Don't Pass This Adwords Secret On

If you've ever advertised with Adwords, or even if you haven't, I'm sure that you have wondered about your competition. Perhaps you have tried to research them a bit and see what they're bidding on, etc. Such information would certainly be useful. What's working for them might work well for you too. Or maybe you've forgetten some important terms that your competition is picking up cheap.

There are a lot of reasons to know what your competition is up to and that information just became a lot easier to find. Yep, GoogSpy allows you to find out all about your Adwords competition.

For example, let's say you want to know about Netflix. Starting from the homepage, search for Netflix. The results show 'Companies:', under which you should see Netflix listed. Clicking that link brings you to an information page about Netflix. This page is based on Velocityscape's database compiled with their Web Scraper Plus+ software (it is not guarunteed to be 100% accurate or complete but they seem to be doing a very good job).

So, the infromation about Netflix includes the following: A list of terms for which Netflix ranks in the top 10 natural search results. A list of the terms Netflix bids on in Adwords. The page also shows a list of Netflix' top 25 competitors. This list seems to be based on the advertisers who compete for the terms Netflix bids on.

Now you know what is working for Netflix (since they are most likely monitering their campaign very carefully to make sure that it's paying off). You can also drill down a little bit to find out more. Netflix ranks number 1 for the term 'dvd rentals'. Clicking on that search term will show you who is bidding on that term and who else ranks well for it. The same thing can be done for the terms Netflix bids on.

All in all, I think it's the best Adwords research utility I've ever seen. There is some speculation that it won't be free for long, but I think it will. My take is that it's basically an advertisement for the power of Velocityscape's software. This is a tried and true marketing technique and represents the best of internet business models. A free offer of true value will get you traffic, backlinks, respect, and leads for your paying products. Plus, this free service has live Adsense Ads all over it...

So, enjoy the secret while it's still uncommon knowledge and don't tell your competition.