Dimension 6 of 12
Competitor paid media and ads research
Updated
What is paid media competitor research?
Competitor paid media research shows where rivals buy attention and what they say when they do: paid traffic, the keywords they bid on, their ad creatives on Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, and the landing pages those ads send people to, including the problem, features, pricing and perks on each page.
Why it matters
Ads that run for months are usually profitable, so long-running creatives and keywords show what already works in your market. Landing pages show which offer each competitor leads with.
What to capture
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Paid traffic | Estimated paid visits and spend trend |
| Ad keywords | Search terms they bid on |
| Ad creatives | Facebook, Instagram, Google and LinkedIn ads, and how long each has run |
| Calls to action | What the ads ask people to do |
| Landing pages | Problem, features, pricing and perks on each ad landing page |
Where to find it
- Meta Ad Library: Every active Facebook and Instagram ad, free
- Google Ads Transparency Center: Ads an advertiser runs on Google
- LinkedIn company page: The Ads tab on the company page shows recent LinkedIn ads
- SEMrush and Ahrefs: Paid keywords, paid traffic and top landing pages
How to do it, step by step
- Open each competitor in the Meta Ad Library and note ads that have run for 30 days or more.
- Check the Google Ads Transparency Center and the LinkedIn Ads tab for the same company.
- Pull their paid keywords and top paid landing pages from SEMrush or Ahrefs.
- For each landing page, note the problem, features, price and perks it leads with.
- Group the creatives by message to see which angles the market repeats.
Questions this answers
- Which ads have run longest, and what do they promise?
- Which keywords do competitors pay for that you rank for organically?
- Which offer or perk does each competitor lead with?
Do this research in CompetitionOS
Every competitor in CompetitionOS gets a ready-made Meta Ad Library search link for its country. When you are ready to advertise, CompetitionOS can draft a Google Ads plan, which is a draft only: it never creates, launches or spends on ads.
- Find competitors with AI discovery or from the Google results for your keywords
- Keep one shared competitor library across projects, split by direct, indirect and search competitors
- Save evidence with its source: search results, website snapshots and SEMrush data
- Check whether ChatGPT and Claude mention your brand, and which competitors they name instead
- Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor so an assistant can do the research for you
- Export every project to CSV or Excel
Are AI assistants recommending you, or your competitors?
Buyers now ask ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity which tool to use. CompetitionOS runs the questions your buyers ask, records which brands each answer names, and shows where competitors are mentioned and you are not. That is answer engine optimisation (AEO), alongside your SEO.
Frequently asked questions
How can I see a competitor's Facebook ads?
Search the company in the Meta Ad Library. It is free and shows every active ad on Facebook and Instagram, with the start date.
How do I find the keywords a competitor bids on?
SEMrush and Ahrefs estimate paid keywords. Searching your main keywords on Google also shows who is bidding today.
Does an ad's run time mean it works?
Usually. Advertisers stop losing ads quickly, so a creative running for months is a strong sign it pays back.