Google Images Scraper - Image Search Results

Search Google Images and turn image-search results into structured data. The Actor returns ranked full-size image URLs, thumbnails, titles, dimensions, source domains, publisher pages, queries, and scrape timestamps. Use it for visual research, SEO audits, content discovery, source analysis, brand monitoring, mood-board preparation, or repeatable image-search workflows without maintaining a local browser.

The Actor uses a managed, structured Google Images data route rather than driving the blocked public result page in a headless browser. It removes duplicate images, stops at the limit you choose, and keeps the publisher URL so you can inspect the original context and verify licensing before reusing an image.

What you can collect

Each result can include:

• the search query and Google result rank;
• the visible result title or image alternative text;
• the full-size image URL and a Google-hosted thumbnail URL;
• image and thumbnail dimensions when available;
• the publisher domain and source page URL;
• a stable result identifier when Google exposes one; and
• the UTC time when the result was collected.

Google Images is a discovery surface, not an image-license database. A result appearing in Google does not grant permission to reproduce it. Always open source_url and confirm the publisher's license, attribution requirements, and intended use. The Actor deliberately preserves that source link in every row.

Common use cases

Visual SEO research

Compare which publishers and image formats appear for commercial or informational search phrases. Export rankings regularly and examine changes in source domains, titles, aspect ratios, or visible image themes. This is useful when researching image SEO opportunities, competitor coverage, and the visual intent behind a search query.

Content and design research

Build a structured reference set for editorial planning, product photography briefs, presentation design, or mood boards. The dataset gives your team a repeatable starting point while the source URL keeps the research traceable. It is safer and more useful than sharing unlabelled screenshots between collaborators.

Brand and asset monitoring

Search for a company, product, executive, event, or campaign name and store the ranked results on a schedule. Compare datasets over time to identify new publishers, unexpected imagery, outdated logos, or changes in the visible search landscape.

Publisher discovery

Find websites that rank visually for a topic. The source_domain and source_url fields can feed outreach research, content-gap analysis, publisher lists, or a manual rights-clearance workflow. The Actor does not contact publishers and does not bypass access controls.

Automation and reporting

Run a saved Apify Task daily or weekly, export results as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS, and connect the dataset to Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, or your own application through the Apify API. Bounded defaults make scheduled runs predictable.

Input

Use the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
queries	array	One or more Google Images search phrases.
maxResultsPerQuery	integer	Maximum unique rows returned for each query. Default: 10.
languageCode	string	Google interface language such as en, de, es, or fr.
countryCode	string	Two-letter localization code such as us, gb, de, or fr.

Example input:

{
  "queries": [
    "sustainable office architecture",
    "solar roof commercial building"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 20,
  "languageCode": "en",
  "countryCode": "us"
}

For the most predictable runs, begin with 10 to 25 results per query. Split unrelated topics into separate saved Tasks when they need different schedules or localization settings.

Output

Example dataset row:

{
  "query": "sustainable office architecture",
  "rank": 1,
  "result_id": "example-result-id",
  "title": "Sustainable office building with a green facade",
  "image_url": "https://example.com/images/sustainable-office.jpg",
  "image_width": 1200,
  "image_height": 800,
  "thumbnail_url": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=...",
  "thumbnail_width": 300,
  "thumbnail_height": 200,
  "source_name": "Example Architecture",
  "source_domain": "example.com",
  "source_url": "https://example.com/sustainable-office-project",
  "scraped_at": "2026-07-11T12:00:00+00:00"
}

image_url is the full-size URL reported by image search, not a claim that the file belongs to Google or is licensed for reuse. Use source_url to inspect the original page and confirm the image context and rights.

How the Actor works

1. It validates and deduplicates the supplied queries.
2. It calls a limited-permission managed image-search backend with the selected language and country.
3. It waits for that backend to return structured Google Images records.
4. It validates the image and publisher URLs instead of treating an empty response as success.
5. It maps titles, dimensions, thumbnails, source metadata, and result identifiers into a stable schema.
6. It writes one dataset item per usable result.
7. It fails clearly if Google returns no usable rows, allowing scheduled-run monitoring to detect a real problem.

The Actor uses limited Apify permissions and only writes to its default dataset. It does not require a Google account, a Google API key, or user credentials.

Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. There is a small Actor start charge and a flat charge for each unique result written to the default dataset. It calls the limited-permission johnvc/google-images-api Actor as its managed retrieval backend, so Apify also records that child run and its small pay-per-result charge on the caller's account. At current listed prices, the combined result cost remains competitive with the major Google Images alternatives. Check both Store pricing panels before a large run and use maxResultsPerQuery to keep spend bounded.

Reliability notes

Google and the managed data route can change result availability, localization, and traffic controls. This Actor checks for usable image records and raises an error on an empty extraction instead of silently returning a successful empty dataset. If one query has no results, try a broader phrase and verify that the selected country and language are appropriate.

For recurring monitoring, save the input as an Apify Task and enable failure notifications. Google rankings are personalized and dynamic; results can vary by time, language, country, and Google's own ranking experiments. Treat the dataset as a repeatable observation from the selected settings, not as a universal ranking guarantee.

API example

Start a run with the Apify API:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/benthepythondev~google-images-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries":["electric vehicle dashboard"],"maxResultsPerQuery":10,"countryCode":"us","languageCode":"en"}'

When the run succeeds, read the default dataset through the API or use the Console export menu. Never place an Apify token in client-side code or a public repository.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Actor download image files?

No. It returns structured metadata, the reported full-size image URL, and a thumbnail URL. This keeps runs fast and lets you decide which source pages deserve manual review.

Are the images free to use?

Not necessarily. Google Images indexes many licensing models. Confirm rights and attribution on source_url before downloading, republishing, training on, or commercially using any asset.

Does it return the full-size image URL?

It returns the full-size image URL reported by Google Images and the publisher page URL. The file may be loaded, redirected, or protected differently by the publisher, so the Actor does not promise that every URL can be downloaded indefinitely.

Can I search several phrases in one run?

Yes. Add multiple values to queries. Each row includes its originating query and per-query rank.

Can I localize results?

Yes. Set languageCode and countryCode. Google still controls ranking and may use additional infrastructure signals, so localization is a strong hint rather than a legal or geographic guarantee.

Why did a run fail instead of returning zero rows?

An empty result can indicate a backend outage, temporary traffic control, or genuinely empty query. Explicit failure makes automated monitoring safer than a misleading green run with no data.

Related Actors

• Unsplash Image Search Scraper for rich public Unsplash photo and photographer metadata.
• Google Keyword Suggestions Scraper for related search-query discovery.
• Google News Scraper for ranked news-result monitoring.
• Website Contact Extractor for contact discovery on selected publisher websites.

If this Actor produces useful data for your workflow, leave an honest Apify Store review. For support, include the run ID, a sanitized input example, the expected result, and what happened; do not post API tokens or private credentials.

Keywords: Google Images scraper, image search API, Google image results, visual SEO research, image source finder, image SERP scraper, content research automation, image monitoring, publisher discovery, Apify Google scraper.