Google Ads Auction Insights: How to Use It to Make Real Decisions

Auction Insights is one of the most useful competitive tools in Google Ads, yet most store owners either do not know it exists or open it without knowing what to do with what they see.

It answers a question that matters to every account: are you losing ground to competitors, and if so, where and why?

Where to Find It

Auction Insights is available at three levels: campaign, ad group and keyword. Go to the level you want and click the Auction Insights button above the data table.

For Shopping campaigns it works at campaign level and shows competitor domains. For Search campaigns it works at campaign, ad group and keyword level.

It only appears for campaigns and date ranges with enough impression data, so low volume campaigns may not show it.

What Each Metric Means

Impression share

The percentage of eligible auctions in which your ad actually showed. An impression share of 45% means your ad appeared in 45% of the auctions it was eligible for.

That is not a share of every possible auction. It is a share of the auctions Google decided you were eligible for based on targeting, bids and quality. At 45%, you won roughly half the auctions you could have entered.

Higher impression share usually reflects stronger bids, higher quality or a bigger budget. But impression share is not a goal in its own right. You want the impression share that maximises profitable conversions, which is not the same as the highest possible share.

Lost impression share (rank)

The percentage of eligible auctions where your ad did not show because your bid or quality was too low. This is the most actionable impression share metric, because it tells you competitive bid pressure or quality problems are limiting your visibility.

Lost impression share (budget)

The percentage of eligible auctions you missed because your daily budget ran out. If this is significant (above 10 to 15%), you are not losing to competitors. You are running out of money before the day ends, and more budget is the fix.

Overlap rate

How often a competitor’s ad appeared at the same time as yours. A 60% overlap rate with a competitor means they also showed in 60% of the auctions where you appeared.

A high overlap rate is not a reason to react in itself. It just means you compete in the same auctions. What matters is whether your position against them is acceptable.

Outranking share

The percentage of auctions where your ad ranked above a specific competitor’s, or showed when theirs did not. A 40% outranking share means you beat them in 40% of the auctions you both entered.

This is especially useful for tracking your position against a particular rival. If your outranking share against your main competitor is 30% and falling, they are bidding harder or improving their quality relative to you.

Position above rate

How often a competitor’s ad appeared above yours when both showed. A 65% position above rate means they sat above you in 65% of shared auctions.

Top of page rate

The percentage of your impressions shown at the top of the results page, above the organic listings. It applies to Search campaigns, and a higher rate usually goes with a higher CTR.

Absolute top of page rate

The percentage of your impressions in the very first ad position. For high purchase intent keywords, that slot often earns a noticeably higher CTR than positions two to four.

Reading Auction Insights for Shopping and Search

Shopping Auction Insights shows competitor domains (for example, competitor.com appeared in your auctions). It does not reveal their keywords or ads. The metrics show how often you compete with particular retailers and who ranks above you more often.

Use it to keep an eye on your category. If a new competitor appears with a high overlap rate and a high position above rate, they have entered your market aggressively. If an established competitor’s overlap rate drops sharply, they may have cut budget or paused campaigns.

Search Auction Insights goes further, down to keyword level. That lets you look at competition for specific high value searches separately from broader match traffic.

On a branded keyword, your outranking share should be close to 100%. If it is not, someone is regularly beating you on your own brand, so fix your brand campaign bidding.

On non-branded keywords, the data shows whether lost impression share is competitive (lost to rank) or budget-driven (lost to budget). Each needs a different response.

When to Respond to a Competitor

Not every movement in Auction Insights calls for action. Here is when to act and when to hold steady.

Act when a competitor’s position above rate against you rises significantly (10+ percentage points) over two to four weeks and your conversion volume or impression share has noticeably dropped. That is evidence competitive pressure is costing you traffic and revenue.

Your options: bid more competitively (lower your tROAS target slightly or raise manual bids), improve Quality Score through better ad relevance and landing page experience, or accept the change if the competitor is buying their position at a CPA that would not be profitable for you.

Act when lost impression share (budget) is above 15 to 20% during peak hours. You are running out of budget before capturing available demand. Raise the budget or shift spend towards your peak conversion hours.

Hold steady when a new competitor appears with a high overlap rate but your conversion rate and ROAS have not changed. Their presence does not automatically mean you are losing. They may be paying above-market CPCs to establish themselves, which rarely lasts. Watch for four to six weeks before changing your own bids.

Hold steady when your outranking share falls but conversion volume and ROAS stay stable. Position is not the goal; profitable conversions are. If you win fewer auctions but those you win remain profitable, the shift in position is not a problem.

Hold steady when a competitor appears on your brand terms but your brand impression share stays above 85 to 90%. Note it, but your brand coverage is not meaningfully at risk.

Using Impression Share to Diagnose Performance

Impression share metrics are particularly good at telling you whether a performance problem is competitive or structural.

If campaign ROAS has fallen and you see:

• High lost impression share (budget): the budget runs out before the day ends and you miss auctions in peak hours. Fix: raise the budget or adjust the ad schedule.
• High lost impression share (rank): competitors are beating you, or your quality signals have slipped. Fix: investigate Quality Score for Search or feed quality for Shopping, and consider higher bids if quality is already strong.
• Both low, yet ROAS still fell: impression share is not the issue. The problem is conversion rate or order value on the traffic you already get, which points to the landing page, product or pricing rather than bidding or competition.

Target Impression Share as a Bid Strategy

For Search campaigns where visibility on specific searches matters, Target Impression Share is a bid strategy that uses impression share directly as its target.

You set a target (for example 65%) and a maximum CPC cap, and Google bids to reach that share.

It suits brand campaigns (where you want high, though not necessarily 100%, impression share) and specific high value non-branded searches where staying visible against competitors is a priority.

It is not a good main strategy for Shopping or PMax, which should optimise for conversion value rather than position. For targeted Search campaigns with visibility goals, though, it is a legitimate choice.

A Practical Review Routine

Check Auction Insights monthly for your most important campaigns. Look for:

• New competitors entering your auctions with significant overlap
• Meaningful shifts in your outranking share against established competitors
• Impression share trends over time, because gradual erosion often signals a quality or bid pressure issue worth investigating before it hits conversion volume

Auction Insights is a directional tool. It gives you the competitive context that explains performance changes which would otherwise look mysterious. A 15% drop in impression share alongside a new competitor with a 70% position above rate is a different problem from a 15% drop with no change in the competition, and it needs a different response.