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APIEndpoint 30 of 40Competitive Intelligence / Paid Search / Competitor Ads

Competitor Ads API

Know what your competitors pay for.

Google Ads Transparency Center is public — anyone can look up competitor ads manually. Tools like SpyFu ($59–$299/mo), iSpionage ($59–$299/mo), and SEMrush Advertising Research ($139.95+/mo) charge subscriptions to automate that lookup. We exposed competitor ad data as a per-call API. One POST call returns every Google Ad a competitor has run — headline, description, platforms (Search, Maps, YouTube), and first-seen and last-seen dates. JSON out, your agent does the analysis. Know which keywords they bid on, how long ads stay live, and whether they're testing new copy.

Start Free — 50 CreditsView Docs

POST /v1/ads/competitor · 2 credits / domain

POST /v1/intel/competitor-adscomposite · ~10s
Competitor ad coverageabcplumbing.com · Austin TX

Local pack rank

#2+1

Up from #3 last week

Review velocity

12/mo-3

Down 20% MoM

NAP consistency

94%+2%

3 mismatches fixed

Profile complete

78%0

Missing 3 categories

Top fix: add 3 missing service categories to profile.

▌ Ask your agent

These prompts are the new PPC intelligence workflow.

Connect Local SEO Data as an MCP server once (60 seconds, below). Then your agent audits competitor ad strategies. Replace bracketed domain names with your own.

Competitor ad copy analysis

Pull all Google Ads for competitor-plumber.com. Show me their ad headlines and descriptions. How often are they testing new copy? What are the common themes across their ads?

Ad duration and momentum signals

Fetch ads for competitor-hvac.com. Filter for ads running longer than 6 months — long-running ads indicate profitable keywords. Show me which of their ads are new (last month) vs established.

Multi-competitor paid keyword intelligence

Pull Google Ads from my top 3 plumbing competitors. Aggregate the keywords across all three. Which keywords appear in multiple competitors' ads? Those are the ones I should target organically.

Platform-specific ad spend signals

Fetch ads for competitor-contractor.com. Which platforms are they advertising on? If they run Search ads but not Maps or YouTube, that's a gap I can exploit.

▌ Real response

What you get back

Live response from POST /v1/ads/competitor for a competitor plumbing domain.

response · application/json~3-8s · 2 credits
{
  "status": "success",
  "credits_used": 2,
  "data": {
    "advertiser": "ABC Emergency Plumbing LLC",
    "domain": "abc-plumbing-emergency.com",
    "total_ads": 47,
    "ads": [
      {
        "id": "ad_87234",
        "headline": "Emergency Plumber Austin TX - 24/7 Service",
        "description": "Fast, reliable plumbing repair. Licensed & insured. Same-day service available.",
        "format": "text",
        "platforms": ["google_search", "google_maps"],
        "first_shown": "2025-09-15",
        "last_shown": "2026-02-28",
        "duration_days": 166,
        "status": "active"
      },
      {
        "id": "ad_87235",
        "headline": "Drain Cleaning Austin - Expert Rooter Service",
        "description": "Clogged drain? We fix it fast. Call now for same-day service.",
        "format": "text",
        "platforms": ["google_search"],
        "first_shown": "2025-11-01",
        "last_shown": "2026-01-15",
        "duration_days": 76,
        "status": "inactive"
      },
      {
        "id": "ad_87236",
        "headline": "Water Heater Replacement Austin",
        "description": "New water heater? We install, repair, and maintain. Free estimates.",
        "format": "text",
        "platforms": ["google_search", "google_maps", "youtube"],
        "first_shown": "2025-12-01",
        "last_shown": "2026-02-28",
        "duration_days": 90,
        "status": "active"
      }
    ],
    "summary": {
      "active_ads": 34,
      "inactive_ads": 13,
      "most_common_platform": "google_search",
      "average_ad_duration_days": 124,
      "platforms_used": ["google_search", "google_maps", "youtube"]
    }
  }
}
▌ Returns

Everything you need for PPC competitive intelligence

Ad copy

Headlines and descriptions

Full text of ad headlines and descriptions. Analyze competitor messaging, CTAs, and value propositions. Identify which ad angles they test most frequently.

Platform distribution

Google Search, Maps, YouTube, and more

Which ad platforms each competitor uses. If they only run Search ads, they're leaving Maps and YouTube volume on the table — that's a gap.

Ad lifespan

First-shown and last-shown dates

Ads running for 6+ months indicate proven keyword-message fit. New ads in the last 30 days are active tests. Use this to prioritize which competitor messaging to analyze.

Ad inventory and status

Total ad count, active vs inactive

See how aggressive a competitor is with paid search. Dozens of active ads signals a mature PPC operation; a handful signals dipping toes in.

▌ Built for

What AI-native operators ship with this

Pre-pitch PPC audits for consultants

Before pitching a prospect, pull their Google Ads and their top 3 competitors' ads. Show the prospect that competitors are running 20+ active ads while they have zero. Frame the pitch with hard evidence of paid opportunity.

→ For consultants

Agency competitive PPC benchmarking

Pull ads from your client's top 5 competitors on a monthly schedule. Agent aggregates ad copy themes, platforms used, and average ad duration. Use this in monthly client reports to show competitive positioning.

→ For agencies

Organic keyword prioritization from paid data

Competitors pay for keywords because they convert. Pull their Google Ads, extract every keyword target, and use that list to inform organic SEO priorities. Keywords competitors bid on are often the highest-intent organic targets.

→ Keywords for Site API

Ad copy ideation and testing strategy

Your competitor has 12 active ad variations for emergency plumbing. You have 2. Pull their ad copy, analyze the CTAs and value propositions, and use this as creative inspiration for your own tests. Competitor ads are free market research.

→ For business owners
▌ vs. the alternatives

Why not just use Google Ads Transparency Center or paid tools?

Google Ads Transparency Center is public but manual — you look up one domain at a time. Paid tools (SpyFu, iSpionage, SEMrush) cost $60–$300/month for seat-based access. Here's how the options stack up.

ApproachAd data freshnessSetupCost per lookupAI-agent ready
Google Ads Transparency Center (manual)Real-time (public)Free, but manual lookup$0 but high time costRequires human browser
Meta Ad Library (manual)Real-time (public)Free, but manual lookup$0 but high time costRequires human browser
SpyFu24-48 hoursDashboard login$59–$299/mo flat subscriptionManual CSV export, no API
iSpionage24-48 hoursDashboard login$59–$299/mo flat subscriptionManual CSV export, no API
SEMrush Advertising Research24-48 hoursDashboard login + plan$139.95+/mo, enterprise pricingREST API exists but complex setup
Adbeat~48 hoursDashboard login$99+/mo subscriptionManual lookups, no agent support
DataForSEO / Outscraper (generic ad scrape)Varies, brittleAPI key + dev work$0.05–$0.25 per requestREST only, no Google integration
Local SEO Data Competitor Ads API~6-12 hoursAPI key + 1-line MCP config$0.01 per domain lookupNative MCP, agent-first
▌ Connect in 60 seconds

Use it from your agent

Two integration surfaces: MCP for clients that speak MCP, REST API for everything else.

Direct MCP integration

Drop-in support in Claude Desktop, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, and any MCP-aware client.

Add to your client's MCP config (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "localseodata": {
      "url": "https://mcp.localseodata.com",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API

For Perplexity Computer, ChatGPT Custom GPTs, custom agents, and any platform that calls REST endpoints directly.

Base URL:

api.localseodata.com

See the docs for endpoint reference and auth.

▌ Quickstart

Your first call in three lines

Same call, three syntaxes. The `domain` field is the competitor's website (e.g., competitor-plumber.com). Optional: `format` filters to 'text', 'image', or 'video' (default: all). Optional: `limit` controls max results (default: 20).

terminal · curl
POST /v1/ads/competitor
curl -X POST https://api.localseodata.com/v1/ads/competitor \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "domain": "competitor-plumber.com",
    "format": "text",
    "limit": 20
  }'
Full endpoint reference → · Get an API key →
▌ Pricing for this endpoint

$0.01 per domain

2 credits per lookup. Pay-as-you-go starts at $5. Monthly plans from $19. Batch 100 competitor domains for $1.

Free tier
50
credits on signup (5 competitor lookups)
Starter · $19/mo
1,900
credits/mo (190 lookups)
Per-domain cost
$0.01
or 2 credits per lookup
▌ FAQ

Common questions

What is the Competitor Ads API?+
A REST endpoint that returns every Google Ad a competitor has run — headline, description, format, platforms (Search, Maps, YouTube), and first-seen and last-seen dates. One POST call returns up to 20 ads (paginable) in JSON format. It costs 2 credits (~$0.01 per domain). This is the data layer underneath PPC competitive analysis, pre-pitch audits, and organic keyword prioritization from paid data.
How do I authenticate with the Competitor Ads API?+
Authentication uses a Bearer token. Generate an API key from your Local SEO Data dashboard (Settings → API Keys), then include it as Authorization: Bearer sk_live_... in your request headers. The same key works for MCP integration (in your claude_desktop_config.json) and direct REST calls. No OAuth flow, no project setup. There are no per-endpoint quotas — your only ceiling is your credit balance. A batch lookup of 100 competitors costs $1. See the authentication docs for key rotation and security best practices.
Which ad platforms are covered?+
Google Search, Google Maps, and YouTube. The API returns all ad variations a domain has run across these surfaces. If a competitor runs an ad on Search but not Maps, that distinction is captured. This is based on Google Ads Transparency Center data, which covers Google-owned platforms only — it does not include Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, LinkedIn, or other networks. For Meta ad intelligence, use the Meta Ad Library directly (also public, also requires manual lookup).
Where does this ad data come from?+
Google Ads Transparency Center. This is Google's public tool for viewing political and election-related ads. For non-political commercial ads (plumbing, HVAC, law firms, e-commerce), the data comes from DataForSEO, our upstream provider, who aggregates from Google Ads Transparency Center and similar public sources. Ad data refreshes within approximately 6–12 hours of new ads being live. This is not real-time but is fresh enough for strategic competitive analysis.
How long do you keep ad history?+
We retain ad history back 12 months by default. This lets you see which ads competitors have run, tested, and abandoned over a year. This is useful for trend analysis — e.g., 'which keywords are they still bidding on?' vs 'which did they give up on?' For deeper historical analysis (2+ years), contact support for custom data requests.
Can I see ad copy and landing pages?+
Ad copy (headlines and descriptions) is returned in full. Landing page URLs are not returned by the API — Google Ads Transparency Center does not expose target URLs at scale. If you need to audit competitor landing pages, pair this with our Competitor Gap API or use traditional website analytics tools (Similarweb, HubSpot, Contentsquare).
Is it legal to access competitor ad data this way?+
Google Ads Transparency Center is public data — anyone can view competitor ads without authentication. Third-party ad intelligence tools have been a standard category for over a decade (SpyFu, iSpionage, SEMrush, Adbeat). Google's Terms of Service govern automated access to Google's services and are a civil contract, not a criminal statute. You're also not the one operating collection — you're calling a hosted API whose upstream provider operates at scale. This is the standard, defensible approach for competitive PPC analysis. (This is not legal advice; consult your counsel for your specific use case.)
How does this compare to SpyFu, iSpionage, or SEMrush Advertising Research?+
SpyFu, iSpionage, and SEMresh all offer paid search intelligence but bundle it into seat-based SaaS ($59–$300/mo). Our API is per-call: you pay for what you look up. If you audit 100 competitors once per month, that's $1/mo. They charge $200/mo even if you use them twice. They also offer dashboards and deeper features (keyword difficulty, bid estimates, conversion data), which we don't — we focus on exposing ad copy and history. If you need full PPC suite features (bid estimates, landing page collection), they're more complete. If you just need to know 'what are they running,' we're faster and cheaper.
Can I get estimated ad spend for a competitor?+
No. Google does not publish advertiser spend data at scale. Paid tools like SpyFu and SEMrush estimate spend based on bid volume and position, but estimates have high variance. The most reliable approach is paid tools (if you value estimates) or Google Ads account data (if you're the advertiser). We focus on what we can verify: ad copy, platforms, and duration.
Can AI agents use the Competitor Ads API directly?+
Yes. Two integration paths. MCP: add Local SEO Data to your claude_desktop_config.json (or any MCP-aware client — OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, etc.) and the agent calls this endpoint from any prompt. REST: any agent that can make HTTPS calls — ChatGPT Custom GPTs, Perplexity Computer, custom Python agents — hits api.localseodata.com directly with the Bearer token. You don't write integration code. You write the prompt.
Can I batch multiple competitor domains in one call?+
Not directly — the endpoint accepts one domain per call. However, your agent can batch calls: 'Look up ads for these 10 competitors and summarize the ad themes across all of them.' The API returns results fast (~3-8s per call), and most agents can parallelize multiple calls. Cost is 2 credits per domain, so 10 competitors costs $0.10.
Does this work for local service businesses?+
Yes. Local service businesses (plumbers, electricians, HVAC contractors, roofing, landscaping) are heavy Google Ads users and often run location-specific ads. The API works identically for local and national businesses. One note: local ad performance varies by geography, and Google Ads Transparency Center does not segment by location — it shows all ads for a domain. This is still useful (you see their overall ad strategy) but less granular than region-specific PPC tools.
What changed in 2026 that made this category exist?+
MCP — the Model Context Protocol — became standard in late 2024 and went mainstream through 2025. It let agents call external APIs without bespoke integration code. The moment that happened, the right shape of a PPC intelligence product flipped from 'dashboard with a login' to 'endpoint your agent calls.' Subscription tools like SpyFu and iSpionage were built for humans clicking dashboards. We built for agents reading JSON.
▌ Related endpoints

Often used in the same agent prompt

POST /v1/business/ads/keywords-for-site
Keywords for Site API

Organic keywords a competitor ranks for — compare with their paid keywords.

POST /v1/audit/competitor-gap
Competitor Gap API

Side-by-side analysis: rankings, reviews, profile, citations vs top competitors.

POST /v1/serp/lsa
Local Services Ads API

Google Guaranteed / Screened ads — track local home services competitors.

POST /v1/business/listings
Business Listings API

Find all competitors in your category and location.

Know what your competitors bid on.

50 free credits on signup. 5 free competitor domain lookups included. Start with a direct competitor, then build to 10. Your first PPC audit happens through Claude, not SpyFu.

Start FreeRead the docs
▌ MADE FOR THE NEW LOCAL SEO STACK