{
  "platform": "google-search-competitor-research",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "updated": "2026-03-12",
  "description": "Curated ScreenHand reference for competitor discovery and message validation through Google Search.",
  "urls": {
    "search": "https://www.google.com/search?q={QUERY}",
    "site_search": "https://www.google.com/search?q=site:{DOMAIN}+{QUERY}"
  },
  "selectors": {
    "search": {
      "query_field": "textarea#APjFqb",
      "fallback_query_field": "[name='q']",
      "search_button": "[aria-label='Search']"
    },
    "results": {
      "headings": "h3",
      "result_links": "a[href]"
    }
  },
  "flows": {
    "market_query": {
      "steps": [
        "Open a direct Google Search URL with the target query",
        "Capture the first 5-10 visible headings and their domains",
        "Use repeated brand presence across multiple queries as a relevance signal"
      ],
      "guards": [
        "Google Search is for discovery and validation, not direct proof of paid performance",
        "Results vary with geography, personalization, and AI Overview presence"
      ],
      "why": "Search results show who consistently owns the category conversation and which phrases competitors emphasize."
    },
    "brand_validation": {
      "steps": [
        "Run exact brand and offer searches after the market query",
        "Check whether the same landing page angles appear across multiple searches",
        "Use Search findings to choose which domains to verify in Ads Transparency or Meta"
      ],
      "why": "Search helps decide which competitors deserve deeper ad-library validation."
    }
  },
  "detection": {
    "on_google_search": "location.hostname.includes('google.com') && location.pathname === '/search'",
    "results_loaded": "document.querySelectorAll('h3').length > 0"
  },
  "errors": [
    {
      "error": "search result composition varies by query and account",
      "context": "AI Overviews, videos, or local modules can reorder the page",
      "solution": "Extract visible h3 headings and domains rather than assuming a fixed result layout.",
      "severity": "medium"
    },
    {
      "error": "Google Search does not prove ad performance",
      "context": "Strong rankings or brand presence do not equal conversion success",
      "solution": "Use Search for discovery, then validate active paid inventory through Meta Ad Library or Ads Transparency.",
      "severity": "medium"
    }
  ],
  "_meta": {
    "curated": true,
    "sourceArtifacts": [
      "references/google-search-competitor-research-explore.json",
      "client/careermitra/competitor-ad-scan.md"
    ],
    "seedQueries": [
      "career counselling for students india psychometric test stream selection",
      "psychometric test for students india",
      "career counselling after 10th india"
    ]
  }
}