google-ad-scraper

name	google-ad-scraper
description	Scrape competitor ads from Google's Ads Transparency Center (Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail). Search by company name, domain, or advertiser ID. Returns ad creatives, formats, targeting regions, and campaign details. Use for competitive ad research and messaging analysis.

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

1. Advertiser Resolution (if no --advertiser-id provided):
   • 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)
2. Ad Scraping:
   • Constructs transparency center URL for the advertiser
   • Calls the Apify xtech/google-ad-transparency-scraper actor
   • Polls until complete, fetches dataset
3. 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): Searches adstransparency.google.com/?domain=nike.com. Most reliable method.
• By name (--company "Nike"): Searches adstransparency.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:

1. Go to https://adstransparency.google.com
2. Search for the company
3. Click on the advertiser
4. Copy the ID from the URL: https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR17828074650563772417
5. 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 --domain for best results or provide --advertiser-id directly.
• 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.