If you want to receive an email alert when a competitor launches a new ad, you need to configure a Notification Channel inside Adsroid before activating any radar. That step is the most common reason users set up Ad Radar but never receive alerts. This guide walks through the full setup so your competitor ad email alerts work correctly from day one.

Why Notification Channels Come First

Ad Radar is the competitor ad monitoring feature built directly into Adsroid. It scans Google and Bing search results for ads triggered by keywords you define, monitors Meta ads through the Meta Ad Library API, and tracks display ads running from competitor domains. When it detects something new, it sends a proactive alert.

The alert only reaches you if a Notification Channel is already configured. If you activate a radar first and add a channel later, you may miss detections that happened in the gap. Setting up the channel first is the right order of operations.

The most common Ad Radar activation mistake: adding keywords and going live without first defining where alerts should be delivered. The radar runs, detections happen, and nothing arrives in your inbox.

Ad Radar sends alerts both by email and inside the Adsroid dashboard. Email is the primary channel most users rely on for proactive monitoring, since it surfaces new competitor activity without requiring you to log in and check manually.

What Ad Radar Monitors

Before walking through the setup, it helps to understand what kinds of activity actually trigger an alert. Ad Radar covers four main scenarios:

• A new competitor ad appears on a keyword you are monitoring on Google or Bing
• An existing competitor changes their ad copy on a monitored keyword
• A competitor starts running display ads from a domain you have added for domain monitoring
• A competitor appears on your own brand keyword (brand protection monitoring)

Each of these triggers a separate alert. If you are monitoring five keywords, and a competitor updates copy on two of them the same day, you receive two distinct notifications, each tied to the specific keyword and detection.

For search ads, the alert data includes the ad headline, description, display URL, final URL, ad position, the exact keyword that triggered the detection, and a timestamp. For display ads, it includes the creative visual, ad copy, destination URL, and placement type. This level of detail means each alert is immediately actionable rather than just a generic flag.

You can learn more about the platform’s approach to live monitoring, including how frequently Ad Radar scans competitor ads across its supported channels.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Ad Monitoring Notifications in Ad Radar

Step 1: Log Into Adsroid and Open Ad Radar

Go to app.adsroid.com and log into your account. From the main navigation, open the Ad Radar section. If this is your first time accessing it, the interface will be empty, with no active radars or notification channels configured yet.

Step 2: Configure Your Notification Channel

Before adding any keywords or domains, locate the Notification Channel settings. This is where you define your email address for alerts. Enter the email address where you want competitor ad alerts delivered. You can add more than one recipient if your team needs shared visibility.

Once saved, this channel is attached to all radars you create. Alerts from any active radar will route to this address automatically. You do not need to configure a separate channel for each keyword or domain you add later.

Step 3: Add Keywords for Search Ad Monitoring

Click Add Keyword to begin setting up search monitoring. Enter the keyword or keywords you want to track. These should be terms where you know competitors are actively advertising, or terms that are strategically important to your business.

For each keyword, select the target location and language. Ad Radar performs live SERP scanning, so location matters. A keyword monitored in France will return different results than the same keyword monitored in the United States. Get this right at setup rather than wondering later why certain ads are not appearing.

If you want to monitor your own brand keyword to detect competitors bidding on your brand name, add that keyword here. Brand protection monitoring works the same way as standard keyword monitoring.

Step 4: Add Competitor Domains for Display Monitoring

If you also want to track display ads, use the Add Domain option instead of Add Keyword. Enter the competitor’s domain and Ad Radar will monitor display ads running from that domain. This is separate from search monitoring and does not require a keyword. The two modes can run simultaneously.

Step 5: Review Alert Preferences and Activate

Before activating, review your alert preferences. Confirm that the Notification Channel is correctly set and that your keyword list and domain list reflect what you actually want to monitor. Once everything looks correct, activate the radar. Ad Radar will begin scanning immediately and will send your first email alert the next time it detects a qualifying event.

A well-configured alert tells you not just that a competitor is advertising, but exactly what they are saying, on which keyword, at what position, and when it was detected. That specificity is what makes alerts actionable.

Common Setup Mistakes to Avoid

Activating Before Configuring the Notification Channel

This is the single most frequent mistake. Users go straight to adding keywords without first setting up where alerts should be delivered. The radar activates, detections occur, and no email is sent. Always set up the Notification Channel first.

Using Overly Broad Keywords

Search monitoring is keyword-based, meaning Ad Radar scans the SERP for that exact term. If you add a keyword that is too broad, you will get alerts for many advertisers, most of whom are not your actual competitors. Use the same keywords you or your competitors are realistically bidding on.

Forgetting Location Settings

Leaving location at a default that does not match your market will produce inaccurate results. If your competitors are advertising in specific regions, configure the keyword to match those regions. Ad Radar scans the SERP for the location you specify, so accuracy here directly affects the quality of your alerts.

Monitoring Domains Instead of Keywords for Search Ads

Domain monitoring is for display ads, not search ads. If you want to know when a competitor appears on a specific search term, use keyword-based monitoring. The two approaches serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.

It is also worth noting that Ad Radar does not require access to your own advertising accounts. Ad Radar works without connecting your Google or Meta Ads accounts, which makes setup significantly faster and removes a potential privacy concern for teams that are cautious about third-party access.

How This Compares to Manual Monitoring Methods

The alternative to automated alerts is manual monitoring. That usually means periodically running searches on target keywords, checking the Meta Ad Library manually, or setting up informal tracking through spreadsheets. The problem with manual approaches is not that they are wrong, it is that they are inconsistent and time-consuming.

Tools like the Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Center are useful for on-demand research, but neither sends you a proactive alert when a competitor launches something new. You have to go looking. By the time you find the new ad, it may have been running for days or weeks.

Automated competitor ad email alerts close that gap. You do not have to remember to check. You get notified when something happens that warrants attention.

Ad Radar is built into Adsroid as part of the standard subscription, so there is no separate tool to subscribe to or manage. Agencies on the Scale plan can run multi-keyword and multi-account monitoring from a single interface, which is useful when managing competitor intelligence across multiple clients.

For a broader view of what Adsroid covers beyond ad monitoring, the full features overview outlines how competitor monitoring fits alongside the platform’s other capabilities.

Practical Use Cases for Email Alerts

Reacting to a Competitor’s Promotional Launch

A competitor launches a seasonal promotion and immediately starts running new ad copy across five keywords. Without monitoring, you find out days later when a client or colleague notices the ads. With email alerts, you receive a notification the same day the new copy appears, including the exact headline and description. You have time to respond before the promotion gains significant traction.

Protecting Your Brand Keyword

Competitors bidding on your brand name is a common tactic. Monitoring your brand keyword means you will receive an alert the moment a competitor ad appears on that term. You can take immediate action, whether that is adjusting your own bids, reviewing your brand campaign, or simply documenting the activity.

Tracking a New Competitor Entering Your Market

If a new competitor launches and starts advertising on your core keywords, Ad Radar will detect it and send an alert. You do not need to already know they exist. As long as they appear on a keyword you are monitoring, the system flags them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get an email alert when a competitor launches a new ad?

To receive an email alert when a competitor launches a new ad, you need to set up a Notification Channel inside Ad Radar in Adsroid, then add the relevant keywords or competitor domains you want to monitor. Once both are configured and active, Ad Radar sends an email alert each time it detects a new ad or a change in ad copy on a monitored term.

Do I need to configure a Notification Channel before adding keywords?

Yes. The Notification Channel must be configured before you activate a radar. If you add keywords first and activate without a channel, detections may occur without any email being sent. Setting up the channel first ensures no alerts are missed from the start.

Can I monitor multiple competitors at the same time?

Yes. You can add multiple keywords and multiple competitor domains within Ad Radar. Each keyword and domain operates as a separate monitoring unit, and alerts are sent individually for each detection. The Scale plan supports multi-keyword and multi-account monitoring, which is particularly useful for agencies.

What information is included in a competitor ad email alert?

For search ads, each alert includes the ad headline, description, display URL, final URL, ad position, the specific keyword that triggered the detection, and the timestamp. For display ads, it includes the creative visual, ad copy, destination URL, and the type of display placement.

Can I monitor Meta ads and Google ads with the same setup?

Ad Radar monitors Google Search Ads, Bing Search Ads, Meta Ads, and Google Display Ads. Search monitoring is keyword-based. Meta monitoring uses the Meta Ad Library API. Display monitoring is domain-based. All of these can be active simultaneously within the same Ad Radar setup.

Does Ad Radar require access to my Google or Meta advertising accounts?

No. Ad Radar monitors competitor ads through live SERP scanning and the Meta Ad Library API. It does not require you to connect your own Google Ads or Meta Ads accounts, and no OAuth authorization is needed to activate monitoring.

What triggers a competitor ad alert?

An alert is triggered when a new competitor ad appears on a monitored keyword, when an existing competitor changes their ad copy on a monitored keyword, when a competitor starts running display ads from a monitored domain, or when a competitor appears on a brand keyword you are protecting.

Is Ad Radar a separate product or an add-on?

Ad Radar is a feature built directly into Adsroid. It is not a standalone product and does not require a separate subscription or add-on fee. It is included as part of the standard Adsroid subscription.

Can I use Ad Radar for brand protection monitoring?

Yes. By adding your own brand name as a monitored keyword, Ad Radar will alert you whenever a competitor ad appears on that brand term. This is the same keyword-based mechanism used for standard competitor monitoring, applied to your brand search terms.

If you want to start tracking competitor ads with automated email alerts, competitor ad monitoring with Ad Radar is available directly inside Adsroid without any additional setup or third-party tools required.