# How to track new ads for a keyword

> Follow the new ads that use a word or phrase you care about. How to pick keywords, get a keyword digest in Slack and turn it into ideas.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-06
- **Category**: Competitor research
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-guides/how-to-track-new-ads-for-a-keyword

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To track new ads for a keyword, pick a few phrases your buyers would see in an ad, add them as tracked keywords, and get the new ads that use them sent to you. You can search a public ad library by hand each week, or let a tool post a keyword digest in Slack.

## Why track keywords, not just brands

Brand tracking shows what rivals you already know are doing. Keyword tracking shows anyone advertising on your topic, including brands you have never heard of. Say you run ads for Northwind Escapes, a fictional travel company. Tracking "Goa honeymoon package" surfaces small agencies and hotels that would never be on your competitor list.

## Pick the right keywords

A keyword works when it is specific enough that most matches are relevant. Start with five and change them after a month.

| Keyword type | Example for a travel brand | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Product phrase | "Goa honeymoon package" | Shows who sells what you sell |
| Offer phrase | "no cost EMI holiday" | Shows how others price and package |
| Problem phrase | "visa on arrival" | Shows the worries rivals answer |
| Season phrase | "monsoon getaway" | Shows timing before your own sale |
| Rival tagline | A line a competitor repeats | Shows who else borrows it |

Avoid one-word keywords like "travel" or "holiday". They match thousands of ads, and the digest becomes noise.

## Get a keyword digest in Slack

Marxx can post a **Keyword new ads digest**: new ads for the keywords you track, sent to a client's Slack channel. Switch it on in **Settings -> Integrations -> Slack -> Manage**, under **What goes to Slack**, and add **@Marxx** to the channel. Each ad has a **Save** button that saves it to that client's default board. We make Marxx. The full setup is in [how to get competitor ads in Slack](/guides/how-to-get-competitor-ads-in-slack).

Prefer to do it by hand? The Meta Ad Library has keyword search. See [how to search the Meta Ad Library by keyword](/guides/how-to-search-the-meta-ad-library-by-keyword).

## What to do with each digest

1. **Skim for repeats.** If four advertisers lead with "visa on arrival" this week, write that down. Repetition across brands is a pattern worth knowing.
2. **Save one or two ads.** Pick ads that show a hook or format you have not tried. Leave the rest.
3. **Note the angle in one line.** For example: "Hotels push free airport pickup, not price."
4. **Check your own ads.** Do you answer the same worry? If not, that is a gap to brief. [How to come up with ad angles](/guides/how-to-come-up-with-ad-angles) helps here.
5. **Prune monthly.** Drop keywords that bring only irrelevant ads. Add one new one.

## Common mistakes

- **Treating a new ad as a winner.** A public ad library shows the ad and when it started. It does not show spend or results.
- **Copying the words.** Use the pattern, write your own line.
- **Tracking your own brand name only.** You learn more from phrases your buyers search than from your own name.

## FAQ

### How many keywords should I track?

Start with five per client. That keeps the digest short enough to read in two minutes.

### Can I track keywords in Hindi or Arabic?

Check what your tool accepts. The Meta Ad Library searches any term you type, so if rivals advertise in Hindi or Arabic, try those phrases there too.

### Is keyword tracking the same as Google Ads keyword research?

No. Keyword research tells you what people search. Keyword ad tracking shows which ads use a phrase in their copy.

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