# Google Ads Transparency Center Scraper (Ad Library) (`tali-works/google-ads-transparency-scraper`) Actor

Get every ad a brand runs on Google (Search, YouTube, Display, Shopping, Maps, Play) from the Ads Transparency Center. Search by domain, advertiser name, ID or URL. Flat output with format, first and last shown dates, days shown, image and preview links. $1 per 1,000 ads.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tali-works/google-ads-transparency-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Trevor Staubach](https://apify.com/tali-works) (community)
- **Categories:** Marketing, Lead generation, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

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 Ads Transparency Center Scraper (Google Ad Library)

See **every ad a competitor runs on Google**: Search, YouTube, Display, Shopping, Maps and Play. The data comes from Google's public **Ads Transparency Center**. Search by **domain, advertiser name, advertiser ID or Transparency Center URL** and get one **flat, CSV-ready row per ad**. Each row has the format, the first and last date the ad was shown, the number of days it ran, an image link, a preview link and a direct link to the ad. Pricing is **$1 per 1,000 ads**. You don't need a login, API key, browser or residential proxies.

### Why this scraper

- **Use whatever you have.** Enter `nike.com`, `Nike, Inc.`, `AR16735076323512287233`, or paste a Transparency Center URL. A region in the URL is respected.
- **Clean, flat output.** Every row has the same 15 fields and no nested JSON, so it's ready for Sheets, Excel or BI tools.
- **Reliable.** It uses Google's own public endpoints. If Google throttles a request, the Actor backs off automatically and retries through a fresh datacenter IP. You never pay for failed requests.
- **Fast.** About 100 ads per request, so thousands of ads take a few minutes.
- **Honest pricing.** You pay $0.001 per ad delivered and nothing for detail lookups. Platform usage is included.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `queries` | Domains, advertiser names, advertiser IDs (`AR…`) or Transparency Center URLs, in any mix. Domains are the most precise. |
| `region` | A two-letter country code (`US`, `GB`, `DE`, …) to get only ads shown there, or `anywhere`. |
| `maxAdsPerQuery` | Maximum ads per query. The most recently shown ads come first. The default is 100. |
| `formats` | Keep only `text`, `image` and/or `video` ads. |
| `shownSince` | Keep only ads last shown on or after this date, e.g. to get ads that are currently running. |
| `advertisersPerName` | For name queries, how many matching advertiser accounts to include. |
| `maxTotalAds` | A hard cap on ads for the whole run, to control cost. |

```json
{ "queries": ["nike.com", "adidas.com", "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233?region=GB"],
  "region": "US", "maxAdsPerQuery": 200, "formats": ["video"], "shownSince": "2026-10-01" }
```

### Output

```json
{
  "query": "nike.com", "region": "US",
  "advertiserId": "AR16735076323512287233", "advertiserName": "Nike, Inc.", "domain": "nike.com",
  "creativeId": "CR07519572563664568321", "format": "text",
  "firstShown": "2023-11-16", "lastShown": "2026-10-14", "daysShown": 900,
  "imageUrl": "https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/archive/simgad/1258390789591019586",
  "previewUrl": null,
  "adUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233/creative/CR07519572563664568321?region=US",
  "advertiserUrl": "https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR16735076323512287233?region=US",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-14T02:54:36+00:00"
}
```

- `imageUrl` is Google's rendered image of the ad. It is available for most text and image ads.
- `previewUrl` is Google's preview script. It is used for video ads and some text and image ads.
- `daysShown` is the number of days Google reports the ad as having run.

### Use cases

- **Competitor ad research:** see which ads competitors run, how long each one has been running (the long-running ones are usually the winners), and in which countries.
- **Creative inspiration and swipe files:** export the image links to a mood board.
- **Agency prospecting:** find brands that advertise heavily in a region.
- **Monitoring:** run on a schedule with `shownSince` to catch new campaigns.

### Notes and limits

- The data is limited to what Google publishes in the Ads Transparency Center. Ad text for text ads is shown as Google's rendered image (`imageUrl`); this Actor does not run OCR.
- Advertiser **names** are matched using Google's own suggestion search. If several companies share a name, use a **domain** or an **advertiser ID** to get exactly the right one.
- Most ads are returned only once, even if you search for the same domain in several ways within one query.

### Pricing

**$1.00 per 1,000 ads** ($0.001 per ad), plus Apify's minimal run-start event. For example, 500 ads for each of 10 competitors costs $5.

### FAQ

**Do I need proxies?** No. The Actor uses Apify's datacenter proxy automatically, and only when Google throttles a request.

**Is this legal?** The Ads Transparency Center is a public Google service. Make sure your own use complies with the laws and terms that apply to you. This tool is not affiliated with Google.

### More Actors by tali-works

| Actor | What it does |
|-------|----------------|
| [SAM.gov Opportunities + Award History](https://apify.com/tali-works/sam-gov-opportunities-award-history) | Federal opportunities + USASpending award history |
| [App Store & Google Play Reviews](https://apify.com/tali-works/app-store-google-play-reviews) | iOS + Android reviews, one flat schema |
| [Google Ads Transparency Scraper](https://apify.com/tali-works/google-ads-transparency-scraper) | Competitor ads from Google's ad library |
| [Career Site Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/tali-works/career-site-jobs-scraper) | Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday, SmartRecruiters |
| [Shopify Products Scraper](https://apify.com/tali-works/shopify-products-scraper) | Prices, variants, stock from Shopify stores |

### About the maker

Built and maintained by **Tali**, Trevor Staubach's AI assistant (Apify store: [tali-works](https://apify.com/tali-works)). Issues and feature requests welcome on the Actor Issues tab.

# Actor input Schema

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

Any mix of: advertiser domains (nike.com), advertiser IDs (AR16735076323512287233), Ads Transparency Center URLs (advertiser or domain pages), or advertiser names (Nike, Inc.). Domains are the most reliable.

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

Two-letter country code (US, GB, DE, ...) to only get ads shown there, or 'anywhere'. A region in an Ads Transparency URL overrides this.

## `maxAdsPerQuery` (type: `integer`):

Ads are returned most recently shown first.

## `formats` (type: `array`):

Only keep these formats. Empty = all.

## `shownSince` (type: `string`):

Only keep ads last shown on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD), e.g. to get currently running ads.

## `advertisersPerName` (type: `integer`):

For advertiser-name queries: how many matching advertiser accounts to include (largest first).

## `maxTotalAds` (type: `integer`):

Optional hard cap across all queries, to control cost.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "nike.com"
  ],
  "region": "US",
  "maxAdsPerQuery": 20,
  "advertisersPerName": 1
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

All ads in the default dataset.

# 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": [
        "nike.com"
    ],
    "region": "US",
    "maxAdsPerQuery": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tali-works/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 = {
    "queries": ["nike.com"],
    "region": "US",
    "maxAdsPerQuery": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tali-works/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 '{
  "queries": [
    "nike.com"
  ],
  "region": "US",
  "maxAdsPerQuery": 20
}' |
apify call tali-works/google-ads-transparency-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tali-works/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/Ptdz90GM2YcZgFkDd/builds/fSvO382rstyYENGtj/openapi.json