Competitor Spy Framework: Extract Google Ads Intelligence

Your competitors have spent thousands testing keywords, ad copy, and landing pages. Smart advertisers extract these learnings rather than starting from scratch.

The Competitive Intelligence Advantage

Competitors reveal:

• Which keywords convert (they keep bidding on them)
• What messaging resonates (winning ad copy)
• How to structure landing pages (optimized for conversion)
• What offers work (promotions they repeat)

What You'll Learn

This framework covers:

1. Finding all competitor ads
2. Extracting keyword intelligence
3. Analyzing ad copy patterns
4. Reverse-engineering landing pages
5. Monitoring ongoing changes

The Tools You'll Use

Free tools:

• Google Ads Transparency Center
• Google Search (incognito)
• PageSpeed Insights
• Archive.org Wayback Machine

Paid tools (optional):

• SEMrush
• SpyFu
• SimilarWeb
• Ahrefs

Legal and Ethical Boundaries

Everything in this guide is legal:

• Viewing public ads is allowed
• Analyzing public landing pages is allowed
• Using learnings to improve your campaigns is allowed

Never: copy trademarks, steal content, or click competitor ads.

The first step is discovering every ad your competitors run.

Google Ads Transparency Center

Google's official tool shows all ads from any advertiser.

How to use it:

1. Go to adstransparency.google.com
2. Search advertiser name or domain
3. Filter by region and date range
4. View all active ads

What you can see:

• All current ad creatives
• Different ad formats (Search, Display, Video)
• Geographic targeting
• Date range of activity

Manual Search Method

Search your target keywords in incognito mode.

Process:

1. Open Chrome incognito
2. Set location to target market
3. Search competitor keywords
4. Screenshot all ads that appear
5. Click through to landing pages

Tips:

• Use different locations (VPN or location settings)
• Search at different times of day
• Test mobile vs. desktop
• Try variations of keywords

Building Your Competitor List

Identify 5-10 key competitors:

Direct competitors:

• Same product/service
• Same target market
• Same geographic area

Aspirational competitors:

• Larger players in your space
• Better-funded competitors
• Industry leaders

Adjacent competitors:

• Similar products
• Different positioning
• Potential substitutes

Creating a Swipe File

Organize findings:

• Folder per competitor
• Screenshots of all ads
• Landing page captures
• URL tracking
• Date stamps

Update monthly to track changes.

Discover which keywords competitors target and how much they pay.

Identifying Competitor Keywords

From their ads:

• Headlines reveal primary keywords
• Descriptions show secondary themes
• Display URLs indicate keyword focus

From their landing pages:

• Title tags
• H1 headings
• Body content themes
• URL structure

Using Paid Tools

SEMrush Competitor Analysis:

1. Enter competitor domain
2. View "Organic Competitors" and "Paid Competitors"
3. Export keyword lists
4. Filter by position, volume, CPC

SpyFu:

1. Enter domain
2. See historical keyword data
3. View estimated spend
4. Export keyword history

Key metrics to extract:

• Keywords they bid on
• Estimated positions
• Estimated monthly spend
• Keyword overlap with you

Free Keyword Extraction

Google Keyword Planner method:

1. Enter competitor URLs
2. "Get search volume and forecasts"
3. See related keyword suggestions
4. Note which keywords align with their content

Manual reverse engineering:

1. Study landing page content
2. Identify core topics
3. Use Keyword Planner for variations
4. Check search volume and competition

Keyword Opportunity Matrix

Create a matrix:

Keyword	Competitor Bids	Your Bid	Volume	Opportunity
[keyword]	Competitor A, B	No	1,000	High
[keyword]	Competitor A	Yes	500	Low
[keyword]	None	No	2,000	Test

Prioritize:

• Keywords competitors bid on that you don't
• High-volume keywords with few competitors
• Long-tail variations of winning keywords

Negative Keyword Mining

Competitors reveal what NOT to target:

• Keywords they used to bid on but stopped
• Keywords where they don't appear
• Search terms with irrelevant ads

Add their lessons to your negative keyword list.

Competitor ads reveal messaging that resonates with your shared audience.

Ad Copy Framework Analysis

Study the structure of competitor ads:

Headline patterns:

• Do they lead with benefits or features?
• Price-focused or value-focused?
• Question-based or statement-based?
• Brand name placement

Description patterns:

• Social proof usage
• Urgency elements
• Call-to-action style
• Unique selling propositions

Building an Ad Copy Swipe File

Categories to capture:

Category	Example Pattern	Competitor
Benefit-led	"Save 50% on [product]"	Competitor A
Social proof	"Trusted by 10,000+"	Competitor B
Urgency	"Limited time offer"	Competitor C
Question	"Looking for [solution]?"	Competitor A

What to Extract

Unique value propositions:

• What do they claim makes them different?
• What benefits do they emphasize?
• What objections do they address?

Offers and promotions:

• Discount patterns (% off, $ off, free shipping)
• Bundling strategies
• Trial or guarantee offers

Trust signals:

• Reviews/ratings mentioned
• Awards or certifications
• Experience claims ("20 years")

Patterns Across Competitors

Look for commonalities:

• If all competitors mention "free shipping," it's table stakes
• If all mention "24/7 support," customers expect it
• Common patterns = industry expectations

Look for gaps:

• What do NO competitors mention?
• What value propositions are unclaimed?
• Where can you differentiate?

Testing Competitor Copy

Don't just copy—test and improve:

1. Note their approach (e.g., "discount-focused")
2. Create your version with that approach
3. Also create an alternative approach
4. A/B test to see which works for YOUR audience
5. Iterate based on results

Their winning copy may not work for you—context matters.

Landing pages reveal conversion optimization strategies that work.

Capturing Landing Pages

Tools:

• Full-page screenshots (browser extensions)
• Archive.org Wayback Machine (historical versions)
• Page source view (for technical elements)

Capture:

• Desktop and mobile versions
• All pages in the funnel
• Thank you/confirmation pages if accessible

Landing Page Element Analysis

Above the fold:

• Headline style and messaging
• Hero image or video
• Primary CTA placement
• Trust badges visible?

Body content:

• Feature presentation style
• Benefit-focused or spec-focused?
• Social proof placement
• FAQ sections

Conversion elements:

• Form fields (how many?)
• Button text and color
• Multiple CTAs or single focus?
• Exit intent popups?

Technical Analysis

Page speed: Use PageSpeed Insights on competitor pages

• Load time comparison
• Technical optimization level
• Mobile usability score

Tracking: View page source for:

• Analytics tools used
• Conversion pixels
• Retargeting pixels
• Heatmap tools

Funnel Mapping

Map the competitor journey:

1. Ad click -> Landing page
2. Landing page -> Form/Cart
3. Form/Cart -> Confirmation
4. Confirmation -> Upsell/Thank you

Document each step:

• What information is requested?
• What objections are addressed?
• How is urgency created?
• What's the overall friction level?

Landing Page Improvement Checklist

After analysis, audit your own pages:

• Is your headline clearer than competitors?
• Do you have more/better social proof?
• Is your form shorter/simpler?
• Is your CTA more compelling?
• Do you load faster?
• Do you address objections they miss?

Competitive intelligence isn't one-time—it's ongoing.

Setting Up Monitoring

Google Alerts:

• Set alerts for competitor brand names
• Monitor their press releases
• Track their content marketing

Ad Transparency bookmarks:

• Bookmark competitor profiles
• Check weekly for new ads
• Note changes in messaging

Monthly Audit Process

Week 1: Ad audit

• Check all competitor ads
• Note new creatives
• Document retired ads
• Identify messaging shifts

Week 2: Keyword audit

• Re-run competitor keyword analysis
• Note new keywords they're targeting
• Identify keywords they've dropped
• Update your keyword strategy

Week 3: Landing page audit

• Revisit competitor landing pages
• Document changes
• Test new funnels
• Compare to your conversion rates

Week 4: Strategy synthesis

• Compile monthly findings
• Identify patterns and trends
• Update your competitive strategy
• Implement learnings

Tracking Competitive Changes

Spreadsheet tracking:

Date	Competitor	Change	Your Response
1/1	Comp A	New discount offer	Test similar offer
1/15	Comp B	New landing page	Analyze and adapt
2/1	Comp A	Dropped keyword	Test that keyword

Automated monitoring:

• SEMrush position tracking
• SpyFu competitor alerts
• SimilarWeb traffic monitoring

Acting on Competitive Intelligence

When competitors launch new ads:

• Document the new approach
• Test your version within 2 weeks
• Monitor their ad longevity (if they keep running, it's working)

When competitors change landing pages:

• Capture before/after
• Identify the optimization hypothesis
• Test if the change works for you

When competitors drop keywords:

• Test those keywords immediately
• They may have given up too early
• Or they found them unprofitable (monitor closely)

Use intelligence to position against competitors effectively.

Competitive Positioning Options

1. Head-to-head:

• Target same keywords
• Match or beat their offers
• Compete directly on messaging

Best for: Similar products, price competitive

2. Differentiation:

• Target different keywords
• Unique value proposition
• Different audience angle

Best for: Unique products, niche positioning

3. Conquest:

• Target competitor brand keywords
• Address competitor weaknesses
• Offer switching incentives

Best for: Established brands, competitive markets

Conquest Campaign Setup

Keywords:

• [Competitor] alternatives
• [Competitor] vs
• [Competitor] reviews
• [Competitor] complaints

Ad messaging:

• Lead with your differentiator
• Address known competitor weaknesses
• Offer comparison resources
• Include switching incentive

Landing page:

• Comparison content
• Migration guides
• Testimonials from switchers
• Clear next steps

Defensive Strategies

Protecting your brand:

• Bid on your own brand keywords
• Monitor competitor ads on your brand
• Report trademark violations
• Maintain strong ad presence

Monitoring brand mentions:

• Google Alert for brand name
• Social mention tracking
• Review site monitoring
• Competitor ad tracking

Competitive Response Framework

When competitors make moves:

If they launch aggressive pricing:

• Don't match immediately
• Test value-based messaging
• Emphasize quality/service differences
• Consider limited match offers

If they target your keywords:

• Increase bids on core keywords
• Improve Quality Score to maintain position
• Test new keyword variations
• Strengthen landing page experience

If they improve their product:

• Update your competitive positioning
• Highlight remaining differentiators
• Accelerate your own improvements
• Adjust messaging as needed

Follow this checklist to implement your competitive spy framework.

Initial Setup (Week 1)

Competitor identification:

• List 5-10 direct competitors
• List 3-5 aspirational competitors
• List 3-5 adjacent competitors
• Prioritize by relevance

Tool setup:

• Create Google Ads Transparency bookmarks
• Set up Google Alerts
• Create swipe file folder structure
• Sign up for paid tools (optional)

First Competitive Audit (Week 2)

Ad collection:

• Capture all competitor ads from Transparency Center
• Perform manual searches for each competitor
• Screenshot and organize all ads
• Note ad formats and targeting

Keyword extraction:

• Run keyword analysis on top 5 competitors
• Create keyword opportunity matrix
• Identify gaps and opportunities
• Add negative keywords from findings

Landing page analysis:

• Capture all competitor landing pages
• Document key elements
• Run speed tests
• Map competitor funnels

Strategy Development (Week 3)

Positioning decisions:

• Choose competitive positioning strategy
• Identify differentiation opportunities
• Plan conquest campaigns if applicable
• Set defensive strategy

Implementation planning:

• Prioritize keyword opportunities
• Create ad test schedule
• Plan landing page improvements
• Set monitoring cadence

Ongoing Process (Monthly)

• Week 1: Ad audit
• Week 2: Keyword audit
• Week 3: Landing page audit
• Week 4: Strategy synthesis

Metrics to Track

Competitive metrics:

• Share of voice vs. competitors
• Impression share on key keywords
• Position relative to competitors
• Landing page speed comparison

Performance impact:

• CTR improvement from ad copy learning
• Conversion rate from landing page insights
• CPA improvement from keyword intelligence
• ROAS change from overall strategy