Understanding Google Ads Transparency: What It Is and How to Use It

Have you ever wondered how to view all the ads run by a business on Google ads?

It is true that you can use Google Ads Preview and Diagnosis Tool to preview if your ad is showing or not on Google for a specific search term but there is no way to see an ad run by one of your competitors (let alone all the ads run by the competitor).

There are some third party tools such as SEMRush, Spyfu and Adbeat that allow users to see ads that have run on Google’s display network but these tools are not free and are not accurate. Marketers and business owners have spent countless hours trying to figure out how to see their competitors’ ads and Google Ads Transparency Center is an answer to this.

Google Ads Transparency is a tool that allows users to see detailed information about the ads currently running on Google’s platforms, including Search, YouTube, and the Display Network. Launched as part of Google’s broader commitment to transparency and accountability, this tool offers a public archive of ads that can be searched by advertiser, keyword, or domain.

Why Did Google Create This Tool?

Google created the Ads Transparency Center in response to growing concerns about the lack of visibility in digital advertising. With issues like misinformation, political advertising, and data privacy making headlines, there was a clear need for a tool that could provide greater insight into who is running ads, what they are promoting, and how they are targeting audiences.

By making this tool free and accessible to the public, Google aims to:

• Increase Accountability: By allowing users to see which ads are running and who is behind them, Google holds advertisers accountable for the content they promote.
• Enhance User Trust: Transparency helps to build trust with users by providing them with more information about the ads they encounter online.
• Support Ethical Advertising: The tool encourages ethical advertising practices by making it easier to spot misleading or harmful ads.

Facebook too has a similar tool called Ad Library where you can see all ads run by an advertiser.

How To Use Google Ads Transparency

There are 2 ways to use Google Ads Transparency.

Option 1 – Use Google Ads Transparency Center

1. Visit the Google Ads Transparency Center.
2. You can search by entering a specific advertiser’s name, a keyword, or a domain. For example, if you want to see the ads running for “Boohoo,” simply type in “boohoo” and hit enter. Note that the ads data is only available if an advertiser is verified. If an advertiser is not verified then Google will not show any data but as Google is now forcing all advertisers to be verified, it won’t be too long before you will be able to see ads data for any advertiser.
3. Once you’ve performed a search, you can filter the results by platform (Search, Display, YouTube), region, and date range.
4. Click on any ad to see more details, including the ad creative, copy, and where the ad was shown.
5. You can explore the advertiser’s history to see all the ads they’ve run over time, helping you understand their broader advertising strategy.

Option 2 – Use Google’s search results page

1. Start with a search term like to trigger an ad on Google’s search result page.
2. Click on the 3 dots next to the display URL.

3. Click on “See more ads” which will open Google Ads Transparency and then follow the steps shown in option 1. If you don’t see the “See more ads” option then that means the advertiser is not verified yet.

Benefits of Google Ads Transparency

The Google Ads Transparency tool offers several key benefits:

1. Greater Insight for Competitors: Marketers and businesses can use the tool to monitor competitors’ ad strategies, helping them refine their own campaigns.
2. Consumer Awareness: Consumers gain a better understanding of the ads they are exposed to, including who is behind them and their intent.
3. Political Ad Transparency: The tool is particularly valuable during election periods, allowing the public to scrutinise political ads and the sources behind them.
4. Research and Analysis: Researchers and journalists can leverage the tool to study advertising trends, analyse political ad spending, and report on emerging issues in digital advertising.

What Features Are Missing?

While the Google Ads Transparency tool is a powerful resource, it’s not without its limitations:

1. Incomplete Ad Coverage: The tool does not show every single ad. Highly targeted ads, particularly those aimed at niche audiences, may not appear in the public archive. In our experience, the tool doesn’t show all the ads for our clients so it is possible that Google is not showing all the ads.
2. No Data on Ad Spend or traffic levels: Although you can see which ads are running, the tool does not provide detailed information on ad spend or traffic, making it harder to gauge the financial scale of an advertiser’s campaign.
3. No Insight into Ad Performance: Users cannot see how well an ad is performing in terms of clicks, conversions, or engagement, which limits the depth of competitive analysis.
4. Lack of Detailed Targeting Information: The tool doesn’t disclose detailed targeting parameters, such as demographic or interest targeting, which are critical components of a campaign’s strategy.
5. Only verified advertisers ads are available.

The Google Ads Transparency Center is a significant step towards transparency and accountability. For marketers and business owners, the tool is a valuable resource for understanding competitors’ approach to ads and take that into account in developing their own marketing strategy. For consumers, it offers a way to better understand the advertising landscape and make more informed decisions. As digital advertising continues to evolve, tools like Google Ads Transparency will play an increasingly important role in fostering a more open and ethical online ecosystem.