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To turn Google search results into Markdown or HTML, use a SERP extraction API. SerpApi’s Google Search API supports both formats as well as JSON: choose Markdown for a compact handoff to an LLM, HTML when you need page markup, or JSON when your application needs structured fields and pagination. Google’s Custom Search JSON API is an official alternative, but it returns JSON only, requires a Programmable Search Engine and API key, and is closed to new customers.
Choose the output format for the job
A search results page can be represented in three useful ways, but the formats are not interchangeable. SerpApi documents Google Search API output as JSON, HTML, or Markdown.
| Format | Best for | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
Markdown (md) |
Passing results to an LLM, writer, or text-oriented workflow | A Markdown string, normalized for reading rather than preserving the original page structure |
| HTML | Inspecting or retaining page markup | An HTML string representing the results page |
| JSON | Application logic, field-level processing, and pagination | Named result fields that code can inspect; the client documentation describes helpers such as pagination |
These distinctions matter downstream. Markdown is convenient for a human or model to read, but it is not a substitute for structured fields when software needs to reliably access titles, links, or snippets. HTML may be useful for markup-oriented work, but it should not be treated as safe to insert into a web page without sanitizing it first.
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Send the query using the Google Search API and select the requested output format. The provider’s endpoint documentation describes the supported output options and query parameters: SerpApi Google Search API.
- Capture the user’s exact search query in
q, along with any location or other search parameters your workflow uses. - Choose Markdown or HTML as the output format for the handoff you need.
- Send the request to the Google Search API with your API credentials and inspect the response before passing it downstream.
- Store the query, parameters, retrieval time, provider, and returned links and snippets beside the resulting artifact.
Keeping those details together is important because a rendered Markdown or HTML artifact alone may not preserve enough context to audit what was requested. SerpApi documents the search endpoint and output formats; the provenance fields are an implementation recommendation based on the query and result information exposed by the provider and Google.
Example request pattern
SerpApi’s endpoint accepts the query and output selection as request parameters. Use your own API key and URL-encode the query with your HTTP client:
https://serpapi.com/search.json?engine=google&q=your+search+query&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&output=md
To request HTML instead, change the output selection to html. For JSON, omit the Markdown or HTML selection or request JSON explicitly according to the provider’s current parameter documentation. Consult the API reference for the exact request details available to your account and client.
The endpoint naming and output parameter behavior should be checked against the provider’s documentation when integrating; do not assume that the representation returned by an endpoint is the same as a browser-rendered page.
Use JSON when code needs dependable fields
If your program must inspect individual results, use JSON rather than parsing the Markdown or HTML string. SerpApi’s client documentation describes named result fields and helpers such as pagination. A JSON workflow lets code select the fields it needs instead of inferring them from rendered text. See SerpApi client documentation.
- Use JSON to build records from result fields such as titles, links, and snippets.
- Use the documented pagination support when you need additional result pages.
- Retain the original query and location or filter parameters with every batch of results.
Markdown and HTML are strings, so downstream code generally has to parse their presentation. That can be appropriate for a text handoff or markup use case, but it adds unnecessary parsing when the real requirement is structured data.
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Google’s official Custom Search JSON API
Google’s official service is the Custom Search JSON API. It returns JSON, not the Google results page as Markdown or HTML. A REST request uses https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1 with a key, a cx, and a q. The cx value identifies a configured Programmable Search Engine. Google describes the service as a way to retrieve and display search results from Programmable Search Engine programmatically in its Custom Search JSON API overview.
Prerequisites and request shape
- Create or identify a Programmable Search Engine and obtain its identifier,
cx. - Obtain an API key accepted by the service.
- Call the REST endpoint with
key,cx, andq.
For example, the request shape is https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1?key=YOUR_API_KEY&cx=YOUR_ENGINE_ID&q=your+search+query. Encode query text with your HTTP client rather than concatenating untrusted text into a URL. This API supplies JSON; if your application needs Markdown, convert the returned structured data yourself. It does not provide raw Google results-page HTML or a Markdown output mode in the documented request.
Availability and transition deadline
Google states that the Custom Search JSON API is closed to new customers and that existing customers must transition by January 1, 2027. Check Google’s current availability notice before building a new dependency around it. The notice means it is not a generally available starting point for a new integration; existing customers should plan around Google’s stated deadline rather than assume indefinite availability.
Keep search provenance with the rendered result
Markdown and HTML make results easier to consume in some workflows, but conversion should not discard the context needed to interpret them. Save a small record alongside each artifact:
- The exact query and any location, language, or other search parameters used.
- The time of retrieval and the API provider.
- The result links, titles, and snippets, where available in the response.
- The selected output format and any conversion or sanitization applied afterward.
This is an implementation recommendation, not a claim that either provider guarantees a permanent or complete audit record. Search results can depend on the query parameters and time of retrieval; retaining those inputs lets a later reader see what the artifact represents.
Render the returned content safely
HTML output
Treat returned HTML as untrusted input before displaying it in an application. Sanitize it with a trusted HTML sanitizer and apply your application’s normal content security practices. Do not insert the response directly into a page with an unsafe HTML rendering method.
Markdown output
Treat Markdown as data too. Render it through a trusted Markdown pipeline configured for your application’s security needs. If the Markdown will be used as instructions or context for an AI system, preserve its source query and result links so the consumer can distinguish retrieved material from its own instructions.
ScreenshotNeo is for capturing a page, not extracting SERP data
ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a replacement for a SERP API that returns search-result fields. If your goal is a visual capture of a page rather than extracted search results, it can return a screenshot or PDF from a URL. Its API does not turn a Google query into structured result records, Markdown, or raw SERP HTML.
Or skip the browser setup
For a page screenshot, one GET request returns an image or PDF. This cURL example captures a URL as WebP:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options and response details. Cookie banners are accepted or removed before capture; newsletter popups and chat widgets can also be removed. Bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots, and 1,000 screenshots per month are free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for the free plan.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting
The response is JSON when you expected Markdown or HTML
Check that you requested the intended output format using the API’s documented parameter and endpoint. Do not infer the format from the query itself; the output selection controls the representation. Review the current SerpApi request documentation.
Your application cannot find a result title or link
If you requested Markdown or HTML, your client may be looking for structured JSON fields in a string. Request JSON for field-level processing and use the result fields documented by the provider’s client or API reference.
Google’s official API request is rejected or unavailable
Verify that the request includes a valid API key, a configured Programmable Search Engine identifier in cx, and the query in q. Also confirm that your account is eligible: Google says the API is closed to new customers, with an announced transition deadline for existing customers of January 1, 2027. See the Google API overview.
Best Value
- google search
- google map
- google plus
- youtube music
- youtube
HTML looks unsafe or breaks in your page
Do not inject the returned string directly into a live page. Sanitize it, check how your application handles markup, and consider JSON if your actual task is to display only selected result fields.
A reader cannot tell where a Markdown artifact came from
Store the query, parameters, retrieval timestamp, provider, and returned links and snippets alongside the Markdown. The rendered text is not a substitute for its retrieval context.
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Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
The cited provider documentation establishes supported formats and request capabilities, but it does not establish a comparative latency, accuracy, uptime, or market-share figure. Do not choose a provider on an assumed speed or reliability ranking unsupported by published evidence. For an integration, validate the response shape, handle request failures, retain retrieval context, and check current provider documentation for account-specific limits and pricing before deployment.
The practical trade-off is primarily format and access model: SerpApi is the direct documented option when you need Google SERP output as Markdown or HTML, while JSON is usually the better representation for code. Google’s official API requires a configured Programmable Search Engine and is not open to new customers, so new projects should account for that eligibility constraint and the announced transition date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google’s Custom Search JSON API return Markdown or the original results-page HTML?
No. The documented Custom Search JSON API returns JSON. The Markdown and HTML options discussed here are offered by SerpApi’s Google Search API.
Which format should I give to an LLM?
Markdown is the direct text-oriented choice. Keep the original query and result links with it so its origin remains auditable.
Can I use ScreenshotNeo to turn a Google query into Markdown?
No. ScreenshotNeo captures a supplied web page as an image or PDF; it is not a SERP extraction or Markdown conversion API.
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