How to read rivals' ads in the Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Center
A step-by-step manual method for reviewing competitors' live ads in the two public ad libraries, what to record, and how to read what you find.
Main takeaways
- The Meta Ad Library and the Google Ads Transparency Center let anyone see the ads a business is running, without clicking a single paid ad.
- For every ad, record the start date, format, hook, offer and landing page, in the same spreadsheet for every rival.
- Ads that have run for a long time hint at what may be working, but that is a hypothesis to test, not proof.
- Never click a rival's paid ads; it costs them money and tells you nothing the libraries do not.
Rivals' ads are a public record of their bets
A rival's ads show what it is willing to pay to say. The ads it keeps running and the ones it drops show which messages and offers it is betting on. You cannot see their results. You can see their choices, and that is enough to decide what to test next.
Meta and Google both publish searchable ad libraries. Use them. Do not click a rival's ad in your feed or in search results: every click costs them money and can distort their data.
Step by step: the Meta Ad Library
The Meta Ad Library covers ads running on Meta's apps, including Facebook and Instagram.
- Go to the Meta Ad Library and choose the United Kingdom as the country.
- Choose all ads as the category, then search for the rival by its page name.
- Filter to active ads to see what is running now. Switch to inactive ads later to see what they have stopped.
- Open each ad and note the date it started running, which the library shows on each entry.
- Record the format (single image, video, carousel), the opening line, the offer and where the ad sends people. Visit the landing page by typing its address or navigating from the rival's homepage, not by clicking through the ad.
- Repeat for each rival and for your own business, so you compare like with like.
Step by step: the Google Ads Transparency Center
The Google Ads Transparency Center is a searchable repository of advertisers and the ads they have served on Google platforms.
- Search for the rival's name or domain and select the matching advertiser. The page shows the advertiser's name and location, which helps confirm you have the right one.
- Set the location filter to the United Kingdom.
- Use the date filter to look at a recent period, then a longer one, to see which ads persist.
- Open each ad and record its headline, description, format and any offer.
- Run a few ordinary Google searches for the products or services you both sell and note which rivals appear, and with which message. Do not click the paid results.
What to record for every ad
Use one spreadsheet, one row per ad, with the same columns for every rival:
- Advertiser and platform (Meta or Google)
- Start date, as shown in the library
- Format: image, video, carousel, text, Shopping
- Hook: the opening line or first frame, quoted exactly
- Angle: price, quality, speed of delivery, social proof, problem and solution, guarantee
- Offer: discount, free delivery threshold, bundle, free consultation, or none
- Landing page: the address, and whether its first screen keeps the ad's promise
- Notes: anything striking, such as several versions of the same ad with different opening lines
Quote the exact words. A summary like 'talks about quality' loses the detail you will want later when writing your own ads.
Reading the patterns
Once the sheet is filled in for all your rivals, look across it rather than at individual ads.
- Long-running ads. An ad that has run for many months may be working. It may also have been left on by accident. Treat it as a hypothesis to test, never as proof.
- Variations. Several versions of one ad with different hooks or images points to testing. The versions that survive over time are the more interesting ones.
- Shared angles. If every rival leads with price, there may be space to lead with something else, such as delivery, expertise or guarantees.
- Offers. Note the depth and type of discount and how often it changes. A rival that always runs a discount is teaching customers to wait for one.
- Landing page match. An ad that promises one thing and lands on a generic homepage is a weakness to avoid in your own ads.
Worked example, with invented rivals: Rival A has two video ads running since the spring, both opening on a delivery promise. Rival B rotates a new discount every few weeks. That does not prove delivery messaging works better than discounts. It gives you a cheap test for your own next ad: lead with delivery.
Citing what you found
When you share findings with colleagues or an agency, say where each one came from: 'Meta Ad Library, active ads, UK' or 'Google Ads Transparency Center, UK, last period checked'. Note the date you looked, because libraries change as ads start and stop.
If you go on to compare yourself with a named rival in your own advertising, the CAP Code sets rules on comparisons with identifiable competitors. Keep any such comparison objective, verifiable and fair.
Turning it into a brief
The output is a one-page creative brief: the angles rivals overuse, the ones nobody owns, and two or three hooks to test. Our competitor ad watch loop, which will repeat this check on a schedule, is in build and not on sale. Until then, run the manual method above. The wider method, covering seven other channels, is in the channel comparison explained.
Sources
- The Meta Ad Library is a public, searchable library of ads running on Meta's apps; you can search by advertiser, filter by active or inactive status, and entries show when an ad started running. facebook.com/ads/library · checked 13 October 2026
- The Google Ads Transparency Center is a searchable repository of advertisers and the ads they've served on Google platforms; you can filter by date and targeted location, and it shows the advertiser's name and location. support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/13733850 · checked 13 October 2026
- CAP Code rules 3.33 and 3.34: comparisons with identifiable competitors must compare products meeting the same needs or intended for the same purpose, and must objectively compare material, relevant, verifiable and representative features. asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/03.html · checked 13 October 2026
Questions about this guide
Can I see how well a rival's ad is performing?
No. The libraries show which ads are live and when they started, not spend, clicks or sales. Long-running ads are only a hint that something may be working.
Is it acceptable to click a rival's ad to see the landing page?
No. Each click costs them money. Find the landing page by navigating their site or typing the address, and use the libraries for the ad itself.
How many ads should I record?
Every active ad for each rival if the number is manageable. If a rival runs a very large number, record the oldest and the most recent, plus any you see repeated in several versions.
Should I copy a rival's best ad?
No. Use the pattern, not the creative. If several rivals lean on the same angle, look for a different angle you can back up with evidence, and test it.
How often should I repeat this?
Whenever you are planning new ads, and before any seasonal peak such as the November sales. Comparing two snapshots shows what rivals kept and what they dropped.
See it done on your own site.
An Intel loop runs this comparison on your store and three rivals you choose. Every score quotes its evidence, and a specialist checks the findings before you see them.