Analyzing your competitors’ Google ad history shows you how their strategy evolves over time. This way, you can learn from what has worked for them and what hasn’t.
With a competitor’s domain entered, go to the ” Ad History ” tab in Advertising Research . This provides a 12-month view of your competitors’ paid keywords and their positions.
Pay attention to the keywords they consistently bid on and rank for each month – these are likely valuable terms.
Click on the blue cells to see how your ad text has changed over time.
Look for messaging themes they maintain or offers they repeat. That’s likely what’s driving their strong results.
Use this data to identify your competitors’ top keywords and most effective hooks. And think about how you can apply these insights to your own ads.
Discover your competitors’ search ads
with the Advertising Research Tool
5. Review the corresponding landing pages
Your competitors’ ad landing pages phone number lead show you how they try to convince visitors to take action. This can help you understand what motivates your shared audience.
To find these landing pages, go to the “Pages ” tab in Advertising Research (when analyzing a competitor’s domain).
You’ll see the top landing pages associated with your competitors’ paid ads, sorted by the ones that receive the most traffic.
Click the grey icon next to an individual URL to view the landing pages.
Here are some things to keep in mind when examining these landing pages:
- Layout and design : Look for simple, clean designs that help visitors easily find what they need.
- Headlines and copy : Check whether your headlines are attention-grabbing and whether your copy is clear and benefit-oriented.
- Calls to Action: Look at the clarity and prominence of the CTAs, and how they use action-oriented words to create urgency
- Social proof : Look for the presence of testimonials, reviews, and trust badges that add credibility
- Page speed : Consider the overall responsiveness and loading speed of pages
The goal is to identify the elements that make your competitor’s page effective. And adapt those elements to your own message and offer. To increase your conversion rate .
6. Estimate rivals’ advertising expenses
Analyzing your competitors’ Google Ads spending gives you an idea of how much advertising costs in your industry. This can help you set a realistic budget to stay competitive.
To view this data, go back to one of your competitors ‘ Advertising Research tool and head over to the ” Rankings ” tab.
First, look at the “Traffic Cost” data at the top. This is an estimate of what it would cost each month to rank for the keywords listed in the report.
You can also view traffic cost statistics for each keyword. Scroll down to the “Paid Search Positions” widget. And check the “Costs” and “Costs %” columns.
This shows you roughly how much the competitor likely spent on each term over the past month. And what percentage of the total cost is attributed to individual keywords (higher percentages in the “Cost %” column can indicate which keywords are more valuable to that competitor).
If competitors are drastically outperforming you on relevant terms, you may need to allocate more budget to maintain visibility.
But don’t just copy their expenses. Actual costs vary based on factors like ad relevance and targeting. And bigger budgets don’t always mean better results.
Instead, use these competitive insights as a starting point. And let them guide your budgeting decisions along with your own data on which keywords perform best.
Tools to analyze your competitors’ Google ads
You’ve already seen how you can use some tools to perform a competitor analysis in Google Ads. But here’s a quick rundown of some good options:
1. Advertising research
Semrush’s Advertising Research tool instagram tests best ad frequency for stories shows you which keywords your competitors are bidding on in Google Ads, what ad copy they’re using, how much they’re spending, and more.
Plus, you can track your ad positions over time to gauge how your strategy is evolving.
2. Keyword gap
Semrush Keyword Gap shows you which keywords your competitors rank for and which you don’t. And which keywords their ads rank better than yours for (if you use the “Weak” tab).
3. PLA Research
PLA Research lets you take a look at find list your competitors’ Google Shopping campaigns, also known as Product Sales Ads (PLAs).
It shows which products they advertise the most, how they price and promote items, and the keywords that trigger their product ads.