Google Ads
Google Ads Auction Insights
Google Ads Auction Insights is a competitive report within Google Ads for eligible Search, Shopping, and Performance Max activity. It compares an advertiser with others entering the same auctions through metrics such as impression share, overlap rate, outranking share, and top-of-page rates where applicable. It helps paid-search teams interpret competitive pressure, diagnose lost visibility, and make informed bidding or budgeting decisions without revealing competitors' keywords, bids, costs, or conversion results.
What it does
Auction Insights is a report inside Google Ads that shows how your campaigns, ad groups, or keywords perform relative to other advertisers competing in the same auctions. It displays six metrics: impression share (what percentage of eligible auctions you appeared in), overlap rate (how often a competitor appeared when you did), position above rate (how often a competitor's ad appeared higher than yours), top-of-page rate, absolute top-of-page rate, and outranking share (how often your ad ranked above a competitor's or the competitor did not show). The report does not reveal competitor names for search campaigns by default — it shows domains — and it is available at the campaign, ad group, or keyword level.
Where it fits
Auction Insights is a competitive analysis tool used during active campaign management — typically reviewed weekly alongside impression share lost to budget and rank reports.
Core features
- Impression share vs. competitors in the same keyword auctions
- Overlap rate showing when and how often you compete against the same advertisers
- Position above rate and outranking share for head-to-head comparison
- Top-of-page and absolute top-of-page share for premium placement comparison
- Filterable by campaign, ad group, or specific keywords
- Date range selection to compare competitive dynamics over time
Best for
- Search advertisers diagnosing why impression share dropped — whether due to budget, bid, or increased competition
- Campaign managers benchmarking competitive position in high-value keyword auctions
- Brands monitoring whether competitors are increasing bids against their branded terms
Beginner notes
- Auction Insights only shows advertisers who appeared in a sufficient number of the same auctions; low-volume keyword segments may show no competitor data.
- A high overlap rate does not mean a competitor is bidding on your exact keywords — they may be using broad match against similar terms. Cross-reference with Search Term reports before drawing conclusions.
- Outranking share above 50% suggests you are winning most head-to-head position contests, but position alone does not determine which ad gets more clicks — ad relevance and extensions matter too.