Google Ads Auction Insights: Reading the Competitor Report

What the report shows

Everything below comes from Google Ads Help, starting with Use auction insights to compare performance. If you are new to Google Ads, start with our Google Ads basics guide; this page covers only the competitor report.

Google describes the report as a way to "compare your performance with other advertisers who are participating in the same auctions that you are." Each row is a domain that competed with you, plus a row for "You". The report does not show competitors' bids, budgets, keywords or results. It shows how often ads appeared and in what order, which helps you decide where to look next.

Every search runs an auction. Google's About Ad Rank page lists the factors that decide whether an ad shows and where: your bid, the quality of your ads and landing page, Ad Rank thresholds, the competitiveness of the auction, the context of the search, and the expected impact of your assets. Auction insights shows the outcome of those auctions, not the reasons.

Which campaigns get it

Google says the report "is available for Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns". What you get differs by type:

• Search: 6 statistics (impression share, overlap rate, outranking share, position above rate, top of page rate and absolute top of the page rate), for keywords, ad groups or campaigns, segmented by time and device.
• Shopping: 3 statistics (impression share, overlap rate and outranking share), for ad groups or campaigns. Google says Shopping auction insights "only come from the Search Network".
• Performance Max: data for Search and Shopping ads served on the Search Network, split into "Search" and "Shopping", at account and campaign level.

Two limits catch people out. Keywords, ad groups and campaigns only get a report if they "meet a minimum threshold of activity for the time period selected", and Google says the report "doesn't show insights when impression share is less than 10%." Search partners are not included either, and other campaign types, such as Display, are not on Google's list.

The statistics, one by one

Impression share

Impression share is "the number of impressions you received divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive." Eligibility depends on targeting, approval status and Quality Score (Shopping does not use Quality Score, but Google says offer quality and relevance still affect eligibility). In a competitor's row, the figure is their impression share in the auctions where they were eligible. Google's About impression share page adds that it is an estimate, and that "small fluctuations over time don't necessarily indicate that action is needed."

Overlap rate

Overlap rate is "how often another advertiser's ad received an impression when your ad also received an impression." A competitor at 60% showed alongside you in 6 of every 10 of your impressions. A high overlap rate tells you who you meet most often.

Outranking share

Outranking share is "how often your ad ranked higher in the auction than another advertiser's ad, or if your ad showed when theirs didn't." It counts both cases, so a high figure can mean you beat them on rank, or simply that they often did not show.

Position above rate (Search only)

Position above rate is "how often the other advertiser's ad was shown in a higher position than yours was, when both of your ads were shown at the same time." Read it together with overlap rate: a competitor with high overlap and a high position above rate is regularly beating you when you meet.

Top of page rate (Search only)

The share of impressions (yours, or the competitor's in their row) that appeared at the top of the page, "above the unpaid search results". Google's example: 20 of 100 impressions above the organic results is a 20% top of page rate.

Absolute top of the page rate (Search only)

The share of impressions shown "as the very first ad above the organic search results". 10 of 100 impressions in that first spot is 10%.

Google also notes that you may see "google.com" as a competitor if you use Google-hosted domains or Google Business Profile, or if a competitor's landing page is on a Google site such as Google Sites or Google Play.

Finding the report

1. In the Campaigns menu, go to Campaigns, Ad groups or Search keywords.
2. Tick the campaigns, ad groups or keywords you want. Google notes you can only select keywords on one page at a time unless you run the report for "All".
3. Select Auction insights.
4. If you picked a mix of campaign types, choose "Search campaigns" or "Shopping campaigns" in the drop-down.

To see which items have a report at all, use the auction insights filter above the statistics table. Use a date range long enough to pass the activity threshold, and segment by device or time when you want to see when a competitor appears.

Why the numbers differ

Google lists a few reasons the report may not match what you see elsewhere:

• Your campaign column vs the report. Auction insights "filters out auctions with very low impressions, which the campaign level doesn't", so the two can differ slightly. For Shopping, the Product Groups tab only shows product groups with enough volume, which can also differ from campaign level.
• A competitor's own view. Their impression share in your report counts only the auctions you share. Google's example: a competitor showing 100% in your report "may have a 50% impression share in their eligible auctions".
• Timing. Google's Get impression share data page says all impression share metrics are "updated within 1–2 days", so recent days may still move.

Lost impression share: budget or rank

Auction insights tells you that you missed impressions. Two columns on the campaign table tell you why. Add them from the Competitive metrics group in the columns menu:

• Search lost IS (budget): "The percentage of time that your ads weren't shown on the Search Network due to insufficient budget." Campaign level only.
• Search lost IS (rank): the share of time your ads were not shown "due to poor Ad Rank in the auction".

Google adds that impression share metrics "are reported separately for each campaign type and aren't aggregated across the account." Where you appear on the page is covered by separate prominence metrics: Google's About top and absolute top metrics page explains "Impr. (Top) %" and "Impr. (Abs. Top) %", and warns against using them as a bidding target because they "may decrease as bids increase" when higher bids take you into more competitive auctions.

What to do with the findings

Google's Improve your impression share page lists the levers: increase the budget, increase bids, narrow regional targets (fewer possible impressions), re-adjust the budget if you widen targeting, and improve ad quality. Match the lever to the cause:

• Mostly lost to budget: the campaign runs out of money. Either raise the budget or narrow the keywords, locations or hours it covers. Our budgets and bidding guide explains how daily budgets and bid strategies work.
• Mostly lost to rank: bids, ad quality or landing page experience are holding you back. Improve the ads and landing pages before simply paying more per click.
• A new name with high overlap: check which search terms you share. Our guide to search terms and negative keywords shows how to find irrelevant queries that put you in the wrong auctions.
• Overlap only at certain hours or on mobile: segment by time and device, and consider the ad schedule or location targeting rather than raising bids everywhere.

Auction insights does not tell you whether a competitor is profitable or how many leads they get. Judge your own campaigns on conversions and cost per lead, measured with conversion tracking, not on beating a rival's impression share.

A checklist for a small business

1. Pick a date range long enough for the report to appear (impression share of at least 10% and enough activity).
2. Run it at campaign level first, then for your most important keywords.
3. Note the 3-5 competitors with the highest overlap rate and check them each month.
4. Read overlap rate together with position above rate and outranking share.
5. Add Search lost IS (budget) and Search lost IS (rank) to see why you miss impressions.
6. Segment by device and time before changing bids across the whole campaign.
7. Judge any change by conversions and cost per conversion.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see my competitors' bids or budgets in auction insights?

No. The report shows impression share, overlap rate, outranking share and, for Search, position above rate and top of page rates. It does not show bids, budgets, keywords or results.

Why is there no auction insights report for my campaign?

Google only shows the report for Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns that meet a minimum threshold of activity for the selected dates, and not when impression share is below 10%. Try a longer date range.

What is the difference between overlap rate and outranking share?

Overlap rate is how often a competitor's ad showed when yours did. Outranking share is how often your ad ranked higher than theirs, or showed when theirs didn't.

Why does google.com appear as a competitor?

Google says this can happen if you use Google-hosted domains or Google Business Profile, or if a competitor's landing page is on a Google site such as Google Sites or Google Play.

Does auction insights include Search partners?

No. Google says Search partners don't distinguish between top and other positions, and they are not included in auction insights data.

Should I raise bids when a competitor's impression share goes up?

Not automatically. Check Search lost IS (budget) and Search lost IS (rank) first, and judge changes by conversions and cost per conversion rather than by the competitor's numbers.

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