You know your PPC campaigns could perform better. There’s just one problem: you don’t know how to improve your PPC strategies. You’re creating suitable ads, but they’re not hitting the mark. What’s worse is that your competitors seem to be doing something right, which shows in their performance. Their ads have higher click-through rates (CTRs) and conversion rates, while your ads languish in obscurity. You can fix this. Analyzing your competitors is one of the most effective ways to enhance your PPC performance. To get started, you can use PPC competitor analysis tools to collect data on your competitors' paid search strategies. These tools help uncover your competition’s secrets so you can create compelling ads that outperform theirs. In this article, we’ll cover how PPC competitor analysis tools work and share some of the best options available to help improve your tiktok ecommerce strategy.
One of the best PPC competitor analysis tools is Shophunter’s Shopify sales tracker. This tool helps you uncover the secrets of your competitors’ PPC strategies so you can create better ads and boost your performance.
What is a PPC Competitor Analysis & Why it Matter
Picture this: You’re scrolling through Google search results when you spot a familiar business. You click on their ad. The page that opens looks almost exactly like your own website. It’s no wonder they’re ranking so high. PPC competitor analysis pulls back the curtain on your competitors' pay-per-click strategies. It's a systematic process where advertisers critically assess and contrast their search engine marketing SEM approaches against their rivals.
The aim? To pinpoint where:
Competitors are excelling
Where they're falling short
To unearth potential opportunities for differentiation and growth
This involves a deep investigation into:
Ad content
Examining how competitors frame their messaging
Their choice of words
The kind of CTAs they use
Keyword strategy:
Investigate which keywords competitors are banking on and how effectively those keywords are driving results:
Budget allocation
Identifying how competitors allocate their ad spend
Which campaigns they‘re investing heavily in
Which ones they aren’t
Advertisers can glean valuable insights by analyzing these components and more into their competitive landscape:
In digital marketing, knowledge is power. And in the PPC arena, understanding your competitors' moves can give you a critical edge. PPC competitor analysis isn‘t just a fancy term or an optional endeavor. It’s integral to crafting impactful and efficient campaigns. Explore why these analyses are indispensable for advancing your paid search initiatives.
Gain Competitive Insight
Looking closer at how your competitors structure their PPC campaigns is like receiving a roadmap of potential best practices. These insights allow marketers to benchmark their campaigns against the industry’s best and craft strategies that stand out in the marketplace,
whether it's the:
Ad copy they use
The landing pages they direct traffic to
The times of day they prioritize
Identify Market Gaps
While it’s crucial to understand where competitors shine, it’s equally vital to notice where they don‘t. PPC competitor analysis can reveal areas your competitors might be neglecting. Perhaps there’s a set of keywords they still need to target or a demographic they've overlooked. Recognizing these gaps allows businesses to pivot and position themselves uniquely in the market. It‘s about being where others aren’t and providing solutions to audiences who might have previously been overlooked.
Optimize Ad Spend
Understanding how your competitors allocate their budget can help you spend your own more efficiently. By analyzing their bidding strategies, you can understand which keywords are worth the investment and which might be overpriced. For instance, if you see a competitor consistently bidding high on a particular keyword, it’s likely driving results for them.
You should increase your bids on that keyword. If you notice they’ve stopped bidding on a keyword they used to target heavily, it might be a sign that it’s not performing well. This insight helps you allocate your budget more strategically, improving your return on ad spend ROAS.
Improve Ad Copy
Your competitors’ PPC ad copy can be a goldmine of inspiration. You can improve your messaging and create compelling ads by analyzing what's working for them. Take HP’s display ad, for example. Their punchy, engaging statement, “Go where the action is,” directly appeals to their enterprise-savvy audience. This is an excellent lesson in speaking the language of your target market. Look at the:
Headlines they’re using
The benefits they’re highlighting
The calls to action that seem to work
Some questions that needs to be considered:
Are they using emotional triggers?
Specific numbers or statistics?
Special offers?
Take note of these elements. For example, how HP capitalizes on the action-oriented language can inspire you to use similar motivational triggers that resonate with your audience. If you’re selling simple solutions to businesses and busy people, as HP does, include familiar words and phrases in your ads to increase relevance and impact. The goal here isn’t to copy your competitors but to learn from their strategies. You can craft compelling ads by understanding what resonates with your shared audience.
Benchmark Performance
Competitor analysis gives you a reality check on your PPC performance. By utilizing tools like Google Ads Auction Insights or Semrush, you can directly compare your KPI benchmark metrics with your competitors. This comparison allows you to set realistic goals and pinpoint areas for improvement.
For example, if tools show that your click-through rate is significantly lower than your competitors, it might be time to revamp your ad copy. Similarly, if your conversion rate is lagging, platforms like Hotjar or Google Analytics can help you analyze user behavior on your landing pages to identify potential pitfalls. Incorporating these tools in your analysis helps you understand:
Where you stand
Prioritize your optimization efforts
Set achievable targets
Stay Ahead of Trends
Your competitors can be excellent indicators of emerging trends. By keeping an eye on their strategies, you can spot:
New keywords
Ad formats
Targeting options before they become mainstream
For instance, if you notice several competitors starting to use video ads in search results, this format is becoming more effective in your industry. Or, if you see a sudden shift in the keywords they’re targeting, it could indicate a change in customer search behavior. Staying on top of these trends helps you:
Adapt your strategies quickly
Keeping your campaigns fresh
Compelling in a rapidly changing market
The Anatomy of a PPC Competitor Analysis
A PPC competitor analysis is not just a report — it‘s a comprehensive breakdown of your competitors’ advertising strategies on search platforms. Think of it as a magnifying glass that reveals the intricacies of their campaigns, providing you with invaluable data to inform your next steps. Let’s peel back the layers to understand the core components of this analysis.
Ad Content Overview
Behind every successful PPC campaign lies compelling ad content that resonates with the target audience. This section zeroes in on the actual text and visuals your competitors use in their advertisements. You can gauge the messaging that might resonate with the audience by analyzing their:
Ad copy
Headlines
CTAs
What's their value proposition? Are they leveraging:
Emotions
Highlighting discounts
Emphasizing fast delivery
Keyword Strategy
The lifeblood of any PPC campaign lies in its keywords. Here, the analysis uncovers the specific keywords your competitors are bidding on. But it goes beyond just listing them. This section also showcases performance metrics associated with each keyword like:
Click-through rates
Conversion rates
Quality scores
Such insights can help you refine your keyword strategy, ensuring you're bidding on terms that promise optimal engagement and conversions.
Landing Page Experience
Once a user clicks on an ad, where do they land? The destination, the landing page, is pivotal in converting that click into a desired action. This is your target audience's fated first meeting with your brand. As Competitive Insight says: "Your brand strategy should align with your marketing efforts to ensure consistency in messaging, visuals, and customer experience. A well-crafted brand strategy fosters brand loyalty and recognition."
This analysis segment evaluates competitors:
Landing pages design
Layout
User experience
It’s about:
Aesthetics
Ease of navigation
Mobile optimization
Clarity of CTAs
The efficiency of these pages in guiding users toward a conversion can offer a wealth of ideas to enhance your landing page designs.
The first step in any PPC competitor analysis is knowing who you are against. Start with your direct competitors, those offering similar products or services. But don’t stop there. Indirect competitors, who might be targeting the same audience with different solutions, can provide valuable insights, too.
To pinpoint these competitors, begin with:
Inputs from your sales team
Who know your market competition intimately
Search for your main target keywords on Google and see which ads appear. This simple but effective step helps you identify who is competing for the same audience. Then, use tools like Ubersuggest or Semrush to uncover competitors you might not know. These tools can show you who’s bidding on the exact keywords as you. For instance, with Ubersuggest, you can enter your primary keywords and see a list of domains competing for those terms.
Analyze Their PPC and SEO Strategies
Now that you’ve identified your competitors, it’s time to dive deep into their PPC strategies. Determine where their ads are appearing:
Are they limited to search engine results
Do they also encompass display networks and social media platforms?
This knowledge can help you identify potential new channels for your ads. To get a comprehensive view of where their ads show up, use Google Ads to Review the Auction Insights Report. This report shows how your ads stack up against your competitors in terms of impression share and position above rate. It’s crucial for understanding ad placements and bidding strategies.
The Google Ads Auction Insights Report.
Source: Search Engine Land Analyze PPC and SEO Strategies
Using Ahrefs:Ahrefs is invaluable for dissecting your competitors’ PPC and SEO strategies.
Use it effectively
Find competitors’ keywords: Log into Ahrefs and select “Site Explorer.” Enter your competitor’s domain and navigate to the “PPC Keywords” report for PPC analysis and the “Organic Keywords” report for SEO insights. Review the keywords they are bidding on and those they rank for organically. Ahrefs' Site Explorer.
Identify Discrepancies Between PPC and SEO: Compare the keywords from both reports to identify gaps. For example, keywords they bid on but don’t rank for organically could indicate heavily invested PPC campaigns. Look for opportunities where they might not be fully optimized, such as high-volume search terms they haven’t capitalized on in their paid campaigns.
Analyze Their Ad Copy and Landing Pages
Your competitors’ ad copy and landing pages can tell you much about what’s working in your industry. Look at:
The headlines they’re using
The benefits they’re highlighting
The calls to action that seem to perform well.
Please pay close attention to their landing pages. How are they structured? What kind of offers are they using to convert visitors? This can give you ideas for optimizing your landing pages and improving your conversion rates. For example, if you notice a competitor using video testimonials on their landing pages, testing this approach on your site might be worth testing.
Analyze Targeting Strategies to Identify Their Audience
Understanding who your competitors are targeting can help you refine your audience strategy. Are they focusing on specific demographics or geographic areas? Are they using different messaging for different audience segments?
Tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner can be used here to gain insights into the search volume and competition for various keywords across different demographics and locations. This tool, combined with Ahrefs’ Content Gap feature, can highlight keywords your competitors are targeting that you may have missed.
Track Your Competitors’ Ad Positions
Keeping tabs on where your competitors’ ads appear can give you valuable insights into their bidding strategies and budget allocation. Google Ads’ Auction Insights report is a great place to start. It shows how often your ads overlap with competitors’ ads and where you’re positioned about them. If you notice a competitor consistently outranking you on specific keywords, it might be time to adjust your bidding strategy.
Tools like Semrush can also estimate your competitors’ ad spend and show you changes in their ad positions over time. This can help you spot shifts in their PPC priorities and adjust your strategy accordingly. Semrush's interface shows competitive ad spending. Don’t forget to visit your competitors’ websites regularly. You might catch their remarketing ads, giving insights into their retention strategies and ad creativity.
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ShopHunter aims to streamline product research and reduce the risk of investing in low-performing items, whether you're:
A dropshipper
A Shopify store owner
Someone looking to enter the e-commerce space
Sign up for a free trial (no credit card required) to our Shopify sales tracker tool to find your next eCom opportunity or to level up your current eCommerce store by learning from your competitors.
2. SpyFu
When deciphering the intricacies of competitors' ad strategies within Google Ads, SpyFu stands out. The tool grants you a front-row seat to your competitors making it easier to craft a formidable counter-strategy for:
Keywords
Bidding
Ad choices
SpyFu captures every keyword purchased and every ad run.
Features:
SEO and PPC competitor research
Keyword research
Ad history
Pricing:
Starts at $9 per month
Best for:
Small to mid-sized businesses diving into competitor analysis
What we like:
Its deep dive into competitors' keyword strategies, stretching back over a decade
3. SEMRush
SEMRush is a comprehensive platform designed to enhance your client‘s Google Ads campaigns from the ground up. It’s not just about tracking but about strategizing. Enter a website, and SEMRush unveils essential insights about major competitors, from top keywords to potential spending habits. It's a must-have for clients who want to maintain a competitive edge across various advertising platforms.
Features:
Keyword research
Site auditing
Ad tracking
Pricing:
Starts at $139 per month
Best for:
Agencies and professionals focused on all-rounded digital marketing solutions.
What we like: The multifunctional toolkit spans from SEO to PPC and content strategy.
4. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is an all-in-one toolkit that offers a wide range of functionalities, from link building and keyword research to competitor analysis. Its keyword explorer tool reveals potential keywords and gauges their competitiveness, ensuring your client’s budget is optimized by focusing on the most impactful keywords.
Features:
Backlink analysis
Organic traffic insights
Keyword explorer
Pricing: $139 monthly
Best for: SEO professionals and marketers wanting granular data.
What we like: The depth and accuracy of its backlink analysis.
5. BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is your go-to for all things social media. This cloud-based platform is tailored to boost your social media presence by uncovering:
Trending topics
Relevant keywords
Strategic outreach opportunities
It keeps you in sync with what's vital for your brand in the bustling world of social media.
Features:
Content discovery
Content alerts
Influencer information
Pricing:
Starts at $99 per month
Best for: Content marketers and brands looking to harness the power of viral content
What we like: Its ability to spot content trends and analyze what resonates with audiences.
6. Google Ads Auction Insights
While Google Ads Auction Insights truly shines when managing an active campaign, it remains an invaluable asset for periodic insights. By frequently checking the Auction Insights tab, you can garner many actionable insights to stay ahead of the curve.
Features:
Overlap rate
Top of page rate
Position above rate
Pricing:
Integrated within Google Ads (No additional cost)
Best for:
PPC advertisers wanting direct insights within the Google Ads ecosystem
What we like:
The straightforward way it showcases how you stack up against competitors in the same auctions.
7. Serpstat
Serpstat is another excellent tool for competitive PPC analysis and developing content marketing strategies. They promote themselves as a fast solution, allowing you to speed up marketing tasks and achieve your goals.
With Serpstart, you can:
Analyze websites with an emphasis on SEO and PPC
Complete an in-depth analysis of competitors’ backlinks, ads, and keywords
Analyze data in batches rather than individually, saving you time
Find keyword gaps
Identify backlinks
Beyond the 7-day free trial, you’ll have to pay for a subscription to Serpstat
Pricing:
Plans start from $59/month if paid monthly.
You’ll get a discount if you pay the entire annual sum upfront.
8. SE Ranking
SE Ranking is another all-in-one platform that gives you the tools to manage the entire marketing process, from lead generation to reporting. It has a simple and clear dashboard for monitoring data in real time and uses AI-powered algorithms.
Featured tools give you the ability to:
Get an all-encompassing picture of the organic and paid traffic your competition attracts
Compare competitor keywords to yours and find the low-hanging fruits
Analyze competitor ad history and identify their best performing ads
Get backlink insights
Check keyword rankings across different search engines
There’s no free access with SE Ranking, only a free trial. If you want to get the most out of this tool, pricing plans start from $55/month if paid monthly. As the plans increase in price, the limitations on your account decrease – for example, if you upgrade to the Pro plan for an extra $54/month, you can work with unlimited projects instead of a limit of ten.
9. SimilarWeb
SimilarWeb is a more specialized tool focusing solely on providing an analytical breakdown of any URL address. These reports will show you:
Website traffic
Search engine ranking
PPC results
SimilarWeb will help you to:
Identify top traffic sources on your competitors’ webpages
Analyze marketing strategies used by your competitors
Assess affiliate performance
Identify new PPC campaign opportunities
Optimize my PPC ads by emulating winning ad strategies
Uncover valuable keywords
Prices start from $149/month, billed monthly, for full access to all of SimilarWeb’s capabilities. A free Google Chrome extension allows you to download a reduced-function version.
10. Snitcher
Snitcher stands out on our list with its unique approach. Instead of focusing on what the competition is doing and trying to beat them at their own game, it focuses on maximizing the potential of your existing site visitors. This cutting-edge technology allows you to extract crucial insights from anonymous site visitors to use to your advantage.
The tools deployed by Snitcher will allow you to:
Segment the qualified leads and businesses that visit your site
Identify the company behind any IP address
Develop sales funnels and PPC campaigns tailored to the companies visiting your website
Snitcher has a free trial available for 14 days, but you'll need to choose a subscription plan to continue using the tool after the trial expires. Pricing plans start from $42/month for up to 100 unique company identifications. The more identifications you need to do increases the price per month.
11. Follow
Follow can help you gain a competitive edge and make better-informed business decisions by giving you a high-level overview of any website you want. It also has a browser extension that gives you quick website insights while you’re online.
With Follow, you can:
Identify top-performing ads and affiliate offers
Get an overview of the website performance in SERPs
Receive notifications when a website makes changes
Follow does have a forever free account that gives you 50 lookups per month and the ability to see about 50% of the website overview data. If that’s not enough, the most affordable plan costs $37/month with monthly billing and gives you up to 500 lookups.
12. Ispionage
Isoionage can help you drive targeted traffic to your site by identifying gaps between your marketing strategy and your competitors. They promote their tool as powerful enough for digital marketing agencies and streamlined for in-house digital marketers.
Using the Ispionage tool, you can:
Complete a full competitor analysis, including a user report
Ispionage doesn’t offer free access, but if you’re unsatisfied with the tool after 30 days, you can get your money back. Pricing plans start at $59/month, and there is an enterprise plan for those who want a customized solution.
13. Adbeat
Adbeat helps you spy on competitors’ advertising strategies with a competitive PPC analysis. You will know exactly what they’re doing and how effective it is for them.
With Adbeat’s technology, you’ll be able to:
Analyze your competitors’ ads and landing pages
Schedule alerts when new ad campaigns are launched
Develop customizable and downloadable reports
Collect data from over 90 different advertising channels
Adbeat provides a forever free plan with access to only basic analysis, but if you opt for a paid plan, you also have the safety net of a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plans with full access to listed features start from $249/month.
14. VisualPing
VisualPing is a straightforward platform for monitoring changes to any website. Enter the URL address, select the frequency you want the website scanned, and enter a contact email address. And that’s all it takes. You’ll receive email alerts whenever there are updates on the site. This tool is simple yet very effective. It informs you about your competitors’ latest real-time ad campaigns and website modifications.
With VisualPing, you can:
Scan up to 5000 web pages as frequently as every five minutes
Compare changes over time by viewing them side-by-side
Build your own customized reporting with the VisualPing API
For the business-specific accounts that grant access to more users and allow for more page monitoring, prices start from $50/month. But you can also discuss a customized enterprise solution with their sales team.
15. Akkio
Akkio is an AI-powered PPC analysis and predictive modeling tool designed to give digital agencies a competitive advantage. It helps refine your campaigns by understanding and leveraging the strengths and weaknesses of competitors’ search strategies, including:
Keywords
Ad copy
Landing pages and more
The AI functionality makes it seem as if you’re chatting with the data to learn more about how your competitors allocate their PPC budgets.
With Akkio, you can:
Analyze a competitor’s top keywords for clicks and conversion rate
Dig deep into the effectiveness of their landing pages
Understand how the competition is using remarketing techniques
Assess how competitors track ROI by looking at the tags they use
Learn from collected data to create accurate budget forecasts Akkio has a range of pricing options; with the most affordable plan, which goes for $49/month, you will be able to:
Build
View
Share live reports
You can also optimize the modeling tool by training it with your data. It’s also possible to get free access to Akkio, but you won’t have many options to customize reports how you’d like.
16. Pathmatics
Pathmatics is a market research and analytics platform that allows you to research your competitor’s ad campaigns on a wide variety of advertising platforms, including:
Social
Video
Mobile
Display ads
With Pathmatics, you can:
View current and historical ad spend
Access metrics like ad impressions
Break down competitors’ ads by spend and impressions
Gain insights into your competitors’ ad strategies
Pinpoint target audience profiles
View a selection of competitors in a side-by-side comparison
Identify gaps and missed opportunities for keywords
Pathmatics doesn’t offer transparent pricing on their website, so you’ll have to contact them to learn more. If you’re unsure about the platform, there’s a free demo you can try out.
17. Netpeak
Netpeak offers a downloadable URL checker tool for in-depth competitor analysis. This tool allows you to explore the performance and marketing strategies of multiple websites.
With Netpeak, you can:
Monitor competitor pricing for changes
Analyze competitors’ PPC strategies
Compare multiple URLs simultaneously
Identify competitor ad spend
When you sign up for Netpeak, you’ll get three days of free unlimited access, after which you automatically have a free account, subject to restrictions. If you want to upgrade, prices for full Netpeak access start at $69/quarter.
18. The Search Monitor
The Search Monitor will help your business identify top competitors and monitor their ad campaigns 24/7. It also allows you to defend against paid search brand infringements and affiliate policy violations.
With The Search Monitor, you can:
Set up alerts for when new competitors enter your niche
Customize URL crawl targets
Analyze metrics like:
Market share
Ad spend
Ranking
Clicks
Track priority keywords
The Search Monitor doesn’t have set pricing packages; instead, you can build your own depending on your priorities, whether brand and affiliate monitoring or complete competitor search intelligence.
19. Search Metrics
Search Metrics have integrated SEO and PPC results into the same dashboard, which is super convenient for anyone building organic traffic while using PPC.
With Search Metrics, you can:
See recent site history highlighting any growths or decreases in traffic as a result of PPC campaigns
Use the Research Cloud tool to visualize an overview of the entire competitive landscape, including:
Traffic volume
Ranking keywords
Average position
Set up continuous monitoring of SERPs for select keywords
The Search Metrics pricing options are not clearly stated, but they do offer a free demo. You'll have to contact customer support for a full rundown of their pricing.
20. Wask
Wask is an ad analysis tool that helps companies optimize their ads for improved performance. They have a free competitive analysis tool that, although it only provides a brief snapshot of information, gives a great taste to anyone who wants to upgrade and learn more.
With Wask, you can:
Analyze your competitor’s audience and advertising strategy
Create a target audience segment based on your:
Leads
Industry data
Your competitors
Take a deep dive into the performance of your ad funnels over time
Gauge their top-performing keywords and the average CPC
Understand advertising spend and the paid traffic your competition is attracting
The PPC Competitor Analysis tool is free, but you’ll have to pay to create reports and access smart analytics. The cheapest starting plan is Basic, which costs $29/month. This doesn’t include the Google or Facebook Ads optimization functionality; for that, you’ll have to upgrade to the next pricing plan, which costs $89/month.
21. Sprout Social
Sprout Social has the tool for the job if you’re looking to spy on your competitor’s social media ad campaigns. Sprout Social gives you deep insights into audience growth and post volume, which you can use as a benchmark for your social ads or to understand their winning formula better.
With Sprout Social, you can:
Analyze the type of ads used by your competition and their preferred social platforms
Collect information on competitors’ messaging and offerings to differentiate your message
Use the social listening functionality to collect insights about your competition passively
Create charts and reports to compare your performance to your competitors side-by-side
You can test out Sprout Social for free for 30 days, but after that, plans start from $249/seat/month.
22. BrandVerity
BrandVerity is an excellent tool for:
Monitoring
Identifying
Removing harmful ads from appearing on your most popular branded keywords.
It protects keywords from trademark infringement and affiliate programs from abuse.
23. BuiltWith
BuiltWith is a competitive research tool that analyzes:
Keywords
Websites
Technology and more
Use it to find competitors with messaging that uses the same keywords you’re targeting.
Sign Up for a Free Trial (no credit card required) to Our Shopify Sales Tracker to Find Your Next eCom Opportunity Today!
ShopHunter’s Shopify sales tracker offers an innovative tool for eCommerce founders, particularly those in the Shopify ecosystem. At its core is a custom algorithm that estimates sales for entire stores and specific products, helping users quickly validate product potential. The platform goes beyond basic sales tracking, featuring an ad spy tool that monitors advertising activity across stores.
This combination lets users spot trending products and successful marketing strategies early on. ShopHunter aims to streamline product research and reduce the risk of investing in low-performing items, whether you’re: