# Google Search Search API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/google/search)

> Returns Google search results for a query. Each result includes title, URL, and a text snippet. Google's own operators work in the query: `site:theqoo.net 다한증` returns only pages from that site (measured 09/10/2026: every row on the named domain), which makes this the cheapest way to find posts on one forum or community before reading them with /v1/web/scrape. Ten results a page; `page` walks further.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/google/search` costs 1 credit per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | yes | Search keyword or phrase. Google operators such as site:example.com work. |
| `region` | no | 2 letter country code, ie US, UK, CA, KR, etc This will show results from that country |
| `date_posted` | no | Only pages Google dates within this window: last-hour, last-day, last-week, last-month or last-year. The strongest recency filter for forum and community posts. (last-hour \| last-day \| last-week \| last-month \| last-year) |
| `page` | no | Page number to retrieve |
| `max_pages` | no | 1 to 50 (default 1, or 50 when `max_items` or `max_credits` is sent). Walk up to this many pages in one call and return the rows from all of them. Each page walked is billed exactly as one call to this endpoint (a cached page is free) and counts against your rate limit; its charge and any refund are recorded under the page's own request id, listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. The walk stops early at the last page, or when the request's time budget runs low; `data.walk.stopped` says why (`end`, `max_pages`, `max_items`, `max_credits`, `time_budget`, `page_error`) and `pagination.next_cursor` continues from where it stopped. |
| `max_items` | no | 1 to 5000. Get more in one call: keep walking pages until the response holds at least this many rows, then stop with `data.walk.stopped: "max_items"`. The last page is returned whole (it was billed), so `data.items` can hold up to one page more than this, and `pagination.next_cursor` resumes right after it without skipping a row. Walks up to 50 pages unless `max_pages` says fewer; each page is billed as one call (a cached page is free). Add `max_credits` to cap the spend. A long walk can stop on the time budget first (`"time_budget"`): send the returned cursor with the same params to continue. |
| `max_credits` | no | 1 to 100000. The most this call may spend, across every page it walks. A page starts only while the credits already spent plus that page's price (or, when higher, the most any page of this walk has cost) still fit, so the call never goes past it; the walk then stops with `data.walk.stopped: "max_credits"` and the cursor to resume. Sent alone, it walks as far as the budget goes (up to 50 pages). A value below the price of one page is a free 400 whose `error.details.page_credits` names that price. Credits a row join (`include=`) adds are known only once a page has run, so page 1 is checked against its own price. |

## Code example

```bash
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/google/search" \
  --data-urlencode "query=best restaurants in London" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I scrape Google search results with an API?

Send a GET request to /v1/google/search with your keyword in the query parameter. SocialCrawl returns organic SERP results (each with title, URL, and a text snippet) in a JSON array that matches the unified schema used across every SocialCrawl platform.

### What filters does the Google Search API support?

Three optional filters: region (two-letter country code like US, UK, CA) to localise results, date_posted (last-hour, last-day, last-week, last-month, last-year) to scope freshness, and page (integer) to walk past the first SERP page. Combine them for niche queries.

### Is this a SerpApi or Bright Data SERP alternative?

Yes. You get Google SERP results in the same schema as SocialCrawl's TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube endpoints, one integration for every platform. No per-query CAPTCHA retries, no proxy rotation on your side, flat credit pricing instead of per-API-call SERP plans.

### How fresh are Google search results?

On a cache miss, SocialCrawl fetches current Google results. Identical repeats may use the 2-minute search cache and cost 0 credits, so the cache hit is free. Send Cache-Control: no-cache for a billed refresh. Combine date_posted=last-day with a news-style query for recent-content monitoring, or leave it unset for the full evergreen result set.

### How much does the Google Search API cost?

Each query costs 1 credit on the standard tier, regardless of how many results come back on the page. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required, enough to test 100 queries or build a small SERP monitoring cron before you pay a cent.

See the full Google Search API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/google

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to scrape Google search results with an API
- What does the SocialCrawl Google Search API return?