Ever feel like your competitors are always one step ahead? You’re running Google Ads for your septic service business, spending good money, but somehow those other septic companies in your area seem to be getting all the best customers. Meanwhile, your phone isn’t ringing as much as it should be, and your crews have too much downtime between jobs. This isn’t just frustrating—it’s costing you thousands in lost revenue and keeping you awake at night wondering how the competition is stealing your customers. But what if you could peek behind the curtain and see exactly what your competitors are doing in Google Ads? The good news is you can, and I’m going to show you how to legally “spy” on their advertising strategies so you can finally stop losing customers and start growing your septic business.
In this blog post I am going to share the exact data points inside Google Ads that reveal what your competitors are doing to win customers. Coming up, I’ll answer three burning questions that every septic business owner needs to know: Which specific reports in Google Ads show you exactly who you’re competing against and how often they’re beating you? What key metrics tell you why customers are choosing your competitors over your septic service? And most importantly, how often should you check these numbers and what changes should you make based on what you discover? Master these insights and you’ll stop wasting money on ads that don’t work and start bringing in more high-quality septic service leads.
Think of competitive analysis in Google Ads like being a football coach watching game films of your upcoming opponent. Before a big game, coaches spend hours studying how the other team plays—their favorite moves, their weaknesses, and their go-to plays in critical situations. They’re not guessing what might work; they’re using real data about what the opponent actually does on the field. This is exactly what smart septic business owners do with Google Ads. Instead of guessing why your competitors are getting more customers, you can study their actual “game film” through the data Google provides. Just like a coach adjusts his game plan based on what he sees in those films, you’ll adjust your Google Ads strategy based on what the data reveals about your competitors.
The most powerful tool for seeing what your competitors are doing is called “Auction Insights” in Google Ads. This special report shows you exactly which other septic companies you’re competing against when someone searches for septic services. It tells you how often your ads show up compared to theirs using something called “impression share.” If your impression share is 50% and your competitor’s is 80%, it means they’re showing up much more often than you are when people search for septic services. The report also shows you how often competitors appear above your ads with “position above rate” and how often you outrank them with “outranking share.” These numbers tell you if people are seeing your competitor’s ads first before yours, which might explain why they’re getting more calls.
Another important thing to look at is why you’re losing opportunities to show your ads. Google Ads has a report that shows if you’re losing because your budget is too small compared to competitors or because your ads aren’t ranking high enough. If you’re losing because of budget, it means competitors are simply spending more money than you. If you’re losing because of rank, it means Google thinks their ads are better quality or more relevant to what people are searching for. You should also look at keyword performance data, which shows you how much you’re paying per click compared to what you should expect to pay in the septic industry. If you’re paying much more than average, it might mean your ads or website aren’t as good as your competitors, and Google is charging you more to show them.
Don’t forget to check how your ads are performing in different parts of town. The “geographic performance” report shows if competitors are doing better in certain neighborhoods or towns in your service area. Maybe they’re winning all the customers in the wealthy neighborhoods while you’re getting more customers in other areas. You should check all these reports at least once a month, or weekly if you’re spending a lot on ads. Look for patterns over time—are competitors getting stronger or weaker? Are they suddenly showing up more often for certain searches? When you spot these trends, you can adjust your strategy by improving your ads, changing your bids, or focusing on areas where competitors are weak.
Want to learn more ways to use Google Ads to grow your septic service business? I’ve got plenty more blog posts just like this one that can help you attract more local customers and keep your crews busy year-round.
