The Smart Marketers’ Ultimate Guide to PPC Competitor Analysis & Strategy

So, you are a paid search professional working on creating stellar campaigns for a brand/business.

You’re pouring your heart into your PPC campaigns—fine-tuning bids, crafting compelling ads, and optimizing landing pages. Yet, somehow, your competitors are still one step ahead. 

Their ads rank higher, they’re getting more clicks, and their conversions, well, they are almost through the roof! (Ouchie!)

Frustrating? No doubt.

But here’s the thing: It’s not magic. It’s pure strategy.

While you’ve been spending most of your time focusing on your own campaigns, your competitors have been keeping an eye on yours. 

They have been analyzing your keywords, testing different ad creatives, and refining their bidding strategies to stay a step ahead.

It’s time to flip the script.

By conducting a well-planned PPC competitor analysis, you can uncover the secrets that are driving their success. 

You can pinpoint details like the keywords they have been targeting, the kind of ads that are resonating, and how their landing pages manage to turn casual stoppers into shoppers. 

Equipped with these insights, you can fine-tune your strategy, outsmart the competition, and claim your spot at the top.

In today’s blog, with our rich repertoire of 13+ years of experience in the SEM sphere, we at Mavlers will walk you through a step-by-step approach to PPC competitor research. 

PS: Hang around for a bonus insight into the choicest tools and tried and tested tips to help you excel in the paid search game.

Let’s dive in. 🚀

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Step 1: Identify your true PPC competitors

Before you can outsmart the competition, you need to know exactly who you’re up against.

And here’s a common mistake: assuming your SEO competitors are the same as your PPC competitors.

Not necessarily! Just because a brand ranks alongside you in organic search doesn’t mean they’re bidding against you in paid search.

Here’s how you can zero down on your PPC competitors:

🔎 Google your target keywords – Search your most valuable keywords and take note of the brands that consistently show up in paid ads.

📊 Check Google Ads Auction Insights – This built-in tool in Google Ads reveals who’s competing for your ad placements, along with their impression share and overlap rate.

📢 Check Social Ad Platforms – If you’re running paid social campaigns, tools like Facebook Ad Library, LinkedIn Ads Transparency, and TikTok Creative Center let you see what ads competitors are running and how active they are.

💡 Pro tip: PPC competition isn’t set in stone—it changes with trends, budgets, and seasonality. Keep a close eye on shifts in the landscape so you’re always one step ahead!

Step 2: Find out what keywords they’re bidding on

Now that you know who your PPC competitors are, it’s time to figure out which keywords they’re betting on.

Why does this matter? Because their keyword choices reveal where they’re getting traffic, what’s working for them, and where you can outmaneuver them.

Here’s how this intel will help you:

✅ Identify keyword gaps – Spot and implement high-value terms they’re missing.

✅ Hoodwink bidding wars – Steer clear of overpriced, overly competitive keywords.

✅ Unearth hidden gems – Uncover long-tail, high-intent searches they might be overlooking.

So, how do you uncover their keyword game plan?

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🔹 SpyFu – This cool tool shows their paid keywords, bidding history, and ad strategy.

🔹 SEMrush – This all-rounder breaks down their PPC campaigns, including top keywords and ad copy.

🔹 Google Ads Keyword Planner – Well, this tool won’t give direct competitor data, but it helps identify related searches they might be targeting.

💡 Pro tip: Don’t just copy their keywords—outsmart them. Whether it’s with better ad copy, smarter bidding, or finding unique keyword angles, the goal isn’t to match them, it’s to beat them. 🚀

Step 3: What’s their secret sauce? Analyzing competitor ad copy

If your competitor’s ads keep showing up above yours, it’s probably not just their budget—it could also be their choice of words. 

Honestly speaking, a well-crafted ad copy can make all the difference.

So, what’s making their ads work?

👉 Headlines & descriptions – Are they hitting an emotional trigger? Creating urgency? Speaking directly to a pain point?

👉 Call-to-Action (CTA) – Are they playing it safe with a boring “Learn More”, or are they making people take action with “Claim Your Free Trial”?

👉 Ad extensions – Are they making their ad stand out with extra links, special offers, or trust-building snippets?

Here’s how you can check what they are up to:

🔍 Google Ads Transparency Center – This is a goldmine for checking out real ads competitors are running.

📢 Facebook Ad Library – Want to know what’s working on social? This tool lets you take a sneak peek behind the curtain.

📊 SEMrush & SpyFu – If a competitor has been running the same ad for months, chances are it’s a winner. These tools can help you spot the winning streak.

💡 Pro tip: Don’t just copy what they’re doing, find the gaps. Maybe they’re missing a key selling point, or their CTA could be stronger. Take what works, make it better, and test it!

Step 4: Study their landing pages (Where conversions happen!)

Winning the ad click is only half the battle—the real test is what happens after someone lands on the page. If your competitors are pulling in better PPC results, chances are their landing pages are working smarter, not harder.

Here’s what they might be getting right:

✅ Speed & mobile optimization – A slow or clunky page sends visitors running in the opposite direction.

✅ Clear, compelling messaging – Instantly communicates value without fluff, therefore there is no deadweight to lug around.

✅ Seamless conversion path – With no unnecessary distractions, they might be shooting a straight shot to action.

Wondering what to look for in their landing pages? Try getting answers to the following questions:

🔍 Does the headline deliver? – Is it an extension of their ad, reinforcing the same promise? Or does it create confusion?

🎨 Is the design helping or hurting? – A clean, distraction-free layout helps keep visitors focused on converting.

📢 Are they building trust? – Testimonials, security badges, and social proof can make all the difference between clicking on buy and hopping on to the next site.

👆 Is the CTA impossible to miss? – The best CTAs are obvious, action-driven, and placed where they make sense.

You could make use of the following tools to get the inside scoop:

🛠 Unbounce Landing Page Analyzer – This can help you with insights into page performance and conversion potential.

🛠 Hotjar (For your own pages) – Its heatmaps and session recordings reveal where users lose interest.

💡 Pro tip: A competitor’s high-performing landing page isn’t always perfect. If you spot gaps—like slow load times or weak CTAs—you can out-optimize them and steal their conversions.

Step 5: Optimize your bidding strategy (Outsmart, don’t outspend!)

Do you want to crush your competitors without blowing your budget? You might consider refining your bidding strategy.

Instead of blindly increasing bids, try to focus on:

💰 Finding low-hanging fruit – We suggest looking for long-tail, high-intent keywords your competitors aren’t targeting.

📍 Geo-targeting – If competitors bid broadly, you could try narrowing your focus to high-converting locations.

🎯 Using smart bidding strategies – Google’s Target ROAS and Maximize Conversions models can help automate and suitably optimize your bids.

💡 Pro tip: Keep an eye on Google Ads Auction Insights to track competitor bid trends and adjust accordingly.

Step 6: Monitor competitor paid social ads

Your competitors aren’t just running PPC ads on Google—they’re likely investing in Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok ads too. And if their social ads are working, you need to figure out why.

Here’s how to break it down:

📢 Check the Facebook Ad Library – This free tool lets you see every ad a competitor is running on Facebook and Instagram. LinkedIn also has an “Ads” tab on company pages, which is great for B2B research.

📊 Look at engagement – Likes, comments, and shares don’t just boost visibility; they reveal what’s resonating with people. Are their ads sparking conversations? Generating buzz? If so, take notes.

🎬 Study the creative approach – Are they using short-form videos, carousel ads, or bold text-based images? 

Gaining a deeper understanding of their style can help you craft something even more compelling.

💡 Pro tip: If they’re running the same ad for weeks (or even months), it’s probably working well for them. Use that insight to refine your own approach without relying on guesswork.

The road ahead

In case you are looking to expand into alternative PPC platforms for your paid ads campaigns, you might want to read ~ Microsoft Ads, Quora, and More: The Ultimate Guide to Alternative PPC Platforms.