Key take-aways

1. Identify which competitors to monitor.
2. Set up a tracking system to monitor their campaigns.
3. Gather valuable insight into their strategies.
4. Learn from both their mistakes and successes.
5. Identify trends that you may have overlooked.
6. Gain insight into their customers and buying habits.
7. Pay attention to their ad copy, targeting options, and landing pages.
8. Monitor their customer service and use this information to improve your own.
9. Bid on your own brand name to capture more customers.
10. Monitor your competitors’ campaigns over time to stay informed.

Which aspects to focus on?

When spying on competitors for Google Ads, it’s important to focus on several key aspects of their campaigns. This includes tracking their keywords and analyzing their performance over time, as well as looking at their ad copy, targeting options, and overall performance. Additionally, you should also keep an eye on their landing pages and any changes they make to their campaigns.

Keywords

By monitoring competitors’ keywords, you can gain insight into what drives people to their websites. This can include identifying which products and services they’re targeting, which customer needs they’re addressing, and what types of discounts and offers they’re offering. 

For example, if you’re a clothing retailer and you’re spying on competitors for Google Ads, you might use SEMrush to track which keywords they’re targeting and analyze their performance over time. You may find that they’re targeting certain keywords related to specific products or styles, and that these keywords have been performing well for them. You can then use this information to inform your own campaigns, targeting the same keywords or similar keywords in order to compete more effectively.

1. Brand Name: Paying attention to competitors’ brand names in their keywords can help you identify which brands they’re targeting and how you can compete more effectively.
   

   Monetize over timeBidding on your own brand name in Google Ads can be expensive, but it can be worth the cost over time. By bidding on your own brand name, you can capture more customers who are already familiar with your business and are likely to make a purchase. Additionally, bidding on your own brand name can help you protect your brand from competitors bidding on your brand name. Over time, you can expect to see a return on your investment, as more customers click on your ads and make purchases. Remember that by bidding on your own brand name, you can ensure that your ad appears at the top of the search results, making it more likely that customers will click on your ad.

2. Product: Paying attention to competitors’ product keywords can help you understand which products they’re emphasizing in their campaigns, as well as what types of products are resonating with their customers.
3. Service: Paying attention to competitors’ service keywords can help you understand which services they’re offering and how they’re positioning themselves in the market. This can also give you an idea of which services customers are looking for and how you can compete more effectively.

Ad copy

By closely monitoring competitors’ ad copy, you can identify which keywords and targeting options are working for them, as well as which types of messaging resonate with their customers.

1. Vouchers: Vouchers can be a great way to attract customers and incentivize them to make a purchase. When spying on competitors for Google Ads, it’s important to pay attention to any vouchers they’re using in their ad copy, as this can give you an idea of what types of offers are working for them.
2. Sales: Paying attention to any sales or promotions competitors are running in their Google Ads campaigns can help you identify what types of discounts and deals are resonating with customers.
3. Customer Needs: When spying on competitors for Google Ads, it’s important to pay attention to the customer needs they’re addressing in their ad copy. This can help you identify what types of problems and pain points your target customers are facing and how your competitors are addressing them.
4. Value Proposition: Paying attention to competitors’ value propositions can help you understand what makes their products and services unique, and how they’re positioning their offering in the market.
5. Product or Service Features: Keeping an eye on competitors’ ad copy can also help you identify which product or service features they’re emphasizing. This can give you an idea of what types of features are most important to customers and how you can position your own products or services in the market.
6. USP: Paying attention to competitors’ USPs (unique selling points) can help you understand how they’re differentiating their business in the market, and how you can compete more effectively.

Learn from competitors mistakes and successes

By closely monitoring their campaigns, you can identify areas where they’re making mistakes or having success, and use this information to inform your own campaigns. For example, if you notice they’re having success with a certain ad copy, keyword or targeting option, you can test this yourself to see if it has the same effect for your business. Similarly, if you see they’re making mistakes, you can avoid these same mistakes in your own campaigns.

Let yourself be inspired

Being inspired by competitors’ Google Ads campaigns can be a great way to create successful campaigns for your own business. When spying on competitors, look for elements in their campaigns that you find inspiring, such as creative ad copy, unique targeting options, or clever use of keywords. You can then use these elements as inspiration for your own campaigns, testing them to see if they have the same effect for your business. Additionally, you can use competitor analysis tools such as SEMrush and SpyFu to help you identify new ideas and strategies to test.

Learn about customers insight

When spying on competitors for Google Ads, you can also gain insight into their customers and their buying habits. This can help you identify which keywords and targeting options work best for your target audience, as well as what type of messaging resonates with them. Additionally, by looking at competitors’ ad copy and landing pages, you can gain insight into the type of content that appeals to their customers. All of this information can help you create more effective campaigns for your own business.

Identify trends you might overlooked

When spying on competitors’ Google Ads campaigns, you can also identify trends that you may have overlooked. This can be done by looking at their campaigns over time and noticing any changes or patterns that emerge. For example, by looking at competitors’ campaigns over the course of several months, you may notice that they’ve been targeting different keywords or using different ad copy. This can be a sign that there’s an emerging trend in the market that you should be aware of and may be missing out on.

Can I learn from other competitors?

It can be helpful to research and analyze your competitors’ Google Ads campaigns. Take note of what keywords they are targeting, the type of ads they are running, and the results they are getting. By understanding what your competitors are doing, you can get a better sense of what works and what doesn’t, and use this knowledge to create a more effective campaign.

How to start spying on competitors?

To start spying on competitors for Google Ads, the first step is to identify which competitors to monitor. This can be done by researching similar companies in your industry, examining their website and social media channels, and looking at which keywords they’re bidding on in Google Ads. This can be done using a variety of tools, such as SEMrush, SpyFu.

Why should you start spying on your competitors in Google Ads?

The primary benefit of spying on competitors for Google Ads is gaining valuable insight into their strategies, which can help you create more effective campaigns for your own business. This can help you stay ahead of the competition and increase your ROI. Additionally, spying on competitors can help you identify potential opportunities in the market that you may not have noticed otherwise. Finally, keeping an eye on competitors can help you stay informed of any changes they make to their campaigns, allowing you to quickly adjust your own strategies if necessary.

When spying on competitors for Google Ads, it’s important to pay attention to several key aspects and features of their campaigns. This includes tracking their keywords and analyzing their performance, as well as looking at their ad copy, targeting options, and overall performance. Additionally, you should also keep an eye on their landing pages and any changes they make to their campaigns. Finally, you should also pay attention to their customer service, as this can give you an idea of how they’re interacting with customers and how you can improve your own customer service.

I’m always happy to help and provide advice. If you have any questions or need help getting started with remarketing campaigns, installing tracking codes, or configuring Google Ads, Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help make your digital marketing endeavors a success!