Overview
What it does
SerpApi integration provides programmatic access to search engine results from Google, Bing, and other platforms, enabling AI tools to retrieve real-time search data, images, news, shopping results, and more.Key Features:
- Google Search results
- Bing Search results
- Image Search
- News Search
- Shopping results
- Maps and local search
- Video search
- Scholar search
Use Cases
Research & Analysis:
- Gather competitive intelligence
- Monitor brand mentions
- Track product pricing
- Analyze search trends
- Find relevant news articles
- Source images for projects
- Discover related content
- Research topics and keywords
- Build custom search dashboards
- Create automated alerts
- Extract structured data
- Generate market research reports
Quick Start
1
Get Your SerpApi API Key
You’ll need a SerpApi API key to use this integration.
- Sign up at SerpApi.com
- Navigate to your dashboard
- Copy your API key from the account settings
- Free tier includes 100 searches/month
2
Connect to NimbleBrain Studio
Add SerpApi to your workspace:
- Navigate to Connections in the sidebar
- Click Browse Catalog
- Search for “SerpApi”
- Click Install
- Enter your API key when prompted
- Click Connect to complete setup
Your API key is stored securely and encrypted. SerpApi uses API key authentication for all requests.
3
Verify Connection
Once connected, test the integration:Other test prompts:
- “Find images of mountain landscapes”
- “Search Bing for Python tutorials”
- “Get shopping results for wireless headphones”
- “Search Google Scholar for machine learning papers”
Available Tools
The SerpApi connection provides 10+ tools for accessing different search engines and result types:Search Engines
Google Search
Google Search
Retrieve Google search results with rich metadata.
Example Usage:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_SEARCH | Search Google with filters for location, language, date range, and result count |
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_IMAGES | Search Google Images with size, type, and color filters |
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_NEWS | Get Google News results with date and source filtering |
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_SHOPPING | Search Google Shopping for products with pricing |
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_MAPS | Find local businesses and locations |
Results include titles, snippets, URLs, rankings, and rich metadata like featured snippets and knowledge graphs.
Bing Search
Bing Search
Access Bing search results and features.
Example Usage:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
SERPAPI_BING_SEARCH | Search Bing with customizable parameters |
SERPAPI_BING_NEWS | Get Bing News results |
SERPAPI_BING_IMAGES | Search Bing Images |
Specialized Search
Specialized Search
Access specialized search engines and features.
Example Usage:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_SCHOLAR | Search academic papers and citations |
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_VIDEOS | Find video content across platforms |
SERPAPI_GOOGLE_JOBS | Search for job listings |
Google Scholar results include citation counts, authors, publication dates, and PDF links.
Search Parameters
All search tools support advanced filtering:| Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
q | Search query | "machine learning" |
location | Geographic location | "New York, NY" |
hl | Language | "en" |
gl | Country | "us" |
num | Number of results | 10 |
start | Pagination offset | 0 |
tbs | Time-based search | "qdr:d" (past day) |
Time-based search (tbs) values:
qdr:h (hour), qdr:d (day), qdr:w (week), qdr:m (month), qdr:y (year)Example Workflows
- Competitive Research
- Content Discovery
- Market Research
- Academic Research
- Local Business Search
Scenario: Monitor competitor mentions and activitiesPrompt:What happens:
- Searches Google News with date filter
- Retrieves recent articles
- Extracts titles, sources, and snippets
- Provides structured summary
Authentication
API Key Authentication: This connection uses API key authentication.
How It Works
SerpApi authenticates requests using your API key:- You provide your API key during connection setup
- NimbleBrain stores it securely and encrypted
- Each request includes your key in the query parameters
- SerpApi validates the key and processes the request
API Key Security
Best Practices:- Never share your API key publicly
- Rotate keys periodically
- Monitor usage in SerpApi dashboard
- Use different keys for different projects
- Revoke compromised keys immediately
Rate Limits
SerpApi enforces usage limits based on your plan:| Plan | Monthly Searches | Rate Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 searches | 5 searches/second |
| Developer | 5,000 searches | 10 searches/second |
| Production | 30,000 searches | 20 searches/second |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
- Each search consumes 1 credit
- Pagination counts as separate searches
- Credits reset monthly
- Overage charges apply on paid plans
Studio automatically handles rate limiting and will queue requests if limits are reached.
Search Optimization
To maximize your quota:- Use specific queries to reduce result pagination
- Cache frequently accessed results
- Combine multiple data points in single searches
- Use time filters to narrow results
- Batch similar searches together
Troubleshooting
Invalid API Key
Invalid API Key
Issue: Authentication failed or invalid API key errorSolutions:
- Verify your API key is correct (no extra spaces)
- Check if key was revoked in SerpApi dashboard
- Ensure account is active and not suspended
- Try generating a new API key
- Reconnect the integration with fresh credentials
Rate Limit Exceeded
Rate Limit Exceeded
Issue: Too many requests or quota exceededSolutions:
- Check your monthly quota in SerpApi dashboard
- Wait for rate limit window to reset
- Upgrade to higher tier for more searches
- Optimize queries to use fewer searches
- Implement caching for repeated searches
No Results Found
No Results Found
Issue: Search returns empty resultsSolutions:
- Try broader search terms
- Remove overly specific filters
- Check spelling and syntax
- Verify location/language settings
- Try different search engine (Bing vs Google)
Search Timeout
Search Timeout
Issue: Request times out or takes too longSolutions:
- Reduce number of results requested
- Simplify complex queries
- Check SerpApi status page for outages
- Try again with more specific search
- Contact SerpApi support if persistent
Missing Data Fields
Missing Data Fields
Issue: Expected data not in resultsSolutions:
- Not all searches return all fields
- Check SerpApi documentation for field availability
- Try different search parameters
- Some data depends on search engine features
- Verify your query matches the search type
Location Not Working
Location Not Working
Issue: Location parameter not affecting resultsSolutions:
- Use full location names (city, state/country)
- Try canonical location format
- Verify location is supported by search engine
- Check spelling of location name
- Some searches ignore location parameter
Best Practices
Query Optimization
- Use specific, targeted queries
- Leverage advanced search operators
- Filter by date when relevant
- Specify language and location
- Request only needed result count
Data Management
- Cache frequently accessed results
- Store search data for analysis
- Track search patterns over time
- Deduplicate similar searches
- Archive historical data
Cost Efficiency
- Monitor quota usage regularly
- Batch related searches
- Use pagination wisely
- Implement result caching
- Choose appropriate plan tier
Result Quality
- Validate search results
- Cross-reference multiple sources
- Check result freshness
- Verify URLs are accessible
- Filter spam or low-quality results
Advanced Features
Search Operators
Google and Bing support advanced search operators:| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
"exact phrase" | Exact match | "machine learning" |
site: | Specific domain | site:github.com python |
filetype: | File type | filetype:pdf research |
intitle: | In page title | intitle:tutorial |
- | Exclude term | python -java |
OR | Either term | python OR javascript |
Structured Data
SerpApi returns structured data including:- Organic Results: Title, URL, snippet, position
- Featured Snippets: Direct answers, definitions
- Knowledge Graph: Entity information, facts
- People Also Ask: Related questions
- Related Searches: Similar queries
- Shopping Results: Products, prices, merchants
- Local Pack: Business listings, maps
- Images: URLs, thumbnails, metadata
Links and Resources
SerpApi Documentation
Official API documentation and guides
SerpApi Playground
Test searches and explore parameters
Account Dashboard
Manage API keys and monitor usage
Search Parameters
Complete parameter reference
Need help? Join the NimbleBrain Discord or email [email protected]