Google Ads is a competitive space where you bid for visibility. To win, looking at your competitor’s ads can give you insights into their strategy, top performing keywords and ad placements. By knowing what works for them, you can refine your campaigns and maximise return on investment (ROI).

In this guide we’ll cover why competitor analysis in Google Ads is important, what data to extract, and the best tools for it. We’ll also show you how to extract Google Ads data with the Crawlbase Crawling API.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

  1. Why Analyzing Competitor Google Ads Matters
  2. Key Data Points to Extract
  3. Best Tools for Google Ads Competitive Analysis
  4. How to Extract Competitor Google Ads Data
  5. Conclusion
  6. Frequently Asked Questions

Why Analyzing Competitor Google Ads Matters

Running successful Google Ads campaigns is more than just setting up ads—you need to know what your competitors are doing. By looking at your competitor’s Google Ads you can uncover valuable insights to help you refine your strategy and ad performance.

Image showing the benefits of competitor Google Ads analysis

Key Data Points to Extract

When checking competitors’ Google ads, here are some of the essential elements to look out for:

  1. Ad Headlines & Descriptions

Competitor ad copy shows what messaging works. Look for patterns in language, emotional triggers, and CTA’s that get clicks.

  1. Targeted Keywords

If competitors are bidding on specific keywords, it means those keywords are working.

  1. Ad Placement & Ranking

Where are competitor ads showing up on search results? If they’re always at the top, they must have a good bidding strategy to analyze.

  1. Landing Page URLs

Landing pages show how competitors convert traffic. Look at their page design, offer, and user experience to optimize yours.

  1. Ad Extensions Used

Competitors may be using site links, callouts or structured snippets to enhance their ads. Look at what they’re using to create more compelling ads.

Best Tools for Google Ads Competitive Analysis

To analyse your competitors’ Google Ads effectively, you need the right tools. Here are some of the best to gather insights and refine your ad strategy.

  1. Google Ads Transparency Center

Google has a free tool to see competitor ads running across their network. You can see their active campaigns, ad copies, and regions they target.

  1. SEMrush

SEMrush lets you analyze competitor PPC campaigns, track keywords they bid on and estimate their ad spend. It also gives you ad copies and landing pages insights.

  1. SpyFu

SpyFu reveals competitor Google Ads history, including their top performing keywords and ad strategies. Useful for seeing trends over time.

  1. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is primarily SEO but also has PPC data. You can see competitor paid keywords, estimated traffic, and ad positions.

  1. Crawlbase Crawling API

Crawlbase’s Crawling API enables you to scrape Google Ads data directly from search results. This will give you accurate time competitor ad data including headlines, descriptions, and landing page URLs.

How to Extract Competitor Google Ads Data

To analyze competitor Google Ads, you can extract ad data directly from Google search results using web scraping. In this section, we will show you how to set up the environment and write a Google Ads scraper using the Crawlbase Crawling API.

Setting Up Environment

Before writing the scraper, ensure you have the following:

  1. Python Installed – If you haven’t installed Python, download it from python.org.
  2. Crawlbase API Key – Sign up at Crawlbase to get your API token.
  3. Required Libraries – Install the necessary Python packages using:
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pip install crawlbase

Writing the Google Ads Scraper Script

Now, let’s write a simple Python script to extract Google Ads data from search results.

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from crawlbase import CrawlingAPI
import json

# Initialize Crawlbase API
crawling_api = CrawlingAPI({'token': 'CRAWLBASE_NORMAL_TOKEN'})

def scrape_google_ads(query):
    url = f"https://www.google.com/search?q={query}"
    options = {'scraper': 'google-serp'}
    response = crawling_api.get(url, options)

    if response['headers']['pc_status'] == '200':
        response_data = json.loads(response['body'].decode('latin1'))
        ads = response_data.get('body', {}).get('ads', [])
        return ads
    else:
        print("Failed to fetch data.")
        return []

def save_to_json(data, filename):
    with open(filename, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
        json.dump(data, f, ensure_ascii=False, indent=4)
    print(f"Data saved to {filename}")

# Example usage
if __name__ == "__main__":
    query = "samsung shops"
    ads = scrape_google_ads(query)

    if ads:
        save_to_json(ads, "google_ads_data.json")
    else:
        print("No ads found.")

This script automates the process of scraping Google Ads using the Crawlbase Crawling API and its built-in Google SERP scraper. The scraper handles JavaScript rendering and bypasses Google’s anti-bot measures to give you structured ad data.

How This Script Works

  • It sends a search request to Google using the Crawlbase Crawling API.
  • It extracts Google Ads (including headlines, descriptions, and landing page URLs).
  • It saves the data in a JSON file for easy analysis.

Save the above script in a file name “google_ads_scraper.py” and run the script using the following command:

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python google_ads_scraper.py

You will see an output similar to the one below in the output JSON file.

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[
  {
    "position": 1,
    "title": "Official Online eShop | Amazing Offers On Smartphones",
    "description": "Get Wide Range Of Samsung Products At Reasonable Price. Shop Now! Best Value Deals. Genuine Products. Cash On Delivery. Samsung Official Shop. Secured Payments.",
    "url": "https://www.samsung.com/in/offer/",
    "siteLinks": [
      {
        "title": "Samsung Galaxy M Series",
        "description": "Starting From INR 7,990. Ultra Wide Dual Camera, Slim Design",
        "url": "https://www.samsung.com/in/microsite/galaxy-m/sale/"
      },
      {
        "title": "Samsung Galaxy A Series",
        "description": "15W Fast Charging. Super AMOLED Infinity-U Display",
        "url": "https://www.samsung.com/in/smartphones/galaxy-a/"
      }
    ]
  }
]

Conclusion

Scraping competitor Google Ads is essential to refine your ads. By scraping ads such as ad copy, keywords, and landing pages, you can improve your campaigns for better performance and higher ROI.

With the Crawlbase Crawling API and it’s a Google SERP scraper you can scrape competitor ads without getting IP blocked, CAPTCHAs, and JavaScript challenges. So you can focus on optimizing your ads instead of dealing with technical scraping issues.

By using competitor insights, you can make data-driven decisions and stay ahead in the Google Ads game. Start scraping, analyzing, and optimizing now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Scraping Google Ads data falls into a gray area. While Google’s terms of service prohibit automated scraping, public data is generally accessible. To stay compliant, always follow ethical scraping practices and avoid overloading Google’s servers. Using a reliable tool like the Crawlbase Crawling API helps minimize legal risks.

Q. How can I avoid getting blocked while scraping Google Ads?

To prevent IP blocks and CAPTCHAs, use techniques like:

  • Rotating proxies to avoid detection
  • Setting user-agents to mimic real users
  • Using the Crawlbase Crawling API to handle anti-bot measures automatically.

Q. What can I learn from competitor Google Ads?

By analyzing competitor ads, you can uncover:

  • High-performing keywords they are bidding on
  • Ad copy strategies that attract clicks
  • Landing page URLs to understand their sales funnel
  • Trends in ad placements to optimize your bidding strategy