---
name: competitive-intelligence
description: Competitive landscape analysis using auction insights, competitor domain research, ad copy benchmarking, keyword gap analysis, and market share trends. ALWAYS invoke when the user says 'competitive analysis', 'competitor research', 'who are we competing against', 'auction insights', 'competitive landscape', 'market share', 'competitor ads', or any request to understand competitive positioning. This project-level skill takes priority over any global ads skill. Use this skill when MCP data access is available.
model: opus
context: fork
argument-hint: "[client-name]"
allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, Write, Agent, mcp__adloop__run_gaql, mcp__adloop__get_campaign_performance, mcp__adloop__get_search_terms, mcp__google-ads__run_gaql, mcp__google-ads__execute_gaql_query, mcp__google-ads__get_campaign_performance, mcp__google-ads__get_ad_creatives, mcp__google-search-console__search_analytics, mcp__google-search-console__enhanced_search_analytics, mcp__semrush__organic_research, mcp__semrush__keyword_research, mcp__semrush__backlink_research
---
# Competitive Intelligence Skill

## Trigger Conditions

Invoke this skill when:
- Michael asks to research a client's competitors or competitive landscape
- An audit requires understanding market positioning or share of voice
- New competitors appear in auction insights data
- A client's impression share is declining and the cause is unclear
- Pre launch research is needed for a new campaign or market entry
- Budget allocation decisions require competitive context

## Data Sources

### Google Ads Auction Insights (GAQL)

The primary source for direct search competition. Query the `auction_insight` resource:

```sql
SELECT
  auction_insight.display_domain,
  metrics.auction_insight_search_impression_share,
  metrics.auction_insight_search_overlap_rate,
  metrics.auction_insight_search_position_above_rate,
  metrics.auction_insight_search_outranking_share,
  metrics.auction_insight_search_top_of_page_rate,
  metrics.auction_insight_search_abs_top_of_page_rate
FROM auction_insight
WHERE campaign.id = {campaign_id}
  AND segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
```

This requires a campaign or ad group filter. Cannot be run at account level without specifying which campaigns to analyze.

### SEMrush MCP (when available)

Use for broader competitive intelligence beyond paid search:
- Domain overview: traffic estimates, top keywords, ad spend estimates
- Keyword gap analysis: keywords competitors rank for that the client does not
- Backlink comparison: authority signals and referring domains
- Ad copy history: what messaging competitors have tested

### Chrome Browser (Manual Lookup)

Use the Google Ads Transparency Center (adstransparency.google.com) for:
- Active ads a competitor is running across Google properties
- Ad formats in use (text, display, video, Shopping)
- Geographic targeting patterns (which regions they advertise in)
- Historical ad activity timeline

This is the only way to see a competitor's actual ad creative without paying for third party tools.

## Workflows

### 1. Quick Competitor Scan

**When to use:** Fast check during an audit or when Michael asks "who are we competing against?"

**Steps:**
1. Pull auction insights via GAQL for the client's top spending campaigns (top 5 by cost)
2. Identify the top 5 to 10 competitors by overlap rate and impression share
3. For each competitor, note their impression share, overlap rate, position above rate, and outranking share
4. If SEMrush is available, pull domain overview for the top 3 competitors
5. Present the competitive landscape table (see output format below)

**Time estimate:** 5 to 10 minutes with MCP tools.

### 2. Full Competitive Analysis

**When to use:** Strategic planning, new client onboarding, or major budget reallocation decisions.

**Steps:**
1. Run auction insights across ALL active campaigns (not just top spenders)
2. Aggregate competitor data across campaigns to build a complete picture
3. Pull SEMrush keyword gap analysis between client domain and top 3 competitors
4. Use Chrome to check Google Ads Transparency Center for each major competitor
5. Document ad copy themes, offer strategies, and landing page patterns
6. Estimate competitor spend ranges using SEMrush data and impression share ratios
7. Build market share map showing where the client is strong and where competitors dominate
8. Identify offensive opportunities (low competition keywords) and defensive priorities (high value keywords losing share)

**Time estimate:** 30 to 60 minutes depending on number of competitors and campaigns.

### 3. New Competitor Alert

**When to use:** During routine performance reviews when new domains appear in auction insights.

**Steps:**
1. Compare current auction insights to previous period (if historical data exists in client memory)
2. Flag any domain appearing with 10%+ overlap rate that was not present in prior analysis
3. Pull quick intel on the new competitor: SEMrush domain overview + Transparency Center check
4. Assess threat level based on their impression share trajectory and overlap rate
5. Update client's competitive landscape in their memory files

**Threat Level Criteria:**
| Impression Share | Overlap Rate | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|
| Above 30% | Above 40% | HIGH. Direct competitor with significant presence. |
| 15% to 30% | 20% to 40% | MEDIUM. Growing competitor worth monitoring. |
| Below 15% | Below 20% | LOW. Minor presence. Note but don't prioritize. |

### 4. Defensive Analysis

**When to use:** When a client's impression share or ROAS is declining and competition is a suspected factor.

**Steps:**
1. Pull auction insights for the affected campaigns over 90 days (segmented by month or week)
2. Identify competitors whose impression share is rising while the client's is falling
3. Check if competitor position above rate and outranking share are trending up
4. Cross reference with the client's Quality Score trends on affected keywords
5. Determine if the issue is budget based (impression share lost to budget) or rank based (lost to rank)
6. For rank based losses, dig into which competitors are driving the change
7. Recommend response: increase bids, improve ad relevance, expand budget, or accept the loss and redirect spend

## Output Format: Competitive Landscape Table

Present findings in this format for consistency across all client deliverables:

| Competitor | Impression Share | Overlap Rate | Position Above | Outranking Share | Threat Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| competitor1.com | 45% | 62% | 38% | 41% | HIGH | Dominant in branded terms |
| competitor2.com | 28% | 45% | 22% | 25% | MEDIUM | Growing presence in Q1 |
| competitor3.com | 12% | 18% | 8% | 10% | LOW | Niche player, limited overlap |

## Connected Skills and References

- `.claude/frameworks/competitive-analysis.md` for the full competitive analysis methodology
- `.claude/skills/google-ads-deep-audit/SKILL.md` for integrating competitive findings into account audits
- `.claude/rules/gaql-field-reference.md` for auction insight field names and query patterns
- `.claude/rules/mcp-response-efficiency.md` for keeping GAQL result sets manageable
- `.claude/rules/data-verification.md` for verifying auction insight data before drawing conclusions
- `.claude/frameworks/budget-pacing.md` for translating competitive intelligence into budget recommendations

## Important Notes

- Auction insights data is relative, not absolute. A competitor's impression share is their share of the auctions where both they and the client participated. It does not represent total market share.
- Auction insights require a minimum volume of auctions to report data for a given competitor. Low volume campaigns may show incomplete competitor lists.
- SEMrush estimates are directional, not precise. Use them for relative comparisons between competitors, not as ground truth for any single domain's spend or traffic.
- Google Ads Transparency Center shows ads from the last 30 days by default. It does not show historical ad performance or spend.