Genuinely Useful PPC Tools You Can Build Yourself
Building practical PPC tools using SERP data -- ad copy monitoring, keyword position tracking, and competitor ad analysis.
PPC teams pay for expensive tools that do simple things: check ad placements, monitor competitors, track keyword positions. These are search queries with processing on top. With Scavio's SERP data and a few lines of code, you can build these tools yourself -- no $500/month subscriptions, no vendor lock-in.
Ad Copy Monitor
Want to know what ads your competitors are running for specific keywords? Scavio's Google search results include paid ad data when ads are present. Build a monitor that checks daily and tracks changes:
import requests
import json
from datetime import datetime
def check_ads(keyword: str, api_key: str) -> list:
resp = requests.post(
"https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search",
headers={"x-api-key": api_key},
json={
"platform": "google",
"query": keyword,
"type": "search",
"mode": "full"
}
)
data = resp.json()
ads = data.get("ads", [])
return [{
"keyword": keyword,
"advertiser": ad.get("displayed_link", ""),
"title": ad.get("title", ""),
"description": ad.get("description", ""),
"date": datetime.now().isoformat()
} for ad in ads]Run this daily and store results. Over time you build a history of competitor ad activity.
Keyword Position Tracker
Most rank tracking tools charge per keyword per month. Here is a tracker you own:
def track_position(keyword: str, target_domain: str, api_key: str) -> dict:
resp = requests.post(
"https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search",
headers={"x-api-key": api_key},
json={
"platform": "google",
"query": keyword,
"type": "search"
}
)
data = resp.json()
organic = data.get("organic_results", [])
for i, result in enumerate(organic):
link = result.get("link", "")
if target_domain in link:
return {
"keyword": keyword,
"position": i + 1,
"url": link,
"title": result.get("title", ""),
"date": datetime.now().isoformat()
}
return {"keyword": keyword, "position": None, "date": datetime.now().isoformat()}Competitor SERP Analysis
See who occupies the top paid and organic positions for any keyword:
def analyze_serp(keyword: str, api_key: str) -> dict:
resp = requests.post(
"https://api.scavio.dev/api/v1/search",
headers={"x-api-key": api_key},
json={
"platform": "google",
"query": keyword,
"type": "search",
"mode": "full"
}
)
data = resp.json()
return {
"keyword": keyword,
"ads_count": len(data.get("ads", [])),
"top_advertisers": [ad.get("displayed_link") for ad in data.get("ads", [])],
"top_organic": [{
"position": i + 1,
"domain": r.get("displayed_link", ""),
"title": r.get("title", "")
} for i, r in enumerate(data.get("organic_results", [])[:10])],
"featured_snippet": bool(data.get("featured_snippet")),
"people_also_ask": [q.get("question") for q in data.get("people_also_ask", [])]
}Batch Keyword Monitoring
Monitor dozens of keywords at once and export results:
import csv
import time
KEYWORDS = ["best crm software", "crm for small business", "free crm tool"]
def batch_track(keywords: list, domain: str, api_key: str):
results = []
for kw in keywords:
pos = track_position(kw, domain, api_key)
results.append(pos)
time.sleep(0.5) # respect rate limits
with open("positions.csv", "w", newline="") as f:
writer = csv.DictWriter(f, fieldnames=results[0].keys())
writer.writeheader()
writer.writerows(results)
return resultsPeople Also Ask for Content Ideas
Scavio's full mode returns People Also Ask data from Google -- a goldmine for PPC landing page content and ad copy ideas. Each PAA question is a real user intent you can target as a landing page headline, FAQ section, or long-tail keyword variation.
Why Build Instead of Buy
Off-the-shelf PPC tools include features you do not need and lack features specific to your workflow. Building on Scavio gives you exactly the data you need, integrates with your existing systems, and costs a fraction of a SaaS subscription. You own the code.