Google Forums Search Scraper 💬

💬 One query, one complete discussion-search record

Find public questions, product comparisons and community discussions in US English.

🔎 What is the Google Forums Search Scraper — and when should you use it?

The Google Forums Search Scraper turns text queries and their public discussion-search results into clean, structured rows you can filter, export and feed straight into a spreadsheet, database or AI agent. No account, no portal API key, no browser automation to maintain.

Use it when you need: ranked discussion titles, snippets, source labels and links across Google Forums. Each completed query produces one record with its entire results array.

Use something else when: you need general web pages, AI Overviews or a complete Google SERP. Use Google Search Scraper for general Google web search and SERP data. This actor returns first-page US English discussion-search previews. It does not retrieve full threads, comments or private groups.

🤖 Use with AI agents

Already connected to the Apify MCP server? Just ask for this Actor by name: sian.agency/google-forums-search-scraper

Your agent can pay for its own runs. This Actor is eligible for agentic payments, so an agent can discover it, run it and settle the bill over x402 (USDC on Base) or Skyfire — without an Apify account or API token of its own. Billing is per completed query, including valid no-match searches. Failed queries have no search-event charge. A separate run-start fee applies.

Otherwise copy this prompt into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP-enabled assistant:

I want public discussion links and snippets for product, brand or topic research using the Apify Actor `sian.agency/google-forums-search-scraper`.

Use it when I need: ranked discussion titles, snippets, source labels and links across Google Forums. Each completed query produces one record with its entire results array.

Don't use it when: you need general web pages, AI Overviews or a complete Google SERP — use google-serp-scraper instead.

How to call it: set operation to search and supply query, or provide a list in queries. The bulk list takes precedence. Read each output record's results array.

Start with this input:
{
  "operation": "search",
  "query": "iphone pro"
}

Ask me which search phrases they want to research, then run the Actor and summarise the results as a table.

Things you can ask your agent for:

• Find public discussions about smartphone battery life and list the sources.
• Search these product names and give me a shortlist of discussion URLs.
• Collect indexed discussion previews for my brand and group the links by site.

Machine-readable API, MCP config and OpenAPI definition for this Actor are published at apify.com/sian.agency/google-forums-search-scraper.md.

📋 Overview

Google Forums Search finds public discussion links for your search phrases. Each completed query returns one record containing its full first-page results array. You get the discussion title, snippet, source, URL and ranking for every result returned.

What you get:

• ✅ Complete query records: Keep the returned discussions together in one record.
• 🔎 Ranked discussion links: Review which threads appear first for each phrase.
• 💬 Snippets and sources: Read a preview and identify the community before opening a thread.
• 📚 Bulk queries: Search distinct phrases in one run. Duplicate entries are searched once.
• 💰 Per-query billing: A completed query is one event, including a query with no matches.
• 📄 Processing report: Review completed searches, failed inputs, charges and replay inputs.

Results are a first-page snapshot of Google's Forums search surface, localized to the United States in English. The actor does not retrieve full thread text, comments, private groups or user profiles.

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✨ Features

• 🔎 Google Forums search: Discover indexed discussions across Reddit, Quora, support communities and other sites.
• 📝 Discussion previews: Export titles and snippets as Google presents them.
• 🌐 Source labels: See the community or site associated with each result.
• 🔗 Discussion URLs: Follow the original thread to review its context.
• 📊 Result counts: Distinguish a valid no-match search from a failed query.
• 📚 Single or bulk input: Use one query or a list of search phrases.
• 📤 JSON and CSV export: Download records from the Apify dataset. JSON preserves the nested results array.
• 📄 HTML report: Open the Processing Report from the run's Output dropdown.

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🎬 Quick Start

Open the actor, keep the sample query, and select Start. When the run finishes, open the dataset. Expand each record's results array to read every discussion.

{"operation":"search","query":"iphone pro"}

This query returned ten discussion links in the launch test. Live results can change.

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🚀 Getting Started (3 Simple Steps)

Step 1: Choose a search phrase

Enter a product, brand, question or topic. Use a phrase you would type into Google when looking for discussions.

Step 2: Start the run

Leave Multiple queries empty for a single search. For a batch, put one phrase in each list item; the list takes precedence over the single-query field.

Step 3: Review and export

Open the dataset and read the result count, first-discussion preview and full discussion list. Download JSON when you need every nested field. Open Processing Report for charges and retry advice.

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📥 Input Configuration

Field	Type	Required	Description
operation	string	No	Use search; it is the only operation.
query	string	One input method	One search phrase, from 1 to 500 characters.
queries	string array	One input method	Multiple phrases. This list takes precedence and duplicates are searched once.

{"operation":"search","queries":["iphone pro","android battery life"]}

The Console includes a sample query. API callers must supply query or queries; an empty API input does not start a sample search.

The search uses the first page, United States country context, English and any publication time. Pagination, other locales and date filters are not exposed in this version.

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📤 Output

Each completed query produces one record. Its results array contains every discussion returned by that search.

Field	Type	Meaning
query	string	The searched phrase.
resultCount	integer	Number of discussions returned.
results	array	All discussion objects, in result order.
topResultTitle	string or null	First discussion title.
topResultUrl	string or null	First discussion URL.
topResultSnippet	string or null	First discussion preview.
topResultSource	string or null	First source label.
country	string	us for this version.
language	string	en for this version.
status	string	success or error.
errorMessage	string or null	Advice for a failed search.
_operation	string	search.
_fetchedAt	string	Retrieval timestamp.
processedAt	string	Processing timestamp.
scrapingDate	string	UTC processing date.

Each discussion has position, rank, title, snippet, url and source.

A real launch result included:

{
  "position": 1,
  "rank": 1,
  "title": "iPhone 18 Pro Starts at $1199, Pro Max at $1299",
  "snippet": "Pro Starts at $1,199, iPhone 18 Pro will start at $1,199. The Pro Max is also said to offer up to 45 hours of battery life, the largest ever.",
  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1wbsqrk/iphone_18_pro_starts_at_1199_pro_max_at_1299/",
  "source": "Reddit · r/iphone"
}

A search result is a link and preview, not a verified claim. Read the linked thread before relying on its content.

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💼 Use Cases & Examples

1. Customer language research

Product marketers search a product category to collect public questions and comparison language. Input a phrase such as “android battery life”; export snippets and review the linked discussions.

2. Brand discussion discovery

Reputation teams search a brand name and collect the discussion URLs that Google indexes. Use the source labels to decide which communities need manual review.

3. Product comparison research

Retail researchers search competing product names and build a thread shortlist. The output provides search snippets, rather than a sentiment score or product verdict.

4. Support topic discovery

Support managers search a recurring issue and find public community questions. Open the linked threads to check whether the symptoms match your product.

5. Content research

Editors collect public questions and source links before writing a guide. Search phrases in a batch and keep each query's result list separate.

6. Research pipelines

Developers and analysts schedule distinct queries and export JSON to their own database. Compare snapshots in your own workflow; the actor does not calculate historical changes.

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🔗 Integration Examples

JavaScript / Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('sian.agency/google-forums-search-scraper').call({
    operation: 'search', query: 'iphone pro'
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items[0].results);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient('YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN')
run = client.actor('sian.agency/google-forums-search-scraper').call(
    run_input={'operation': 'search', 'query': 'iphone pro'}
)
for item in client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).iterate_items():
    print(item['results'])

cURL

curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/sian.agency~google-forums-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"operation":"search","query":"iphone pro"}'

Automation Workflows (N8N / Zapier / Make)

1. Start with a schedule or webhook in your automation tool.
2. Send the input to the Apify actor API.
3. Read the dataset and iterate over each record's results array.
4. Save links to a spreadsheet or send the records to your own review workflow.

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📊 Performance & Pricing

Billing has two parts: the platform's run-start fee and one event per completed query. All discussion results for that query are included. A completed query with no matches is still charged once. Failed queries have no search-event charge; the run-start fee still applies.

Apify plan	Completed query	Run start at 256 MB
FREE	$0.41668	$0.02000
BRONZE	$0.10417	$0.00500
SILVER	$0.09792	$0.00500
GOLD	$0.09167	$0.00500

At GOLD, one completed query at the default memory costs $0.09667 including the start fee. Two completed queries in one run cost $0.18834. A ten-discussion search and a valid zero-discussion search each count as one query event.

For PLATINUM and DIAMOND, consult the live Apify quote for your account. Apify plan discounts apply to search events. Free-plan Console runs can search five distinct queries per run; paid plans can process longer lists while credits and capacity permit. Free-plan API calls require a paid Apify plan. Daily free-run allowances and temporary service capacity can also stop a run.

Results are usually ready well within the five-minute Store QA window. Search availability varies; failed searches stop the batch and leave the remaining queries in the report's retry input.

View current pricing.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is Google Forums Search? It is Google's discussion and forum search surface. This actor returns indexed titles, snippets, source labels and links from its first results page.

Does it return full Reddit or Quora comments? No. Open the discussion URL or use a separate tool when you need full threads, comments or user profiles.

Why did a query with no matches have a search charge? The completed search is the billing unit. A valid no-match response still completes that search and produces a record with resultCount: 0 and results: [].

Can I use other countries, languages or pages? This version uses US English results and the first page only. Those options are not exposed.

Will every linked thread open without signing in? Not necessarily. Google may index a discussion whose site later changes its access requirements or removes it. The actor does not open the linked threads.

Can I schedule searches? Yes. Use Apify schedules and compare your exported snapshots. The actor does not keep a history or calculate alerts itself.

How do I export every discussion? Download JSON or read each search record's results array through the API. CSV exports contain the search record and its nested array; flatten it in your workflow if you want one spreadsheet row per discussion.

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🐛 Troubleshooting

Missing query or invalid text: Supply a search phrase of 1–500 characters. Remove empty list items; invalid input starts no search event.

No discussions found: Try a broader phrase or remove exact-phrase quotes. A valid empty search is charged as one completed query.

Run stopped before the next query: Open Processing Report for the stop reason and retry input. Review the run's maximum charge, available credits and any stated allowance reset.

Search temporarily unavailable: Retry the failed query later. The actor stops after a failed request and saves already completed records.

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⚖️ Is it legal to scrape data?

Search results can include personal data. Use them for a lawful purpose, respect the GDPR and other applicable privacy rules, and review the source site's requirements before reusing content. Search snippets and ranking positions do not grant rights to a discussion.

Apify's explanation of web scraping and the law.

Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Reddit, Quora and other named platforms belong to their respective owners. SIÁN Agency is independent and is not endorsed by those services.

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🤝 Support

• 🐛 Issues: Open the actor's Issues page.
• ✉️ Email: apify@sian-agency.online.
• ✨ More tools: SIÁN Agency Store.

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