (for example `en-GB`).

**What does an error row mean?**
It marks an input that failed after retries. `errorCode` is short (`blocked`, `empty_result`, `not_available`, `http_404`, or `invalid_...` for a bad ID or URL) and `errorMessage` says what to do. Remove error rows with a filter on `type`.

**Can I run it on a schedule?**
Yes. Create a task with your input in Apify Console, then add a schedule (for example every day at 8:00).

**Is it legal to collect this data?**
The Actor reads public pages that anyone can open without logging in. You are responsible for how you use the data, including copyright, personal data rules such as GDPR, and the site's terms. If you are not sure, ask a lawyer.

### Related Actors

- [Bing Search Scraper](https://apify.com/plumblinedata/bing-search-scraper): Bing search results as rows.
- [Google News Scraper](https://apify.com/plumblinedata/google-news-scraper): Google News results by keyword.
- [Google Images Scraper](https://apify.com/plumblinedata/google-images-scraper): Google Images results by keyword.
- [Google Shopping Scraper](https://apify.com/plumblinedata/google-shopping-scraper): Google Shopping results by keyword.

### Support

Found a problem or need a field? Open an issue on the **Issues** tab. Include the run ID and one input that shows the problem. We read every issue.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/plumblinedata/google-search-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `queries` (type: `array`):

One search term per line.

## `pages` (type: `integer`):

Result pages per query (1–10). Page 2 is a second lookup.

## `includeOverview` (type: `boolean`):

Add one overview row per search with Google's AI Overview and its sources, People Also Ask questions, related searches, and total results. It counts as one result row.

## `geoLocation` (type: `string`):

Optional city, state, country, or coordinates for localized results.

## `locale` (type: `string`):

Optional Accept-Language value (Google page language).

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

Stop after this many dataset rows across every query. Leave empty to keep every listing.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "adidas"
  ],
  "pages": 1,
  "includeOverview": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset of flattened Google listings.

# 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 = {
    "queries": [
        "adidas"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("plumblinedata/google-search-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 = { "queries": ["adidas"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("plumblinedata/google-search-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 '{
  "queries": [
    "adidas"
  ]
}' |
apify call plumblinedata/google-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,plumblinedata/google-search-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/FRn2815eiSJJuQxPI/builds/QybhDezXPNkccAvho/openapi.json