Analyzing a competitor's ads.

Can it be done?

[jonathanleger]

Are there any factors that can be analyzed in a competitors ad to figure out what about their ads gives it a high enough CTR to make it to the first page? Say, keywords used, or punctuation, or other properties that can be analyzed? I know $ matters, too, but CTR is a factor that can be tested.

[cline]

Try writing ads similar to the competitor's and observing your own CTR.

[Robsp]

Looking for a new project jonathan?

[jonathanleger]

Robsp: Yes! :)

[eWhisper]

There are many factors can be used to see why one ad looks better than another. However, I think trying to measure then across different product categories will prove difficult as your target market is different. Often, many ads are well written and its the highest bid that wins. However, it would be an interesting (and time consuming) study.

Another thing to consider is the URL/Brand name. I've seen a few companies who could bid lower than their competition as they had a naturally high CTR due to name recogonition. This is a hard factor to analyze as it has nothing todo with the way its written - its the emotional response to branding.