Competitor ad watch
Records each rival's ads on every run. New, stopped and long-running ads show up as a list.
Solutions · by problem
Are my rivals' ads beating mine?
Search for your own service and their ad sits above you. You can see your ad account. You cannot see theirs. What is public: the search terms they pay for, a modelled band for the spend, and the ads they keep running. The ad-spend estimate returns that band with its basis line printed beside it.
Answered todayRival ads, compared with the last run
- NewRival A · social adsNew ad leading with a free-sample offer
- GoneRival A · social adsSpring range ad no longer running
- ChangedRival B · social adsLongest-running ad still live — same guarantee headline
- NewRival C · search termsNow bidding on a branded term of yours
The problem
What owners say.
- Every time I search for us, they're the ad at the top.
- Are they spending more than us, or just spending it better?
- I keep seeing the same offer from them. Is it working?
- Our agency says our ads are fine. Fine compared with what?
Composite phrasings of a common problem, not quotes from named customers.
Why it is hard
Why checking by hand fails.
A rival's ad account is private. Nobody outside it knows the real spend or the results. A single exact figure for a competitor's budget is a guess, so the estimate is a range modelled from a third-party paid-search dataset, with the basis stated.
Some of the ads are public. Search ads appear when you search, and some platforms publish ad libraries. A check by hand gives you one snapshot. The signal that matters is persistence: an ad a rival keeps running is an ad it keeps paying for.
Beating them is measured on your side too. Whether your ads win depends on what yours return, and only your own ad accounts hold that.
The limits. The spend estimate covers paid search. It does not cover social or display. Whether one major ad library returns ads for advertisers who only reach the UK is still being tested. The ad watch and the own-ads audit are in build and not on sale.
What we read
Each source, and the code that reads it.
Every source names the module in our code that reads it. A source marked in build does not run for customers yet.
- Paid search keywordsThe search terms each rival bids on, from a third-party paid-search dataset.
src/lib/connectors/spyfu.ts - Modelled ad budgetA rival's monthly paid-search budget as a range with its basis line. Never a single figure.
src/lib/connectors/spyfu.ts - Live search resultsWho ranks where for your money terms, read from one live results page shared across every player.
src/lib/connectors/dataforseo.ts - Public ad libraries (in build)Rivals' ads where a library returns them. Coverage for UK-only advertisers is being checked before anything relies on it.
src/lib/connectors/competitor-properties.ts
What you get
What you get back.
- The search terms each rival pays for, beside the ones you pay for
- A modelled budget range per rival, with the basis stated
- Once the ad watch ships: new, stopped and longest-running ads per rival
- Once the ad watch ships: the hooks and offers those ads lead with, grouped
Today and in build
What runs today, and what is in build.
Live tools run now. Loops in build will answer it again on a cadence you choose. They are not on sale.
LiveOpenLiveOpenIn build In build
Ad-spend estimate
A competitor's monthly paid-search budget as a range, with its basis line shown.
Intel loops
Paid-keyword presence and search ranks for each player, as part of the market read.
Own-ads audit
Reads the ad accounts you connect, so your side of the comparison is your real spend and results.
Where it comes up
Industries that ask this.
Each industry page puts the problem in that trade's terms.
FAQ
Questions about “Are rivals' ads beating mine”
Can you tell me exactly what a rival spends on ads?
No. Their account is private. The estimate is a modelled range from a third-party dataset, shown with its basis, and it covers paid search only.
Which ad platforms will the ad watch cover?
Public ad libraries where they return a rival's ads, plus the paid search keywords rivals bid on. Whether one major library returns ads for advertisers who only reach the UK is still being tested. It is not promised until a live call confirms it.
Why does it matter how long an ad has run?
Advertisers stop ads that do not pay. An ad a rival keeps running is one it keeps paying for, so its message is worth reading. It is a signal. It is not proof of results.
Do I have to connect my own ad accounts?
Not for the competitor side. To compare against your own results, the own-ads audit will read the accounts you connect, read-only. That loop is in build.
Name the rivals you lose to.
The free report reads your site beside theirs, five buyer types on one rubric. No account and no card to start.