Oh, you thought you were James Bond in this scenario? We hope so! Otherwise, your competitors are probably James Bonding you as we speak.

Launching your first pay-per-click campaign is exciting, but it can also be hard to know where to start or how to optimize it once everything is up and running.

Who are your AdWords competitors? Is your cost-per-click good? Who’s doing it better?

Here’s a secret: You can be a spy and see just about all of your competitors’ AdWords information if you have the right tools! Software like SpyFu, SEMRush, KeywordSpy, and Ispionage give you a behind-the-scenes look at how businesses like yours are running their campaigns.

While all of these tools have roughly the same capabilities, our team at ParaCore likes to use SpyFu to do investigative work for our clients.

Here’s how PPC competitor tools like SpyFu can help you be the James Bond of AdWords.

Think like 007 and investigate your competitors’ strategies

If you’re just starting out with PPC, a tool like SpyFu can be invaluable.

Right out of the gate, you see exactly which keywords other businesses in your industry are targeting. You’ll also see which keywords are actually ranking for and approximately how much money they’re investing in each one.

Follow Q’s lead and do in-depth keyword research

AdWords competitor spy tools are good for both SEO and PPC keyword research.

In the SEO realm, you’ll see how much a given keyword has grown or fallen in popularity. You’ll also understand which keywords your PPC competitors are chasing.

As for PPC, one of the biggest benefits of using spy tools is the ability to see high-value keywords that are similar to the ones you’re currently bidding. It’s like a pre-made list of keywords you can use to expand your campaign!

You also can see the click-through-rate and cost-per-click for each phrase to help you pick the ones that will be the most valuable.

Gain valuable intel on new guest blogging opportunities

Publishing guest articles on related websites is a tried-and-true method of attracting more traffic to your website. By getting your name out there and including links back to your site (called “backlinks”), you can draw in qualified readers.

However, finding relevant places to guest blog can be a daunting task. SpyFu simplifies this process by showing which websites your competitors are getting their traffic from. Those websites may prove to be prime targets for guest blogging opportunities.

Leverage special keyword gadgets to discover competitors—and friends

Not sure which businesses are vying for your customers? Curious if there are any new competitors on the scene?

By entering a keyword from your industry, you can see who else is targeting it. SpyFu not only tracks millions of keywords on Google, but also the businesses that are targeting them. This feature helps you create an instant list of your latest competitors.

Pro tip: If you’re a PPC agency, SpyFu uses similar functionality to find potential leads. If your company targets specific industries, the tool can pull names of businesses within those verticals, along with their contact information. Voilà: an automatic list of potential clients!

Grab your binoculars to see actual ads

Here’s another awesome benefit: You can see the exact ads your competitors are running. Their full headlines and ad copy, right there. Bam!

SpyFu shows both current ads and ads that ran over the past few months, which helps you see the keywords they were targeting, the ads they created, and how they optimized those ads over time.

This feature is invaluable if your old PPC agency is holding your AdWords account hostage and you need to recreate your campaigns. (By the way, here’s how to protect your AdWords account to avoid that situation in the future.)

Get instant reports about what’s happening in the field

Are all these features overwhelming? Don’t worry—not only is the SpyFu interface easy to use, but it also provides detailed reports in just a few clicks. Enter your domain, and SpyFu will generate a single document packed with useful information about your website and PPC campaigns that will help you make even smarter marketing decisions.

Be like Bond, James Bond

SpyFu is a paid service, but we’ll give you a free sneak preview to start your spy training. Sign up for your free AdWords competitor analysis to get a behind-the-scenes look at your competitors, along with recommendations on how to apply their wins to your campaigns.

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