How to use the Google Ads Transparency Center
The Google Ads Transparency Center shows the search, YouTube, and display ads any advertiser runs, free. How to search it, filter it, and keep the good ones.
TLDR
- Go to adstransparency.google.com, search a company or website. Free, no login.
- You see their ads across Search, YouTube, Display, Shopping, Maps, and Play, filterable by country, date, and format.
- It doesn’t show keywords, budgets, or results. It shows what they said, which is the useful part.
Search it
- Open the Google Ads Transparency Center.
- Search an advertiser name or a website. Website is usually more reliable, since the advertiser name is the legal entity (Lumen Software GmbH, not Lumen).
- Pick the advertiser from the dropdown.
Filter it
- Region: the country the ad ran in. Set this to your market or you’ll see a mix.
- Date range: last 30 days, or a custom range.
- Platform: Search, YouTube, Shopping, Maps, Play, or Display.
- Format: text, image, or video.
Search ads are the gold for copywriters. The headline and description lines are the result of years of A/B testing by companies with way bigger budgets than yours.
What you can’t see
No keywords, no spend, no clicks. You can’t tell which ad performs best. A decent proxy: ads that have been running for months are probably working, because nobody keeps paying for a loser.
Keep what you find
The Transparency Center only shows what’s running and what ran recently. Screenshot the search ads you like, especially if you’re about to write your own, and keep them grouped by competitor. In Savepad, screenshots get their text read, so you can search every saved search ad for “free trial” or “no credit card”. It’s a cheap way to see how a whole category words its pitch. The competitor research use case and the competitor analysis template show how to keep it organised. The social side is in the Meta Ad Library and LinkedIn Ad Library guides.
FAQ
How do I see a competitor's Google ads?
Go to adstransparency.google.com, search their company name or website, and you'll see every ad they're running, filterable by country, date, format, and platform.
Does the Google Ads Transparency Center show keywords?
No. It shows the ads, not the keywords they bid on, budgets, or results. For keywords you need an SEO tool.
Can I see YouTube ads in the Transparency Center?
Yes. Filter by platform and pick YouTube to see a brand's video ads.