The document discusses how SEMrush uses data from tracking 95 million keywords and 40+ million domains to gain insights into competitors' spending, products, ads, and other information. It provides examples of how to use this data when making decisions such as whether to launch new products, how to allocate budgets, which competitors are spending the most on certain keywords, and other competitive intelligence. The key message is that competitors inevitably reveal valuable data through their search and paid advertising activities, and companies can minimize risks and learn from others' successes or mistakes by spying on competitors using tools like SEMrush.

1. Sean Malseed
Strategic Development
@seoquaketeam
@seanmalseed
Time/Date Room

2. Introduction
• Why is SEMrush qualified to talk about how to be a PPC spy?
• Simple: it's what we do for a living.
• We track 95 million keywords and 40+ million domains, and
use mathematical models to find incredibly detailed
information on domains and companies in general.
• This gives us a very unique insight into exactly this topic. We
know what companies spend and where, which of their
products are profitable, what ads they buy on Adwords,
Adsense and Facebook, and much more.

3. How to be a
… well, a lazy spy, behind a computer.

4. Capital One Direct Mail

5. Capital One Direct Mail
Three options to apply:
1. Apply online
2. Over the phone
3. Snail mail application

6. Capital One Direct Mail
Three options to apply:
1. Apply online
2. Over the phone
3. Snail mail application
What information is hidden here?

7. Capital One Application URL

9. Keyword Popularity (GKT)
Let's type that URL into Google Keyword Tool as an exact match keyword.

10. Keyword Popularity (GKT)
Let's type that URL into Google Keyword Tool as an exact match keyword.
In a given month, 22,200 people type the application URL
into a Google search query, as if it were a keyword.

11. Imagine we compete with Capital One
As a competitor, we've also run a direct mail campaign.
During our campaign, our results were:
Online responses were 70% of
all referrals
Calls to our phone bank
comprised 20%
The remaining 10% came from
snail mail.

12. Imagine we compete with Capital One
40% of our online respondents reached our application URL by
typing it into a Google search bar.

13. Imagine we compete with Capital One
40% of our online respondents reached our application URL by
typing it into a Google search bar.
So, if 40% of Capital One's
response = 22,200...

15. 22,200 customers uncovered via Google
Keyword Tool
If 22,200 = 40% of Capital One's online responses, then
100% of online responses is 55,500
If online responses are 70% of the total responses, then
100% of the total responses are 79,285 from online,
phone & snail mail.
If 10% of responses came through snail mail, Capital One
saw 7,928 snail mail responses.

17. Italian Charms… to Sell or not to Sell?

18. Search Trends

19. Total Advertising Budget

20. That's so 2004.

21. What We Work With

22. Chase's Consumer Card

23. Chase Rewards Budget vs. Business

24. Chase Rewards Budget vs. Business
Chase is banking on
their Business Card

25. General Overview

26. General Overview

27. General Overview
What's the point?
Changes to the industry are visible in the
search and PPC data, in a very big way.
Even those not in the industry can piece
together a very accurate picture of what
happened to these companies.
It's internal and confidential company
information – that they can't help but make
visible.

28. Decisions Based on Data

29. New Product: Piercing Tools?

30. Another New Product: Temporary Tattoos

31. How to Make the Decision
Investment Revenue Decision
Piercing Tools $25,000 $45,000 YES!
Temporary
Tattoos
$25,000 Unknown* TBD
Key Question: is revenue significantly greater than
$25,000?

32. Trends: New Product Budget Changes

34. Q: Why else do you need to spy on your
competitors?

35. Q: Why else do you need to spy on your
competitors?
A: Because your competitors are already spying on
you.

36. The tracking URL is track.searchignite.com =>
The domain is owned by http://www.ignitionone.com
We should call IgnitionOne
Who Capital One Works With

37. Amazon’s AdWords Budget

38. • Spying on your competitors reveals real, actionable data.
• Whatever you're planning for the future, someone else
has done something similar, or comparable, in the past.
• Use tools to minimize your risk by looking at what your
competitors have done, and checking their results.
RECAP:

39. RECAP:
• Why do something with trial and error, if you can watch
your competitors do it instead? Learn from their mistakes,
and use only their successes.
• Before you get involved with a product, you need to
answer a yes or no question – is it worth it?
• Define the above simply as “will my revenue exceed my
investment in a meaningful manner?”

40. RECAP:
• If a competitor increases an ad budget for a product
month over month, or even keeps it steady – they are
seeing a meaningful return.
• If more than one competitor is paying for a keyword,
chances are this keyword converts.
• The buzzword is usually “low hanging fruit” - competitive
research tools are here to help make sure that fruit is ripe.

41. Thank you!
pr.semrush.com/austin
Sean Malseed
Strategic Development
@seoquaketeam
@seanmalseed