Bright Data SERP API

What is a SERP API?

Search engines regularly change their structure and algorithms making data scraping difficult. SERP API automatically adjusts to changing SERPs and provides real user's results with a variety of tailored search parameters. Results will shift depending on your search history, device, and location but with SERP API you will never get blocked because of location. Data is delivered with accuracy and speed in JSON or HTML output. Bright Data SERP API provides real user's results in high volumes for all the major search engines. It enables a wide variety of tailored search parameters, and your search results data will be delivered in JSON or HTML output. Focus on extracting the data you need without worrying about getting blocked, and with the most accuracy and speed.

Why use Bright Data SERP API for scraping search engines?

Gather SERP data as a real user in any location, while saving money on data extraction engineers and IT professionals without worrying about server maintenance. SERP API is easily integrated into all 3rd party crawler software. Bright Data can support your growing traffic needs and peak periods.

Which search engines does SERP API support?

We support 7 major search engines covering 195 countries: Google (all global domains), Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex (Russia, CIS countries), Baidu (China's #1 search engine), Yahoo (popular in Japan, Taiwan), Naver (Korea's dominant search engine). All with the same reliable infrastructure, geo-targeting, and pay-only-for-success pricing.

What are the common use cases for SERP API?

Organic keyword tracking, brand protection, price comparison, market research, detect copyright infringements, ad intelligence

What are the benefits of SERP API?

Get real user search results from all major search engines using different search parameters, in real-time and with the highest success rates, regardless of your requests volume. Only pay for successful requests and enjoy response time under 5 sec. Use different location parameters to automatically target a suitable peer to get a better understanding on how different location and time change the search results. Use different devices and search types for a more accurate search.

How are searches counted?

Executing each API is counted as a request. In asynchronous mode, only "send request" is counted and collecting the response is not counted.

Is the data provided by SERP API accurate?

Yes. Bright Data SERP API provides real user results that are 100% accurate in high volumes for all major search engines. Focus on analyzing SERP results without worrying about getting blocked or receiving misleading information–we'll get you the accurate SERP results with incredible speed.

What locations does the SERP API support?

SERP API supports 195 countries – every country on Earth–and also enables city-level targeting.

Is there a limit to the number of concurrent requests I can make?

No. There is no limit to the number of concurrent requests. SERP API is built for scale.

When should I use asynchronous mode instead of regular requests?

Use async mode for high-volume batch operations (1,000+ queries), non-urgent data collection, or when you need maximum reliability. Async offers: 99.99% success rate (higher than sync), Cost savings: only the "send request" is billed; collecting responses is completely free, Responses stored for 48 hours - retrieve multiple times at no cost, Usually ready in 5 minutes (max 8 hours during peak). Perfect for overnight batch jobs, competitor monitoring, or large-scale keyword research.

How does async mode billing work?

You're only charged when sending the request. Collecting the response is free, and you can retrieve it multiple times within 48 hours at no additional cost. This means if you need to download the same results multiple times, or if your first download fails, you won't be charged again.

What output formats are available and when should I use each?

SERP API offers three output formats: JSON (brd_json=1): Structured data perfect for applications, databases, and analytics workflows. Markdown (data_format=markdown): Clean, readable format ideal for LLMs, AI agents, and content analysis. HTML (raw): Complete page data for custom parsing or archival purposes. Most developers use JSON for programmatic access, while AI/LLM applications prefer Markdown for cleaner context.