AdRadar / Methodology
How we collect and update ad data
Every number on our pages is calculated from ads that advertising platforms publish in their public libraries. This page explains where the data comes from, how often it changes and where it can be wrong.
Where the data comes from
| Channel | Source | What we collect |
|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network) | Meta Ad Library | Creatives, text, call to action, link, dates, placements. In the EU also reach, age and gender, and targeting where Meta publishes them. |
| Google (Search, YouTube, Display, Shopping) | Google Ads Transparency Center | Format, text (for image ads we read the text from the picture), regions, first and last date shown. |
| LinkedIn Ad Library | Advertiser, creative, link, impressions as a range, targeting in the EU, dates. |
We read these libraries through data providers, not by asking advertisers. We save the media of every ad on our own storage when we first see it, because platforms remove ads and links expire.
What the numbers mean
| Term on a page | Definition |
|---|---|
| Active ads | Ads that were still shown in the latest sync. |
| New in the last 30 days | Ads whose first date is within 30 days of the latest sync. |
| First seen | The start date reported by the library. If the library does not report one, the day our sync first found the ad. |
| Days running | Last date seen minus first date seen. It is a minimum: an ad may have started earlier than we found it. |
| Hook | The opening line of the ad, quoted word for word. |
| Angle and format | Labels assigned by our classifier (for example "social proof" or "video"). They are a reading aid, not a statement from the advertiser. |
How fresh the data is
Advertiser pages are synced about once a week. The "Updated" date on a page is the date of the last successful sync for that page, not the date we rebuilt the site.
What can be wrong
- Libraries are incomplete. Platforms decide what to publish. Outside the EU, Meta publishes reach and targeting only for political and issue ads, and Google does not publish targeting at all.
- Classifier labels can be off. Angles and formats are produced automatically and reviewed on a sample.
- An ad may be missing. If a platform hides or removes an ad before our sync, we never see it.
What we do not do
- We do not estimate budgets, revenue or conversions of any advertiser.
- We do not claim any partnership with advertisers whose ads we show. Brand names are used only to describe their advertising.
- We do not show the full archive of an advertiser on public pages. The full archive is available inside the product.
Whose ads these are
Creatives belong to the advertisers who made them. Public pages show previews and link to the original in the platform's library. An advertiser can ask us to remove its ads at any time, and we act on a request within 72 hours. See takedown and corrections.
Questions
Do you estimate how much competitors spend?
No. We show only facts that the platforms publish themselves, such as dates, formats and text. Where a library publishes reach or targeting (mainly in the EU), we show it as published.
Why does a page show fewer ads than I see in the library?
Our pages show a sample of the most relevant ads and are updated on a weekly cycle. The full archive of an advertiser is available inside the product.
An ad on your page is wrong or outdated. What do I do?
Use the "Report an error" link on the page or write through the corrections form. We review reports and fix confirmed errors.
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