Before you decide,read the market.
Where is the demand, what are rivals running, which keyword is open? Type a topic and get demand, competition and competitor ads in one decision file.
Rather hand the job over? In our Competitor & Market Intelligence service we run this tool for you; scope and monthly price are published.
Competitive intelligence servicesOne scan answers with five metrics
Market research usually happens in five tabs: a keyword tool, a trend chart, search results, an ad library. Here you run one scan and the result comes back as a single decision file.
| Metric | What it shows | If it cannot be measured |
|---|---|---|
| Market score | A score out of 100 from search volume, competition, trend direction and cost per click | Calculated once the main keyword's volume arrives |
| Demand trend | Change in the recent 12-month average against the earliest period | Fills when the trend source returns a 12-month series |
| Competition | Advertiser competition as low, medium or high | Fills when competition is measured for the keyword |
| AI visibility | How often the brand appears in answers from AI assistants | Measured only when ticked in the scope |
| Ad activity | Live competitor ads with format and platform breakdown | Fills when the ad library answers for that country |
From scan to content idea
- 1Type the topic
A product, service or category is enough; your brand's saved offerings appear as suggestions.
- 2Pick country and language
Metrics follow the searches of the target country you choose.
- 3Set the scope
Switch on demand, trends, search results, competitor ads and AI visibility as needed.
- 4Read the decision file
Metric cards, opportunity keywords, map, risks and actions arrive on one screen.
- 5Turn it into ideas
Keywords you pick go to the content pool with their reasoning.
In the last step a keyword does not stay a note. The content pool turns it into an idea card with its volume and competition, and skips it if an idea for that keyword already exists.
How the opportunity score works
Every related keyword gets an opportunity score from 0 to 100. It comes from three inputs with fixed weights, shown in the chart below.
Weights are read from the product's opportunity score formula. Volume is scored on a log scale; competition and cost per click are scored inversely.
- Keywords under 100 monthly searches are left out; the sample is too small at that level.
- The list shows the 10 highest-scoring keywords.
- Volume is a monthly estimate, as Google explains on its Keyword Planner page, not an exact count.
- Competition measures advertiser density; it does not directly tell you how hard organic ranking is.
The market map sorts keywords into four zones
Keywords with measured volume and competition land on a two-axis map. 1,000 or more monthly searches counts as high demand, and advertiser competition of 66% or more counts as high competition.
| Zone | Condition | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Opportunity | High demand, low competition | Go here first |
| Crowded | High demand, high competition | Expensive to enter without an angle |
| Quiet | Low demand, low competition | A long-term niche |
| Hard | Low demand, high competition | Rarely pays back the cost |
Read what competitors do from their ads
With competitor ads in scope, the file counts live ads and breaks them down by format and platform. The source is Meta's public Ad Library.
- The first scan shows the live ad count on its own; the change appears from the second scan.
- If competitor ads rose since the previous scan, that goes on the risk list.
- Open individual ads and track rivals one by one in ad intelligence.
- We explain what to look for in an ad library in four signals in a competitor's ad library.
Which part of market research it does, and which it does not
Market research comes in two kinds. Primary research collects data from customers directly through surveys, interviews and focus groups. Secondary research reads data that already exists: search demand, trends, competitor ads.
| Question | Answered here? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Is this searched, and is demand rising? | Yes | Search volume and 12-month trend |
| Are competitors advertising, and in what format? | Yes | Live ad count and breakdown |
| Which keyword should I start with? | Yes | Opportunity score and market map |
| Will customers pay this price? | No | Needs a survey or interviews |
| What is a competitor's revenue? | No | Cannot be measured reliably from outside |
Who it helps
- Ecommerce brands that want to see demand and competition before entering a new product or category.
- Exporters considering a new country who want that country's searches measured on their own.
- If you want product ideas from niches, start with the niche radar; to catch rising topics, start with trend analysis.
Frequently asked questions
What does market intelligence do?
It reads a topic you are considering with data: search demand, demand trend, advertiser competition and live competitor ads. The result arrives as one decision file with opportunity keywords, risks and actions.
How do you do market research?
Define the question, then collect and analyse data. This screen turns collecting and reading secondary data into one scan. Primary research such as surveys and interviews is still a separate job.
How is the opportunity score calculated?
Search volume is weighted 45%, low competition 35% and low cost per click 20%. Keywords under 100 monthly searches are left out.
What does an empty metric card mean?
That metric's source did not answer in this scan, or it was off in the scope. The card does not show zero; it states why it is empty and how it will fill.
Which countries can I analyse?
You choose the target country and language when you start a scan. Metrics follow that country's searches and the ads live there.
How do I see change over time?
Scan the same topic for the same country again and every card shows the percentage change against the previous scan. The first scan shows no change because there is nothing to compare with.
Does it show competitors' revenue or sales?
No. Revenue and unit sales cannot be measured reliably from outside; the screen only shows signals that can be measured: demand, competition and live ads.
How do I move results into my content plan?
Pick keywords from the opportunity list and send them to the content pool. Each becomes an idea card with its volume and competition, and is skipped if it already exists.
Sources
The official documentation behind the technical points on this page:
- [1]Google Ads Help: Use Keyword Planner
Monthly search volume is an estimate; definitions of competition and cost metrics.
- [2]Google Trends Help: FAQ about Google Trends data
Trend data is scaled relatively to a 0-100 range.
- [3]Meta Transparency Center: Ad Library tools
The public library of live ads behind the competitor ad count.
Related pages
- Competitor analysis serviceWe run the market and competitor scans for you, regularly.
- Ad intelligenceInspect competitors' live ads one by one.
- Niche radarFind product niches with demand and little competition.
- Trend analysisCatch rising topics and formats early.
- Export ReadinessThe export readiness score checks 13 readiness items in your brand record and turns the points of the completed ones into a score out of 100.
- Ad LibraryThe Meta Ad Library is a public archive of every ad running on Facebook and Instagram; anyone can search it, free of charge.
Know the market with data, not guesses.
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