Looking for deeper competitor insights? Interested in identifying their targeted YouTube audiences and tested creatives? This guide will teach you how to utilize the Google Ads Transparency Center for competitive research and gaining an edge.
What Is the Google Ads Transparency Center and Why Does It Matter for Marketers?
Launched in March 2023, the Google Ads Transparency Center functions as a repository for paid content from advertisers across Google platforms, notably YouTube. It encompasses ads from search, display, Gmail, and YouTube that are currently active or have been delivered in the past 30 days. The platform also showcases political ads that have been broadcasted within the last 7 years. While the primary intent of the function is to grant users greater authority over the ads they encounter, it also holds considerable significance for marketers. The center’s searchability empowers marketers to engage in effective competitive analysis. Put simply, it enables you to identify your rivals and observe the YouTube ads they are broadcasting.
Through the feature, you can:
- Observe their video advertisements.
- Review their image ads.
- Read their ad content, encompassing headlines and descriptions.
- Examine the calls to action (CTAs) they are employing.
- Count the quantity of ads in their campaign.
So, what can’t the Google Ads Transparency Center achieve? It doesn’t showcase unverified advertisers or their paid content. This implies that you cannot use it to locate competitors who have not yet undergone Google’s advertiser verification process. Google appears to be actively promoting this program, so more advertisers are expected to become verified soon.
Does this imply you are at a disadvantage if none of your competitors are verified? If you wish to locate ads from an unverified advertiser, there may be a potential workaround. We’ll outline this process below.
Another limitation of the Google Ads Transparency Center is its lack of ad version tracking. For instance, when searching for ads run, you will encounter around 20,000 ads (depicted below). These ads are arranged chronologically; however, distinguishing between test versions and independent ads is not feasible.
So, how advantageous is the Google Ads Transparency Center? While its utilization might necessitate extra effort, especially for researching unverified advertisers or competitors with extensive ad collections, it furnishes significantly more data than what was previously accessible (which was none). As a starting point for competitive analysis, it holds considerable value.
How to Utilize It for Competitive Research
Advertisers have two primary methods for conducting competitive research using the Google Ads Transparency Center. Let’s explore the procedures for both searching for competitors within the database and analyzing ads within the feed.
#1: Explore Competitors
The most straightforward approach to researching competitors via this tool is by directly searching for them. Initiate the process by accessing the center and reviewing the search configurations.
By default, the platform scans for ads across all formats and subjects, spanning any applicable timeframe and showcased in your local region.
You have the option to modify any of these settings using the dropdown menus. For instance, you might want to focus exclusively on video ads from the preceding week.
Should your search yield any outcomes, you can immediately begin browsing them. Click on any ad to inspect it comprehensively, read the copy, and view accompanying video components. Here are a few insights you can derive from this type of search:
- The Number of Ads Your Competitors Are Deploying
- The Platforms Where Your Competitors Are Broadcasting Ads
- The Video Formats Your Competitors Are Employing
- The Nature of Messaging Used by Your Competitors
- The Types of Promotions Offered by Your Competitors
- The Stages of the Sales Funnel Your Competitors Are Targeting
- The Stylistic Approaches Utilized by Your Competitors in Their YouTube Ads
#2: Examine Ads on YouTube and Other Google Properties
If you possess a roster of verified advertiser competitors, then employing the aforementioned process is an effective means to scrutinize their ads across various Google properties. However, if your competitors aren’t yet visible in the Google Ads Transparency Center or if you seek to broaden your list, an alternative path exists.
The subsequent method allows you to explore ads encountered on YouTube and throughout Google properties. Moreover, this approach yields information that remains inaccessible in the Google Ads Transparency Center, affording you fresh perspectives to enhance your advertising endeavors.
Examine YouTube Ads
Whenever an ad surfaces on YouTube, you can click the three-dot menu or the Information icon, opting to delve into ad details. For instance, upon encountering an in-stream ad on YouTube, selecting the Information icon beneath the CTA and subsequently clicking to access My Ad Center (shown below) provides comprehensive insights.
Evaluate Gmail and Google Search Ads
Remember, if your team manages YouTube campaigns, this video platform is merely one arena where your ads may manifest. If, for example, you run Discovery or Performance Max campaigns, your ads could also emerge in Gmail inboxes or on Google search outcome pages.
Consequently, these platforms serve as additional avenues for competitive analysis. If an ad materializes within your Gmail inbox, you can click for further details (depicted below). Similarly, Google search can be leveraged to investigate keywords and associated terms targeted in your campaigns or potentially by your rivals.
#3: Employ Competitive Research to Shape Your YouTube Ad Campaigns
Now that you comprehend the data attainable through the Google Ads Transparency Center, let’s explore how this competitive research can enrich and refine your own Google Ads campaigns. Here are several strategies to consider.
Revise Your YouTube Keyword List
Has your competitive analysis yielded intriguing keyword concepts? Integrate these keywords manually into your upcoming video ad group. Nevertheless, bear in mind that concentrating on only a couple of keywords can hinder optimal ad delivery.
For additional keyword suggestions, input your landing page URL or primary keyword and rely on Google Ads to propose correlated ideas. Subsequently, assess and add the most pertinent keywords to the ad group, or promptly incorporate all of them.
It’s important to note that Google Ads discourages combining multiple content targeting methods within a single ad group. If you opt for keyword targeting, ensure you’re not concurrently targeting topics or placements.
Enhance Your Video or Channel Targeting
If your intention is to reach a broader YouTube audience, topic targeting might be the best approach. Through topics, you can position your video ads alongside or within content relevant to those specific subjects. For instance, if your focus is marketing and advertising topics, you can retain this broad category or narrow it down to social media marketing.
However, if your competitor analysis reveals their emphasis on video and channel targeting, this strategy could warrant experimentation. By employing Google Ads’ placement targeting, you can position video ads within any video or channel pertinent to your target audience or offering.
Keep in mind that singling out a specific video or channel allows for precise targeting, yet this method might also restrict ad delivery. Vigilantly monitor your outcomes to identify ad delivery challenges, and if necessary, fine-tune the placements to expand your reach.
Explore New Ad Creatives or Formats
Have your rivals adopted video designs or formats you’ve yet to explore? Collaborate with your creative team to assess these concepts or initiate your venture using Google Ads’ pre-designed video ad templates, ideal for testing with a modest budget.
To validate the efficacy of these new formats or styles among your audience, utilize Google Ads’ Experiments tool. This tool permits the comparison of up to four distinct campaigns, providing conclusive insights into which creatives yield optimal results. These findings can then guide your creative strategy, ensuring your videos consistently resonate with your target audience.