Your competitors influence pretty much everything in the world of PPC, from what you pay per click to whether your ads actually ever make it into search results<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So, keeping a keen and constant eye on your competitors\u2019 PPC strategies<\/a> is an absolute must.<\/p>\n In this comprehensive guide to PPC competitive analysis, we\u2019ll give you all the info and tools you need to scrutinize every inch of your competitors\u2019 most successful paid strategies.<\/p>\n Summarize with ChatGPT<\/a> |\u00a0Google AI<\/a> | Perplexity<\/a> | Grok<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n PPC competitor analysis is the process of analyzing the tactics, strategies, and performance of your competitors\u2019 PPC efforts.<\/p>\n You peel back the layers of their strategies to find out where they\u2019re getting the most traffic from and spot which tactics lead to greater ad visibility in search results.<\/p>\n Through a PPC analysis, you can gain insight into your competitors\u2019:<\/p>\n The result? You can use this goldmine of information to refine and improve your own PPC strategies to catapult your ads into the spotlight, capture more targeted traffic, and improve conversion rates.<\/p>\n Well-conducted PPC competitor research is essential to creating a successful paid search strategy as it helps you:<\/p>\n You can\u2019t just dive straight into Google Ads and start bidding without first knowing who you\u2019re competing with and how your PPC performance measures up.<\/p>\n Analyze what your competitors are doing to identify any glaring gaps in your own PPC campaigns. These could be untapped keywords, new and innovative ad copy<\/a>, or effective CTAs that are resulting in a lot of traffic for your competitors.<\/p>\n Spot any new moves by competitors and shifts in your audience\u2019s behavior as quickly as possible, so you can adapt your strategies and stay competitive.<\/p>\n Understand what drives the most engagement within your target audience<\/a> by examining your competitors\u2019 best-performing ads and landing pages.<\/p>\n With an overview of your competitors\u2019 PPC performance, you can more accurately gauge what is achievable within your industry and set manageable goals for future success.<\/p>\n You probably know your competitors quite well. But, with the low barrier to entry when it comes to paid advertising, the scope of potential rivals is a lot more diverse than any other marketing channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why identifying your specific PPC competitors is an important first step in your competitive analysis.<\/p>\n Direct competitors<\/a>: <\/strong>These are the competitors you know well. They have a similar product or service and consistently go after the same<\/strong> audience<\/strong> and the same keywords<\/strong> in their paid ads.<\/p>\n Indirect competitors: <\/strong>More subtle competitors that may not sell the same product or service, but appeal to the same target audience – and will still give your ads a run for their money.<\/p>\n Search competitors: <\/strong>Your search competitors are the ones you already come head-to-head with in organic search results for your target keywords. They\u2019ll likely be jostling for the same ad space, too.<\/p>\n Seasonal competitors: <\/strong>A big reason why your PPC competitor analysis needs to be a regular thing. Some businesses only launch paid campaigns at certain times of the year, such as around the holiday season.<\/p>\n Local competitors:<\/strong> These are brands vying for attention within the same geographic region as you, targeting the same audience and local keywords. 92%<\/a> of searchers pick businesses on the first page of local search results, so don\u2019t forget about your local PPC competitor analysis<\/p>\n The classic way is to Google each of your target keywords to see which ads come up and make a list of competitors that way.<\/p>\n Luckily, there\u2019s a much quicker and easier way to find out who you\u2019re competing against using Similarweb.<\/p>\n The \u2018Paid Competitors\u2019 feature highlights your top ten PPC competitors mapped out in a graph:<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve refined by country and time period, target your analysis further by selecting different metrics (total traffic, paid traffic, shared keywords, etc.) to represent the x- and y-axis. This will change the top 10 competitors shown as per the chosen metrics.<\/p>\n Here, you can determine the degree of overlap between you and your competitors, such as the search overlap and percentage of shared keywords.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a big ol\u2019 PPC world out there. From search engines like Google and Bing, to social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, there are several platforms where you can battle to capture clicks from your target audience.<\/p>\n So, pinpointing which platforms you\u2019re competing on with your PPC rivals helps you gain clarity on where to channel your energy and how to tailor your approach for each specific platform.<\/p>\n Working out who NOT to compete with can be just as important, as it leads to more efficient allocation of time, effort, and of course, budget.<\/p>\n This is especially true when it comes to your branded keywords. You might discover that some brands bidding on your branded keywords aren’t true competitors; they might have a totally different product or service, or their ads may be subpar and getting little traffic.<\/p>\n Plus, if you’ve already secured the top organic spot in search results for a target keyword, competing with paid ads could be a waste as you\u2019re already<\/strong> getting the traffic for free<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got your PPC competitors nailed, you can start examining everything from their high-traffic keywords and ad copy, to how they spend their budget.<\/p>\n The first step is zeroing in on your competitors\u2019 paid keyword strategy. And here\u2019s why it\u2019s such an important part of your competitive paid search audit:<\/p>\n Identify gaps<\/strong><\/p>\n Use our PPC keywords tool<\/a> to analyze gaps in your paid strategy. There, you can see which keywords are driving paid traffic to your competitors\u2019 websites\u00a0and find untapped keyword opportunities for your own strategy. There may be some lucrative high-volume keywords or long-tail terms<\/a> that you\u2019re missing out on.<\/p>\n Budget optimization<\/strong><\/p>\n Seeing which keywords your competitors prioritize, you can make more informed decisions on where to allocate your budget, so you get the maximum bang for your buck.<\/p>\n Trend spotting<\/strong><\/p>\n Spotting new keywords in your competitors’ focus can clue you in on rising industry trends, changing search behavior, or emerging market segments that could influence the effectiveness of your own ads.<\/p>\n Add in one or more of your competitors to our Paid Search Overview to get a good look into their paid traffic and top paid keywords:<\/p>\n Then, click through to the full list to analyze their top paid keywords<\/a> in more detail:<\/p>\n Use the filters to remove competitors\u2019 branded terms or sort the keywords by <\/em>search volume<\/em><\/a>, traffic, CPC and search intent to get a list of keywords that are <\/em>proven to drive relevant traffic<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n Similarweb also has the option to filter the competitive keyword list by \u2018newly discovered\u2019 or \u2018trending terms\u2019, so you catch new keyword trends as they emerge.<\/p>\n Discover even more valuable keywords that your competitors are successfully targeting with Similarweb\u2019s Keyword Gap tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here, you can compare your website along with up to four competitors to see the keyword overlap across all websites:<\/p>\n Underneath the overlap Venn diagram, you\u2019ll find a table full to the brim of the keywords driving traffic to these sites:<\/p>\n Look at the Competitive Traffic Share to see where competitors are getting traffic and you\u2019re not. Then qualify those keyword opportunities by analyzing the traffic, search volume and CPC<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The next step is finding out what your competitors are saying in their ads to woo your target audience. What\u2019s enticing those short attention spans to stop and click through?<\/p>\n Have a look at your competitors\u2019 ad copy to find out<\/p>\n By taking a peek at their messaging, you\u2019ll see which benefits they’re highlighting, the emotions they’re tapping into, and the calls to action that are actually working.<\/p>\n This is truly golden data, as with it you\u2019ll craft ad messaging that stands out, resonates better, and maybe, just maybe, steals the limelight.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how Similarweb can help you uncover the best ad copy insights:<\/p>\n Under the Paid Website Analysis module, you\u2019ll find our Search Ads tool<\/a>, which allows you to compare your ads with up to four competitors:<\/p>\n With this view, you will see your competitor\u2019s ad copy just as it appears in the SERPs, along with the estimated ad impressions, the top keyword driving traffic to the ad and its average position in search results over the specified month.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve picked out the ads that are driving the most traffic, inspect the ad copy and calls-to-action of each to understand why<\/em> they\u2019re getting so many clicks.<\/p>\n Understanding the fluctuations in your competitors\u2019 PPC advertising activities at different times of the year helps you identify patterns or peak periods in which they get more traffic.<\/p>\n You can use this data to understand when in the year your target audience is more likely to purchase and when to bid more aggressively to compete. Or, you can strategically promote your ads when your competitors\u2019 ads are less active<\/em>, reducing your CPC and exploiting their missed opportunities to gain a competitive edge.<\/p>\n You can use Similarweb\u2019s Paid Traffic Overview to see your competitors\u2019 seasonal PPC trends:<\/p>\n In this example, you\u2019ll see that with these competing retail brands, there\u2019s a notable paid traffic surge in November – most likely due to Black Friday sales and the approaching holiday season. There are also periods where one competitor is experiencing a rise in paid traffic, where others aren\u2019t, and you can investigate whether this is an untapped opportunity for your business.<\/em><\/p>\n Next, dive into the nitty-gritty of your competitors\u2019 paid traffic to glean some more insights into what is driving your target audience to their websites.<\/p>\n Where your competitors rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) offers a window into which keywords they’re prioritizing and succeeding with in their campaigns. Higher rankings naturally equate to more visibility, clicks, and opportunities for conversions.<\/p>\n To see which paid keywords are ranking highly for your competitors, you can use Similaweb\u2019s \u2018Keywords\u2019 feature. Once you\u2019ve added in your competitors, adjust the filters to focus on paid traffic and either branded or non-branded keywords (or both).<\/p>\n Here, you\u2019ll see details of your competitors\u2019 average paid positions for each keyword over the selected time period:<\/p>\n Understanding the balance between a competitor\u2019s paid and organic traffic sheds light on where they are getting the most engagement from the target audience.<\/p>\n Aside from helping you contextualize your own performance, this information helps signal where you should focus your efforts based on their successes, or highlight which competitors are missing out on paid traffic opportunities that you can then capitalize on.<\/p>\n Here, the majority of these retail competitors have a pretty even split between organic and paid traffic, suggesting that PPC strategies are just as effective with the shared target audience. In this case, you would know to invest equally in your PPC and <\/em>SEO strategies<\/em><\/a> to compete for a share of the traffic.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Analyzing which countries are driving paid traffic to your competitors shows you where in the world your audience is most engaged, giving you a clear roadmap of where to focus your PPC efforts.<\/p>\n When considering breaking into a new market\/geography, understanding the competitive paid landscape, CPC and ad strategies of competitors is crucial, as while organic and direct traffic take a while to grow, PPC will lead acquisition efforts.<\/p>\n Getting your audience to click through to your landing page is only half the battle <\/p>\n You\u2019re then faced with the not-so-easy task of keeping them on the landing page long enough to actually convert – whether that\u2019s getting them to make a purchase, book a demo or complete a form.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why looking at your competitors\u2019 best-performing landing pages to see how they\u2019re successfully engaging your shared audience is an essential step in your competitive analysis.<\/p>\n Look at their copy and how it\u2019s structured, the layout of the page, any imagery, CTAs, or just about anything that could make their page stand out.<\/p>\n For this, you can use Similarweb\u2019s PPC Landing Pages tool<\/a>, where you enter up to 4 competitors to get a list of their highest-traffic landing pages:<\/p>\n Then, drill down into each specific URL to see a list of keywords that drive traffic to the landing page:<\/p>\n And see every Search Ad associated with that URL:<\/p>\n When digital touch-points sprawl across multiple devices – from smartphones and tablets to wearables – a one-size-fits-all approach to PPC simply won\u2019t get you the results you want.<\/p>\n So, knowing which specific devices are driving traffic to your competitors is an important part of your analysis, as it reveals the distinct user behaviors and preferences of your target audience.<\/p>\n With this information, you can go on to create device-specific ad campaigns tailored to your target audiences\u2019 preferences to increase the likelihood of them clicking on your ads.<\/p>\n Examining your competitors’ PPC spend reveals not just how much<\/em> they’re investing but where<\/em> they\u2019re confident to spend. Why is this so important to your competitive analysis?<\/p>\n Get an idea of how much you should be investing in your campaigns to avoid over- or underspending<\/p>\n Pinpoint seasonal ad spending trends (as discussed earlier)<\/p>\n See where their investments really paid off<\/p>\n You can dig up these insights using Similarweb\u2019s PPC Spend tool, where you get an overview of competitors\u2019 PPC spend over a selected time period:<\/p>\n To see the success of their spend decisions, switch between the PPC Spend and Paid Search Traffic tabs to compare their monthly ad spend to their paid traffic for the same month.<\/em><\/p>\n Carrying out PPC competitive analysis is no one-off operation. User behavior changes, trends come and go, and your competitors never stop moving. Ideally, you should perform PPC competitive analysis monthly<\/strong> to stay one step ahead of the competition.<\/p>\n And, we\u2019ve got a way to make big chunks of your PPC monitoring a breeze with our ✨Competitive Tracker ✨<\/p>\n With this feature, you can track up to 25 competitors to get an ongoing overview of their digital performance, key trends, metrics, and new moves in your specific competitive landscape.<\/p>\n While the tool encompasses everything from your competitors\u2019 organic traffic through to their social performance, for the purpose of your PPC competitive analysis, you can focus mainly on the \u2018Paid Search\u2019 and \u2018Display\u2019 sections.<\/p>\n In your Paid Search overview, you can track your real-time performance in comparison to your competitors and be kept in the loop about any changes in paid traffic. When competitors start gaining traction in a certain area or bidding on the same keywords, you can adjust your own strategies quickly:<\/p>\n Keep a close eye on your competitors\u2019 display traffic and their new ad creatives by regularly checking the Display overview:<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss this important part of your PPC surveillance, as competitors bidding on your branded keywords<\/a> can divert traffic that is rightfully yours away from your site.<\/p>\n To make tracking all of your branded keywords in one place easier, there\u2019s Similarweb\u2019s dedicated Brand Protection tool<\/a>. You\u2019ll be alerted to any aggressive bidding strategies launched by competitors, so you have time to pivot your PPC strategies and keep hold of your traffic.<\/p>\n In a world where the PPC competitive landscape is fierce and constantly evolving, staying ahead requires more than just bidding on the right keywords. You\u2019ve got to have an in-depth understanding of your competitors\u2019 strategies, from the keywords they prioritize to the ads and CTAs that compel your target audience to take action.<\/p>\n With our comprehensive guide to PPC competitive analysis, you\u2019ve learned how to uncover everything from your competitors\u2019 paid keyword strategies and seasonal trends to their ad spend secrets and multi-device strategies. You now have everything you need to create a winning paid strategy that will propel your PPC ads into the spotlight.<\/p>\nWhat is PPC competitor analysis?<\/h2>\n
\n
Why is PPC competitor analysis important?<\/h2>\n
1) Understand the competitive landscape<\/h3>\n
2) Identify gaps and opportunities<\/h3>\n
3) Stay proactive<\/h3>\n
4) Drive more clicks and conversions<\/h3>\n
5) Set achievable goals<\/h3>\n
How to analyze competitors\u2019 PPC strategies<\/h2>\n
1) Identify your competitors<\/h3>\n
Types of PPC competitors<\/h4>\n
Find your PPC competitors<\/h4>\n
![\"Find](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ASOS-Paid-Competitor-overview.png\")
<\/p>\nUnderstand where they are competing with you<\/h4>\n
Decide who not <\/em>to compete with:<\/h4>\n
2) Analyze your competitors\u2019 keyword strategy<\/h3>\n
How to find your competitors\u2019 top paid keywords using Similarweb<\/h4>\n
![\"Paid](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Paid-Search-Overview-zara-hm.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Look](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Paid-keyword-strategy-competitors.png\")
<\/p>\n3) Find paid keyword gaps<\/h3>\n
![\"Keyword](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Paid-Keyword-Gap-Overview.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Full](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Paid-keyword-gap-ASOS-keyword-list.png\")
<\/p>\n4) Research competitor ads<\/h3>\n
![\"Look](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Search-Ads-Lulu.png\")
<\/p>\n5) Analyze your competitors\u2019 campaign seasonality<\/h3>\n
![\"Competitive](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Competive-PPC-campaign-seasonality.png\")
<\/p>\n6) Scrutinize your competitors\u2019 paid traffic<\/h3>\n
Analyze their SERP rankings<\/h4>\n
![\"Find](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/SERP-positions-competitive-keywords.png\")
<\/p>\nAnalyze competitors\u2019 paid vs organic traffic<\/h4>\n
![\"Organic](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Paid-vs-Organic-traffic-.png\")
<\/p>\nAnalyze which countries are driving paid traffic<\/h4>\n
Analyze competitors\u2019 top-performing landing pages<\/h4>\n
![\"Analyze](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Paid-Landing-Pages-UOF.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Analyze](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Zara-Paid-Landing-Pages-Keyword-list.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Zara-Paid-Landing-Pages-Search-Ads-list.png\")
<\/p>\nAnalyze their multi-device strategy<\/h4>\n
7) Analyze competitors\u2019 ad spend<\/h3>\n
![\"Analyze](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PPC-Spend-competitive-analysis.png\")
<\/p>\nTrack your competitors\u2019 paid activities over time<\/h2>\n
![\"Competitive](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Competitive-Tracker-Paid.png\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n![\"Competitive](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Paid-Search-2-Competitive-Tracker.png\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n![\"Display](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Competitive-Tracker-Display.png\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\nProtecting your branded keywords<\/h4>\n
That\u2019s a wrap<\/h2>\n