You can see almost any competitor's Google Display ads for free using the Google Ads Transparency Center, and go deeper with research tools like SEMrush or SimilarWeb. It's completely legal — these are public tools built for exactly this. Studying what competitors run tells you what's working in your market so you don't have to guess from scratch.
In this article
1. Google Ads Transparency Center (free, official)
This is the best place to start, and it comes straight from Google.
- Go to the Google Ads Transparency Center.
- Search for a competitor by their business or brand name.
- Browse the ads they're currently running — including display and image ads — with the dates and regions they've shown in.
You'll see the actual creative: the images, headlines and offers your competitors are putting money behind. If they've been running the same ad for months, that's a strong hint it's working — nobody keeps paying for an ad that fails.
2. Meta Ad Library (for their social ads)
Display ads often run alongside social campaigns. The Meta Ad Library shows every ad a business runs on Facebook and Instagram, also free. It's a great way to see the full picture of a competitor's advertising, not just Google.
3. Research tools (for the strategy behind the ads)
Paid tools like SEMrush, SimilarWeb and SpyFu go further — they estimate which keywords competitors bid on, roughly how much they spend, and which display placements they use. These cost money, but they turn a pile of individual ads into a picture of the whole strategy. Many offer limited free searches to get you started.
4. Just browse like a customer
Don't overlook the simplest method: browse websites and news sites your customers visit, and watch which competitor ads follow you around. If you visit a competitor's site and then keep seeing their ads, you've just witnessed their remarketing in action — a tactic you can copy.
What to actually look for
Seeing the ads is easy; learning from them is the point. As you research, note:
- The offer. What are they promoting — a discount, a free consultation, a specific product?
- The message. What pain or desire are they speaking to?
- The design. What do their visuals look like, and how do they stand out?
- Longevity. Ads that have run for a long time are probably winners worth learning from.
The goal isn't to copy — it's to understand the market, spot gaps competitors are missing, and do it better. That competitive research is baked into how we run Google Ads for our clients.
Turn what you find into a winning campaign
Research only pays off if you act on it. Once you've studied a few competitors, look for the gaps rather than copying what everyone already does. If every competitor is shouting about "cheap" and "discount," a message built around quality, speed or trust will stand out. If they all use the same tired stock imagery, sharp original visuals will stop the scroll.
Then test. Take the strongest idea you've spotted, adapt it to your own brand and audience, and run it against your current approach to see which brings more leads. The businesses that win at advertising aren't the ones with the biggest budgets — they're the ones who study the market, spot what's missing, and move faster than competitors who never bother to look.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to look at competitors' ads?
Completely. The Google Ads Transparency Center and Meta Ad Library are public tools designed for transparency. You're viewing ads that are already shown publicly.
Can I see how much competitors spend on Google Ads?
Not exactly — Google doesn't reveal spend. But tools like SEMrush and SpyFu give estimates based on the keywords and placements they detect, which is enough to gauge the scale.
How do I find a specific competitor's display ads?
Search their business name in the Google Ads Transparency Center. You can filter by ad format and region to focus on display ads in your area.
Want us to research your competitors and build ads that beat them? See our Google Ads management or get a free consultation.
