# Google Ads Transparency Center: how to see any company's Google ads

> How to find a company's Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps and Play ads in Google's Ads Transparency Center, by advertiser or website, what the filters do, what each ad shows and what it leaves out.

By Matt, Parsly · Updated 2026-10-22 · Checked 2026-10-22 · https://parsly.to/guides/google-ads-transparency-center/

## The short answer

Google's Ads Transparency Center at adstransparency.google.com shows the ads a company has run on Google Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps and Play in the past year. Search by advertiser name or website, then filter by country, date, platform and format. It's free with no account. Ads shown in Europe and Turkey also show audience selection.

The Ads Transparency Center is Google's public library of ads. It shows what a company has run on Google Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps and Play: the text ads that sit above search results, the images and the videos. It's how you see a competitor's Google ads without waiting for them to appear in your own searches. It's free and works without a Google account. Everything below was checked on the live site on 22 October 2026.

## How do I use the Google Ads Transparency Center?

Go to [adstransparency.google.com](https://adstransparency.google.com/), type a company's name or website in the search box and pick it from the list. You land on its page with every ad Google holds for it.

1. Open [adstransparency.google.com](https://adstransparency.google.com/).
2. Choose the country you care about in the **Ads in** menu on the right. Ads can differ by country.
3. Type an advertiser's name or a website (such as hubspot.com) in the search box, and pick a result.
4. Use the filters above the ads to narrow by date, platform and format.
5. Click an ad to open its details.

## Should I search by advertiser or by website?

Search by website when you want everything pointing at a company's site; search by advertiser when you want one account. They give different results.

A website search covers every advertiser account whose ads lead to that domain, including partners and resellers. When we searched hubspot.com, the results mixed HubSpot's own ads with other companies' ads that link to HubSpot's site, and Google offered to filter by individual advertiser. An advertiser page shows only that account, with its legal name, the country it's based in and whether it has verified its identity.

## What filters does the Ads Transparency Center have?

Four, plus the country. All checked October 2026.

| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Ads in | One country at a time |
| Date | **Today**, **Yesterday**, **Last 7 days**, **Last 30 days**, **Any time**, or **Custom** dates |
| Platform | **Google Maps**, **Google Play**, **Google Shopping**, **Google Search**, **YouTube** |
| Format | **Image**, **Text**, **Video** |

Dates are in Pacific time, so a day's filter may not line up with your own day. There's also a **Political ads** tab beside **All topics**, for election ads in the countries where Google allows them.

## What does the Ads Transparency Center show about each ad?

Every ad shows the advertiser, the format, the country and when it was last shown. Ads shown in Europe and Turkey show much more, because European rules require it.

**For every ad:**

- The ad itself, or up to five common versions of it (Google mixes text, images and links, so the one you saw may be one of many).
- The advertiser, and the payer if that's someone else.
- **Last shown** date and **Format**.

**For ads shown in Europe (the EEA) or Turkey, also:**

- **First shown** date.
- **Topic**, labelled by Google (for example Internet and Telecom).
- **Times shown**: a range of how many times it was shown in that country, published after a 90-day delay. Ranges per platform sit behind an info icon.
- **Audience selection**: which kinds of targeting the advertiser included or excluded, such as demographic info, geographic locations, contextual signals and customer lists.

On an advertiser's page you also see its legal name, where it's based and whether Google has verified its identity.

## Which ads are in it, and for how long?

Google's FAQ says it includes ads from verified advertisers on Search, Play, Maps, Shopping and YouTube for one year from the date each ad was last shown. Ads from unverified advertisers are only included in Europe and Turkey. Election ads stay for up to seven years.

Google's own pages don't quite agree on the platforms. The [Transparency Center's FAQ](https://adstransparency.google.com/faq) and its platform filter list Search, Play, Maps, Shopping and YouTube; Google's [ads policy help page](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/13733850) says Search, Display, Gmail and YouTube. On the live site in October 2026, Display and Gmail weren't filters, and the FAQ says counts may include other Google platforms "like Gmail".

## What can't you see in the Ads Transparency Center?

- **Spend, clicks or results.** None, for any ad.
- **Keywords.** You see a search ad, not what it was bought on.
- **Advertisers that aren't verified,** outside Europe and Turkey.
- **Ads not shown in the last 365 days,** or ads in formats Google can't display yet.
- **Recent reach.** Times-shown ranges lag by 90 days and only exist for European, Turkish and political ads.
- **Landing pages.** Ads no longer click through.
- **An export.** There's no download button on the site. Google offers API access for ads served in the EEA, under its terms. Reuse only what you have the right to; the ads belong to their advertisers.

## How do I collect a company's Google ads with Parsly?

[Parsly](https://parsly.to/) is a free Chrome extension that reads the ads the Transparency Center shows you and puts them in one list.

1. Open the company's advertiser page and set the country and filters you want.
2. Open Parsly from Chrome's toolbar. The first time, allow it on the Transparency Center.
3. Click **Collect**. Parsly scrolls the page like a person would and reads each ad with its dates.
4. Parsly marks the likely winners: the ads that have run longest and have the most variations.
5. Copy the list, or download it as a spreadsheet (CSV).

Parsly only reads what the site already shows you: no spend, no keywords, nothing private.

## Which way should I use?

| Way | Free | Whole advertiser at once | Saved for later | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ads Transparency Center | Yes | Scroll and open each ad | No, gone a year after the ad stops | High for many ads |
| Google's EEA API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Programming, EEA ads only |
| Parsly | Yes | Yes | Yes, as a CSV | One click |

To compare Google with Meta's, TikTok's and LinkedIn's libraries, read [every ad library compared](https://parsly.to/guides/ad-libraries-compared/).

## Questions people also ask

### Is the Google Ads Transparency Center free?

Yes, and you don't need a Google account. You only need to sign in to see age-restricted ads.

### Does the Google Ads Transparency Center show ad spend?

No. For ads shown in Europe and Turkey it shows a range for how many times an ad was shown, published with a 90-day delay. Spend on election ads is in Google's separate Political Advertising Transparency Report.

### Can I see a competitor's Google Search keywords?

No. The Transparency Center shows the ads, not the keywords they were bought on. For ads shown in Europe and Turkey you can see the kinds of audience selection used, such as demographics, locations or customer lists, but not the keywords themselves.

### Why can't I find a company in the Ads Transparency Center?

Outside Europe and Turkey, Google only lists advertisers who have completed its verification. A company also drops out if none of its ads have run in the last 365 days, and new ads can take 48–72 hours to appear.

### Can I click through to the landing page from an ad?

No. Google says ads in the Transparency Center are becoming static screenshots and will not link to their landing pages, and that this change is permanent.

## Sources

- [Google Ads Transparency Center: FAQs](https://adstransparency.google.com/faq)
- [Google Ads policy help: Ads transparency](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/13733850)
- [Google Ads Transparency Center](https://adstransparency.google.com/)