Ads History, part of the Semrush Advertising Toolkit, helps you understand how a domain has performed in paid search for a given keyword over time. See which domains have consistently bid on a keyword, what their ads looked like each month, and how strategies evolved. This makes it easier to see trends, plan seasonal campaigns, and avoid underperforming keywords.
The tool is ideal for small business marketers, ecommerce brands, and agencies who want to study ad trends, build stronger creatives, and time their campaigns more effectively.
How to Use Ads History
Ads History gives you a timeline of real campaigns.
That means you can make more informed decisions, like when to launch, what to avoid, and which ad formats to test.
Follow these steps to make the most of the tool:
Step 1: Search by Keyword
Enter a target keyword into the search bar to bring up a view of how advertisers have bid on it in Google Search over the past 12 months.
Step 2: Analyze Past Ads
You’ll see a visual timeline of domains that displayed ads for this keyword in Google's top 8 positions, organized by date. The numbered results represent the maximum position the domain’s ads reached in that month.
Click on any result in the timeline to view the actual ads that ran. You’ll see the full ad copy and landing page URL, just as it appeared in search. This allows you to examine your competitors’ messaging, positions, and how their approach evolved over time.
Step 3: Compare Competing Domains
By reviewing 12 months of activity for the same keyword, you can compare which domains invested consistently and which dropped off. Frequent presence may indicate successful campaigns worth learning from.
Clicking on a domain launches a feature of another Advertising Toolkit tool: Advertising Research. This feature, the Ads History report, gives you a deeper dive into that competitor.
Step 4: Plan for Seasonality and Timing
Use the timeline to uncover seasonal spikes in keyword bidding activity. For example, if a term is heavily advertised during holiday months, you can plan ad launches around proven high-traffic periods and tailor your messaging to match the timing.
Explore Related Tools
To expand your research, you should also explore:
- Advertising Research to see who’s bidding on what keywords right now
- PLA Research to understand competitors’ Google Shopping strategies
- AdClarity to view ad creatives and placement data across display, video, and social
Looking for domain-specific timelines? The Advertising Research Ads History report feature offers another timeline view grouped by domain instead of keyword.
Ready to start planning your campaigns? Jump into the PPC Keyword Tool.
Or if you're ready to launch and optimize ads, skip ahead to the Ads Launch Assistant.