--- title: Competitor Keyword Spy slug: competitor-keyword-spy description: "Find out what keywords your competitors are bidding on in Google Ads, which terms they defend hardest, and where the gaps are that you can enter cheaply. Built on real search data, not estimates presented as fact." date: 2026-08-25 draft: false category: keyword-search kind: skill level: operator platforms: [google] tools: [research_competitor_keywords, research_keywords] primaryKeyword: what keywords are my competitors bidding on secondaryKeywords: [competitor keyword research, see what keywords competitors are bidding on, competitor keyword bidding, google ads competitor analysis] glyph: "🎯" --- You give AdWhispr a competitor domain. It pulls the keywords they are bidding on in Google, shows you the terms they defend hardest, and surfaces the gaps they are not covering that you could enter. It reports the numbers the way the data source reports them, with the estimate caveat kept intact, and never dresses a directional figure up as an audited one. ## Use this when You are planning a Google Search or Performance Max campaign and want to start from what already works in your category instead of a blank keyword sheet. It is also the fastest way to answer the question a client or founder asks constantly: what is my competitor actually bidding on, and what am I missing. Use it before the Keyword Universe Builder and the Google Search Campaign Launcher, so the campaign you build is grounded in real demand and real competition rather than a guess. ## What you need - One or more competitor domains. The cleaner the domain, the cleaner the read. - AdWhispr connected to your AI client. The box at the top of this page has the one-time setup. A connected Google Ads account sharpens the gap analysis but is not required for the competitor read. - Your own domain or product, if you want the output framed as gaps against what you already run. ## How it runs 1. Confirm the competitor domain and the market you care about. 2. Pull the competitor's paid keywords and group them by what the searcher intends, not just by volume. 3. Flag the terms they appear to defend hardest, so you can decide whether to fight for them or go around them. 4. Cross-reference against your own keywords if a Google account is connected, and mark the terms they run that you do not. 5. Return a prioritized list: high-intent terms worth entering, terms too contested to be worth it yet, and the negative keywords implied by the mismatch. ## What the skill checks - Volume and competition figures are quoted the way the data source returns them, with the estimation caveat preserved. They are never presented as exact spend or guaranteed traffic. - Intent grouping is explicit, so a high-volume term with the wrong intent is not recommended just because it is big. - Gap analysis against your own account uses live current data at run time, not a stale assumption about what you are running. ## When it stops - Done: a grouped, prioritized keyword read with the competitor's terms, the contested set, and the gaps against your account. - Partial: no Google account connected, so competitor terms are returned but the side-by-side gap analysis is skipped and flagged. - Blocked: the domain returns no paid-keyword data, which usually means they are not running Search ads in that market. Reported as a finding, not an error. ## What it will and won't do Read only. This skill researches keywords and returns a plan. It never changes a bid, adds a keyword to a live campaign, or spends. Applying any of it to a campaign is a separate, explicitly approved step in the launch and optimization skills. ## What you get A prioritized keyword brief: the competitor's paid terms grouped by intent, the terms they defend most, the high-intent gaps you can enter, and a starter negative list. Where a Google account is connected, a clear side-by-side of what they run that you do not, and the reverse. ## FAQ ### How can you see what keywords a competitor is bidding on? Paid-search intelligence data reconstructs the keywords a domain appears for in Google Ads from observed ad placements and search data. AdWhispr surfaces that per competitor domain and groups it by intent. It is directional by nature, so the figures are reported with that caveat rather than as exact spend. ### Is this the same as Google's auction insights? No. Auction insights shows who you overlap with on terms you already bid on. This shows the keywords a competitor bids on across their account, including terms you have not touched, which is what you need before you build a campaign. ### Do I need my own Google Ads account? Not for the competitor read. You do need one connected for the side-by-side gap analysis against your own keywords, and to act on any of it later. ### Will it change my campaigns? No. It is research only. Every change to a live account goes through a separate skill that pauses for your approval.