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SpyFu

SpyFu

Overview

What is SpyFu?

SpyFu is the eponymous SEO and PPC research platform from the company in Scottsdale, Arizona focused on "spying" on competitors, or basically using their behaviors to refine your own through keyword and content analysis, and backlink poaching. This positional search…

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

SpyFu has proven to be an invaluable tool for conducting competitor research and analysis in the advertising industry. Users have praised …
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Smooth and Easy PPC Research Tool!

9 out of 10
September 01, 2022
I use SpyFu for researching competitor PPC campaigns and keeping an eye on their strategies. I find it helpful to see what keywords they …
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SpyFu- give it a tru!

8 out of 10
May 19, 2022
Incentivized
We are looking for help with ranking our website in both paid and organic searches. SEO keyword research can be overwhelming, and we did …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 14 features
  • Competitive analysis (50)
    9.1
    91%
  • SERP ranking tracking (43)
    8.1
    81%
  • Keyword analysis (51)
    6.9
    69%
  • Backlink management (39)
    5.9
    59%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Basic

$39

Cloud
per month

Professional

$79

Cloud
per month

Team

$299

Cloud
per month

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

Using Spyfu to Find Leads for a B2B Google Ads or SEO Agency - SpyFu Review and Demo For B2B Leads

YouTube

Jeff Demo 07 - Using SpyFu for Local SEO YouTube

YouTube

SpyFu Review Video Demo - Excellent or Scam?

YouTube

Domain Ad History Demo, Part 2 | SpyFu Domain Ad History

YouTube

Domain Ad History Demo, Part 1 | SpyFu Domain Ad History

YouTube

Spyfu Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives (+ Demo)

YouTube
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Features

SEO

Core features related to search engine optimization

7.2
Avg 7.8

SEO Channels

Features related to optimizing your website for specific channels

7.7
Avg 7.6

SEO Platform & Account Management

Features related to scalability and integration of the SEO platform

8.7
Avg 8.4
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Product Details

What is SpyFu?

SpyFu Video

SpyFu Demo

SpyFu Competitors

SpyFu Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

SpyFu is the eponymous SEO and PPC research platform from the company in Scottsdale, Arizona focused on "spying" on competitors, or basically using their behaviors to refine your own through keyword and content analysis, and backlink poaching. This positional search engine optimization and paid listings management platform touts the ability to lower costs and raise rankings via a Kombat-oriented approach... basically a cute way of saying "it makes comparisons" of how well your site does in niche keyword areas vis-a-vis rival actors in the same or contiguous marketing space. Published pricing starts at $79 per month with the Basic plan, for Google, Yahoo & Bing research, 6 years of historical access, unlimited access to SpyFu's tools, but somewhat limited access to leads and domain contacts keyword rank tracking. The $139 Professional plan gives full access to UK data and doubles the rank tracking of keywords from 400 to 800, and provides custom branded (white label) reports and API access. the $999 Agency plan gives team access (10 user logins) and unlimited tracking and reporting capabilities.

Moz Pro and RavenTools are common alternatives for SpyFu.

Reviewers rate Competitive analysis highest, with a score of 9.1.

The most common users of SpyFu are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(132)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

SpyFu has proven to be an invaluable tool for conducting competitor research and analysis in the advertising industry. Users have praised its ability to provide strong directional insights for evaluating search advertisers, allowing them to understand their potential clients' past PPC efforts and identify opportunities for new campaigns. With its keyword research capabilities, users have been able to optimize their AdWords campaigns and allocate budgets effectively, ensuring that they are targeting the right keywords and avoiding spending on ineffective ad campaigns. SpyFu's SEO insights have also been highly beneficial for users, enabling them to assess the effectiveness of their SEO efforts and identify areas for improvement. By analyzing competitors' backlinks, users have been able to enhance their own backlink profiles, improving their website's authority in search engines.

The software has matured over time and added new elements, making it an integral part of users' arsenal for competitor research and baseline SEO analysis. Users have particularly praised SpyFu's ability to deliver a domain's ad history, which has helped them remain competitive in paid search. By identifying profitable keywords and uncovering low-hanging fruit through keyword tracking and competitor analysis features, users have been able to drive successful SEO campaigns. SpyFu's impact on search marketing ventures cannot be overstated, as it provides users with a powerful edge over their competitors in the search engine space.

In addition, SpyFu has become widely utilized for SEM and SEO business intelligence. Its comprehensive insights into competitors' monthly spending, ad copy, keywords, and SEO rankings allow users to gain valuable information for strategic decision-making. The tool has proven effective in pivoting campaign strategies quickly based on the insights provided by SpyFu. Users have found it instrumental in competitor analysis and strategizing marketing programs, helping them understand the competition landscape and assess viability within given budgets.

Furthermore, SpyFu has been used for various purposes such as analyzing potential keywords, conducting SEO data research, gaining insights into how search engines perceive websites, establishing baselines, conducting competitive analysis, and performing marketing and brand audits. Its advanced competitive keyword research capabilities have allowed users to collect thousands of keywords for themselves and their competitors, providing a wealth of data for analysis and optimization. SpyFu's auto-generated SEO reports have also been vital to the success of SEO efforts, providing users with comprehensive insights into core keywords and identifying new opportunities or challenges. Additionally, the estimation of competitors' monthly AdWords spending by SpyFu has provided valuable information in highly competitive fields.

With its interface and growing catalog of advantages, SpyFu has met users' needs

Intuitive User Interface: Many users have praised SpyFu for its highly intuitive and easy-to-navigate user interface. They appreciate the straightforward design and layout, which allows them to quickly access the information they need. This user-friendly interface has been mentioned by several reviewers, making it accessible to employees of all experience levels and easy for anyone to use and navigate.

Competitor Analysis: The ability to analyze competitors' advertising strategies and tactics is highly valued by users. Several reviewers have expressed their appreciation for being able to see what advertising has been done in the past. This feature allows them to gain insights into their competition's strategies, stay informed about their industry, and make data-driven decisions for their own campaigns.

Keyword Insights: Users find the keyword tool within SpyFu to be a great resource for understanding their website's performance as well as comparing it to their competitors'. Many reviewers have highlighted how this tool helps them identify top-performing keywords and compare them against their competitors' keywords. By optimizing SEO strategies based on these insights, users are able to stay ahead of the competition in search engine rankings.

  1. Lack of Clarity in Explanations: Some users have found that certain aspects of SpyFu are not well explained, leading to confusion and difficulty in understanding their purpose.

  2. Irrelevant Keywords: Several reviewers have mentioned that the keywords provided by SpyFu can be irrelevant to the selected business, which compromises the accuracy of the data.

  3. Graphs Difficult to Work With: The graphs in SpyFu have been described as challenging to navigate at times, indicating that they may not be intuitive or user-friendly.

The user suggests trying the free trial of SpyFu first and utilizing the on-boarding support provided. They highly recommend using SpyFu for SEO and PPC, considering it a great tool for competitive keyword research. Utilizing the help section and video tutorials is recommended. SpyFu is seen as worth the money, offering numerous features at a reasonable price. It is suggested to use SpyFu to stay competitive in advertising and to target specific issues with the help of the provided videos. For small businesses unable to afford SEO and PPC agency prices, SpyFu is considered a great investment. Trying SpyFu and upgrading are recommended, as it is easy to use, particularly for SEO purposes. Tracking competitors' ads, keywords, and spending using SpyFu is also advised. To improve digital marketing efforts, it is suggested to take advantage of SpyFu's capabilities. The tutorial videos provided by SpyFu should be watched for better utilization of the tool. For PPC professionals, SpyFu is considered a must-have. Running reports often and leveraging the information provided by SpyFu for informed business decisions are recommended practices. Taking advantage of reduced pricing for the trial period and the guided tour offered by SpyFu are additional suggestions. SpyFu is highly regarded as a great tool for competitive research and SEO analysis in online marketing. Considering SpyFu for gaining valuable insights and ensuring competitiveness online is suggested. Reviewers find it fast, easy to work with, and reasonably priced. For paid search analysis, utilizing SpyFu is recommended. The competition section of SpyFu can also be used to expand prospect pipelines with more companies.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(26-38 of 38)
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Lee'Ann Burgess | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SpyFu is a great tool to get an overview of your competitors' keywords they are ranking for, estimated ad spend on Google Ad words, samples of their ad copy and allows you create projects to help you track your SEO and marketing efforts. My main use for SpyFu is to gain insight on keywords and links that my competitors and my clients' competitors are using.
  • Easy to navigate. The user interface is pretty straightforward and easy to use.
  • Projects: Create projects for your own company or for clients you are managing to track your efforts.
  • Insights on ad spend, keywords and impression share.
  • Price - I was a user for several years and trying out another platform, I canceled and was quickly offered the same platform I had used for years at half the price.
  • I know the ad spend for Google Adwords is estimated - It would be helpful if it was a little more accurate - maybe not a doable feature of SpyFu, but would be helpful.
If you own your company and have any involvement with tracking your marketing efforts as well as keeping tabs on what your competitors are doing and how they are ranking, I would recommend using SpyFu and at the very least, try it out for free to see if it is a good fit for you and your organization. It's a helpful tool and I have been using it for several years for my company.
September 27, 2018

Good SEM Competitor Tool

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
The ad agencies I've worked at have used SpyFu to gain competitive intelligence. This is something SEM vendors partially provide and SpyFu helps fill in the gaps to work on a holistic SEM strategy.
  • Estimated cost per clicks by competitor. SpyFu provides deeper intel than the engines b/c the data is segmented by domain and is not masked
  • Estimated monthly traffic volume & costs associated with higher spending competitors. SpyFu provides deeper intel than the engines b/c the data is segmented by domain and is not masked
  • The cost per click information is not terribly accurate but can usually be used directionally. Obviously, with a paid product, people want exact data
  • The free tool has limited data that mainly show vague feedback on your competitors. Def need paid version for any useful info.
It is a directionally useful tool for providing full service SEM strategy. It is a must have in an agency's toolkit, since it's one of the most progressive competitive intelligence database out there that isnt from a vendor.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our marketing team has been using SpyFu for their keyword research tools, competitor analysis tools, and webpage traffic tools to better analyze how our organic website and PPC ads stack up against our competitors. SpyFu also allows us to research new keywords to use for our PPC campaigns inside of Bing and Adwords.
  • SpyFu's competitor analysis tool is unparalleled. A detailed, strategic breakdown of how competitors do or don't spend their advertising budgets, and how organic SEO plays into their overall traffic.
  • Researching new keywords has always been an important step when improving our organic SEO rank and SpyFu allows us to research keywords directly from the console.
  • SpyFu's overall platform is wide-reaching, but could be better optimized by allowing customers to see the data broken down across the various web browser paltforms, e.g, Google, Bing, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.
SpyFu is excellent for both advertising and marketing teams looking to improve their paid and organic SEO ranks across Bing and Google. SpyFu can help you retain and gain market share on all web platforms with many different, unique SEO & PPC tools that provide you with detailed analyses via downloadable reports.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use SpyFu to analyze competitors' most successful keywords and advertising copy for my clients. It is easy to use and provides incredibly valuable information. The reports are excellent and easy to use. SpyFu helps you save a ton of money by avoiding the mistakes your competitors have already made. I also like the competitive spending estimates.
  • Easy to use
  • Comprehensive
  • Incredible Drill Down
  • I have no complaints.
Well-suited for online advertisers and SEO content developers.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We used SpyFu for competitive research for any campaign involving paid advertising. It was a great tool to get a basic understanding of what the competition was doing, and how to start to build your strategy.
  • Spyfu provides a very detailed snapshot of ad history for any competitor.
  • The competitor discovery ability is great.
  • Some of the graphs used to present data help to identify targets of opportunity.
  • The backlink tool provides some pretty off topic links.
  • The database doesn't seem to be as effective as others.
Great tool for someone learning how to navigate keyword research. As for all in one platforms, it's one of the best.
Chandler Elmore | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SpyFu is primarily used by us to do competitor research. We use it to look at what our clients' competitors are doing with PPC efforts as well as baseline SEO analysis. It provides us with the opportunity to look at the big picture with a bunch of different players, not just our client.
  • PPC reports for competition. SpyFu allows you to gain insight into possible budget spend as well as what their ads look like.
  • The keyword tool within SpyFu is great for seeing what your web sites biggest hitters are as well as what your competition keywords stack against yours. If you share certain keywords, it ranks who has better traction.
  • Reporting is a weakness with the platform. It is not the easiest process to implement and the information can be better organized.
  • There are inaccuracies with the PPC reporting, especially for competitors. To our knowledge, the only way that PPC budgets are estimated is through ads that have already been clicked on the search network. This means that display, programmatic and other ad formats are not counted.
SpyFu is great if you need a quick, broad overview of your online efforts compared to the online efforts of your competition. It is a great tool to use when you are needing to estimate or come up with a new PPC spend for a client. It also is good in looking at the effectiveness of your website's keywords as compared with your competitors.
Gwendolyn Guarino | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Spyfu for competitive recon for PPC clients. Some of our clients need a more comprehensive competitor list. Some clients know who they consider to be competitors. Spyfu provides the data we need to target the appropriate (apples to apples) competitors. At the point where we can identify the precise competitors, we use Spyfu to get detailed keywords, adgroups and budget/bid data to be able to ferret out advertising opportunities.
  • This product links competitor data quite easily in the dashboard, from one domain to the next.
  • The overviews for each domain are clear and comprehensive, making the birds-eye-view complete.
  • The PPC vs. SEO views are clearly defined and easy to navigate.
  • Some of the competitor results seem unrelated to the primary domain. Much more manual research is required to get the best possible data.
  • Some keywords are completely unrelated. Again, manual research is required to get the best data.
  • Exporting to a CSV/PDF does not include manually added information. This is particularly disappointing.
I think Spyfu is the most effective when you have very little core data - seeking out a competitor list, gathering a comprehensive keyword or ad group list, building out new campaigns, and the like. If you already have a lot of intel, Spyfu will regurgitate the same information.
Kara Toedtli | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use SpyFu for competitive research for all clients. We also utilize it for PPC competition analysis including keyword research and spend.
  • Competitor analysis
  • PPC competition information
  • PPC Ad copy research
  • Better list of keywords when doing research
  • More information on ppc spend of competition
SpyFu is well suited for competitive analysis.
March 04, 2016

Fu, SpyFu

Amber Stanley-Kruth | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SpyFu is a great tool for seeing how your website compares to others. It drills down into keywords, spend and presence in the market.
  • Keyword Research
  • AdWords History and Performance
  • Inside look into the SEO/PPC performance of other sites
  • Unable to get local data
  • Can only see root domain stats
  • No data on CPC or CTR for PPC
Great for new clients and gaining insight to prospective clients. Very useful to have a tool that compares one site to another and provides suggestions about most valued keywords.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I first began exploring SpyFu to determine if it would be useful to the public relations and marketing firm I previously worked at. As a small firm, we were cautious about investing in expensive software that did not directly address our needs. At the time, a competitor of one of our clients was spending big bucks on their marketing campaigns and we were struggling to keep up. We identified the need to track their success, as well as other competitors in the field, so that we could follow their movements and see what was working for them. My role was to go through each SpyFu training module and create a PowerPoint presentation to share with our team so that we could understand how it works and if it would be adequate to meet our needs.
  • One of SpyFu's greatest strengths is that it is easy to understand and follow along through videos and training modules. As someone who struggles with technology, watching and re-watching these explanatory aids was crucial in understanding the benefits of the software itself.
  • One of the most useful features is the Kombat tool, which allows you to see which keywords your direct competitors are honing in on or avoiding. This tool narrows down the keyword search so that you aren't wasting time on irrelevant keywords that your competitors aren't wasting time on either.
  • Even if YOU can understand your findings, you still have to convey them to your client. SpyFu's Recon Files generate SEO and PPC Reports that are aesthetically pleasing, simple to follow and succinct for your client to follow along.
  • Occasionally, SpyFu has been unable to find the website of a competitor, leading to a blank search.
  • Sometimes the suggested keywords can be irrelevant to what I am trying to find.
I think SpyFu will become more and more relevant as companies begin to understand the advantages of SEO and PPC marketing. At the moment, this particular software might be more appropriate for larger companies with bigger marketing campaigns, as smaller marketing firms do not always use PPC marketing.
Chris Romero | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
It is currently being used by the Online Marketing Division to restructure PPC accounts, audit competition, create strategies for organic and paid search initiatives and generate leads. We also use SpyFu for independent consulting along with a few other tools. Spy Fu's interface is fantastic and their growing catalog of advantages continues to meet my teams needs as we grow our current accounts and look for new opportunities.
  • The Organic SEO dashboard provides insight into how your site is doing in search across all variables and suggests competitors to keep an eye on. I use the SEO dashboard to bring to attention what clients should focus their efforts on. The low hanging fruit that SpyFu brings to light is a breath of fresh air.
  • The Kombat Tool in Spyfu is worth the price of admission as it helps me view keywords and ad copy that competitors use to get the best bang for their buck. By viewing what ad copy competition has been using for the longest along with what keywords they keep high bids on is a great launching point for any new adwords campaign
  • When taking over Adwords or SEO accounts, failed vendors get bitter. Being able to download all Adwords and organic keywords allows you to focus on pushing the plan forward..
  • Cover Binga nd Yahoo PPC
  • Cover Ad networks (Display Placements!) like Ad GooRoo or Ad Spy and other such services
  • Allow users to host a white label SpyFu dashboard on their domain using API or some such technique
  • Give users a place to edit Adwords campaigns right in SpyFU!
New Niches are someties hard to find data on. Also the interface is so robust that it would be nice to guide users into which part of the site they should be utilizing...
February 24, 2014

SpyFu Review

Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I had the opportunity to utilize SpyFu to develop strategy's for my clients to better position themselves against their opponents. We also used SpyFu to locate possibly clients that are looking to enhance their Search Engine positioning. We are able to use this information and present them to clients for reference and analysis.
  • Compare multiple websites and users of a specific keyword.
  • Able to show relative keywords that websites are targeting for organic search.
  • Possibly expansions of results of different keywords.
  • The effectiveness these keywords have on their websites.
Anyone who is looking to better position themselves against their competitors or to just increase impressions. SpyFu would be a cost efficient way of doing it.
Christopher Regan | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I have used SpyFu for quite a long time, to get a handle of a prospect or competitor's spend on AdWords, organic trends, and daily add vs. organic clicks. SpyFu is part and parcel of my any website review, which enables me to ask the best questions to any prospective or new clients -- if they moved in any up/down direction what was the cause (budgets, or perhaps they rolled-out Schema -- or more intensive structured data, such as RDFa or JSON-LD). The SEO Reports tab is also invaluable, as I can glean which are the client's core keywords and which new keywords are presenting opportunities or challenges.
  • Visit trends
  • SEM spend trends
  • SEO trends
  • Competitive intelligence
  • The "Most Profitable Ads and Keywords" tool is often not functioning.
  • More "export" options, including graphs into PDFs.
  • A true Google Chrome extension that provides a drop-down snapshot.
Very well suited to competitive analysis. Less appropriate for seeking out some assuredly accurate numbers, as I need to use SpyFu in concert with Woorank, SEMRush, iSpionage, Compete.com, Conductor, SEO Profiler, Majestic SEO, SERPAnalytics and Nibbler, at least to really get a handle on the trends in traffic for competitors that I'm assessing.
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