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Paid Search Competitive Analysis

Is paid search a productive channel for you?
 
Are you looking to launch or expand in the channel, but unsure if it will be cost-effective?
 
Or has your performance taken a recent downturn, and you’re not sure why?
  
 

Request an analysis

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Inform your paid search strategy with insights into your competitors' strengths and weaknesses

Paid search performance is not entirely within your control. Fundamentally, paid search platforms operate an auction for ad space, meaning that your campaigns are in direct competition with those of your business competitors and any other entity targeting similar keywords to you.


To an extent, you can control your performance through optimising account settings, campaign structure, bid strategy, and other variables (and we can assess how effectively you are deploying these factors via a paid search audit). However, there are other factors beyond your control, such as the keywords that your competitors target; the budget they allocate; the quality of their ads and landing pages. Your performance is significantly impacted by your competitors’ actions, and how you respond to them.


Uncovering how your competitors are deploying paid search campaigns gives you an edge that can help you drive higher lead generation at a lower cost. 

The solution… Conduct a paid search competitive analysis and get the insights you need to give you an advantage in the paid search channel

 
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Five common scenarios requiring a paid search competitive analysis:

  1. You want to try paid search, but don’t know where to start – An analysis helps you target the right keywords, and informs your ad and landing page copy.

  2. You need to prioritise scarce resource allocation for paid search (in-house or agency) – Identify which topics to avoid (e.g., where competitors are strong) and which to target (e.g., where competitors are absent or underperforming).

  3. Previously-reliable campaigns are no longer performing – Learn if – and how – competitors are encroaching on your space.

  4. You are a challenger brand competing with well-established players – Identify keyword niches you can exploit.

  5. You are an established player facing emerging challengers – Identify the niches your challengers are targeting, and inform the campaigns you launch to fight back.

Just some of the insights you will discover:

  • How invested are your competitors in the paid search channel?

  • What topics are they targeting the most

  • Are your competitors deploying best practice in their paid search ads and landing pages?

  • Where can you invest to protect your position, or attack that of your competitors?

  • When is paid search the right channel for you, and when are you better off investing in other channels, e.g., SEO?

What Do You Get From Your Paid Search Competitive Analysis?

  • Comparison of your paid search budget to estimated competitor budgets
  • Competitor campaign performance assessment
  • List of keywords targeted by competitors
  • Competitors' paid search ad copy
  • Competitors' paid search campaign landing pages
  • Analysis of competitors' strengths & weaknesses
  • Identified areas of opportunity for you – topics
  • A 1 hr presentation of key findings and recommendations
  • Results provided in Excel and PDF format
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Who Is The Paid Search Competitive Analysis Designed For?

B2B Marketing Leaders

  • B2B Marketing leaders looking to maximise returns on their investment in paid search
  • B2B Marketing leaders needing to prioritise time and budget allocations
  • Marketing leaders tasked with building their company’s digital brand presence

Businesses Facing Change

  • Businesses facing emerging competition from digital-first challengers
  • Businesses new to paid search – or entering a new market – and eager to shorten the learning period
  • Businesses that haven’t reviewed their competitors’ marketing activity in the past 12 months
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Frequently Asked Questions

Q.Can we just do the audit ourselves?

If you have the specialist tools required, it is possible to run paid search audits in-house. However, even for those minority of business that do possess these tools, we find even with the best intentions, teams succumb to the pressures of day-to-day tasks and routinely deprioritise such audits.

We also find that many marketing teams don’t have sufficient experience to run a detailed analysis and make recommendations based on the data.

Our experience in conducting analyses enables us to provide deeper insight and in a more time- and cost-efficient manner. We have the privilege of working with lots of marketing teams like yours so can provide a sense of your competitive context relative to other clients, and share best practices in how to apply the findings.

Q.How often should we run a paid search competitive analysis?

Every business’ competitive context changes constantly. New competitors emerge; existing competitors change their strategies. Your company may shift its focus, add new products, or enter new markets. At any such pivot point, a paid search competitor analysis can inform the best way to implement your strategy. However, at a minimum we recommend an annual paid search competitive analysis to ensure you are not caught off-guard by changes in competitors’ approaches.

Q.How many competitors can we analyse?

A typical analysis covers 3 competitors. We can customise the analysis if you require coverage of a broader set of competitors.

Q.Can you analyse competitors worldwide?

Our analyses are geographically-specific – in other words, each analysis looks at competitors’ paid search activity within a single country. We often provide analyses covering additional geographies – sometimes with the same set of competitors, and sometimes with a set of competitors specific to each country. Just ask and we’ll tailor the analysis to your geographic requirements.

Complete this form and we’ll be in touch within 24 hours to discuss your audit

What our clients have to say

Audits to Consider Alongside Your Paid Search Competitive Analysis

Strategy & Planning

  1. Campaign Planning Audit
  2. Organic Search Competitive Analysis

Platforms & Processes

  1. Website Audit

Demand Generation

  1. Content Marketing Audit
  2. Organic Search (SEO) Audit
  3. Paid Search Audit