levalencia Google Ads Transparency Scraper
Scrape ads from Google's Ads Transparency Center using the Apify xtech/google-ad-transparency-scraper actor. Covers Search, YouTube, Display, and Gmail ads.
Quick Start
Requires APIFY_API_TOKEN env var (or --token flag). Install dependency: pip install requests.
# Search by company name (auto-resolves advertiser ID)
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--company "Nike"
# Search by domain (more precise)
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--domain "nike.com"
# Direct advertiser ID (skip lookup step)
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--advertiser-id "AR13129532367502835713"
# With region filter
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--company "Shopify" --region US
# Limit results
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--domain "hubspot.com" --max-ads 30
# Human-readable summary
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--company "Stripe" --output summary
How It Works
- Advertiser Resolution (if no
--advertiser-idprovided):- Takes company name or domain
- Searches Google Ads Transparency Center using Apify's web-scraper (Puppeteer)
- Extracts advertiser ID(s) from search results (format:
AR+ 20 digits)
- Ad Scraping:
- Constructs transparency center URL for the advertiser
- Calls the Apify
xtech/google-ad-transparency-scraperactor - Polls until complete, fetches dataset
- Output: Returns ads as JSON or human-readable summary
Advertiser ID Resolution
The script handles the name → ID lookup automatically:
- By domain (
--domain nike.com): Searchesadstransparency.google.com/?domain=nike.com. Most reliable method. - By name (
--company "Nike"): Searchesadstransparency.google.com/?text=Nike. May return multiple matches. - Direct ID (
--advertiser-id AR...): Skips lookup entirely. Use when you already have the ID.
Finding the Advertiser ID Manually
If auto-resolution fails:
- Go to https://adstransparency.google.com
- Search for the company
- Click on the advertiser
- Copy the ID from the URL:
https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR17828074650563772417 - Pass it via
--advertiser-id AR17828074650563772417
CLI Reference
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--company |
none | Company name to search |
--domain |
none | Company domain (e.g. nike.com) — more precise |
--advertiser-id |
none | Google Ads advertiser ID(s), comma-separated (skips lookup) |
--region |
anywhere | Region filter (US, GB, DE, etc. or "anywhere") |
--max-ads |
50 | Maximum number of ads to return |
--output |
json | Output format: json or summary |
--token |
env var | Apify token (prefer APIFY_API_TOKEN env var) |
--timeout |
300 | Max seconds to wait for Apify run |
At least one of --company, --domain, or --advertiser-id is required.
Output Fields
Each ad in the output may contain (varies by ad format):
{
"advertiser_name": "Nike, Inc.",
"advertiser_id": "AR13129532367502835713",
"ad_format": "TEXT",
"headline": "Nike.com - Official Site",
"description": "Shop the latest Nike shoes, clothing...",
"display_url": "nike.com",
"destination_url": "https://www.nike.com/",
"region": "United States",
"last_shown": "2026-02-20",
"first_shown": "2026-01-15",
"image_url": "https://...",
"video_url": "https://..."
}
Cost
- Advertiser lookup: ~$0.05 (one web-scraper page)
- Ad scraping: Varies by actor pricing, typically a few cents per advertiser
Common Workflows
1. Competitor Ad Research
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--domain "competitor.com" --max-ads 100 --output summary
2. Compare Multiple Competitors
# Get IDs first, then scrape in one run
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--advertiser-id "AR111,AR222,AR333" --max-ads 50
3. Regional Ad Targeting Analysis
# See what ads run in specific regions
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--domain "shopify.com" --region US --output summary
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/search_google_ads.py \
--domain "shopify.com" --region GB --output summary
Limitations
- Advertiser ID lookup uses Puppeteer-based web scraping of Google's SPA. It may occasionally fail — use
--domainfor best results or provide--advertiser-iddirectly. - Ad coverage: Google only shows ads from verified advertisers. Some smaller advertisers may not appear.
- Historical data: The Transparency Center primarily shows recently active ads.
Configuration
See references/apify-config.md for detailed API configuration, token setup, and rate limits.