If your competitors are spending money on certain keywords, it is because those keywords convert. You can use their ad spend as a research shortcut to find the most valuable terms in your market.
Search for your main service keywords and see which competitors show up in both the paid ads (top of page) and organic results. The businesses appearing in both positions are investing heavily in those terms.
Scroll to the bottom of a Google search results page and look at the related searches. These are the terms Google associates with your search, and they reveal what your potential customers are actually searching for.
Google's Ads Transparency Center lets you see the ads any advertiser is currently running. Search for a competitor's website to see their active ad copy and get clues about their keyword strategy.
Tools like SpyFu and Semrush show you the exact keywords a competitor is bidding on, their estimated ad spend, and their organic keyword rankings. These are the most comprehensive options but require a paid subscription.
Once you know what keywords your competitors are targeting, you can decide whether to compete directly on those terms or find gaps they are missing. Often the best opportunities are the long-tail keywords your competitors are ignoring.
GetBert's competitor analysis shows you how your online presence compares to local competitors across GBP, website, social, and reviews. Run a free comparison now.