AI competitor analysis: choosing rivals, building answer profiles and turning gaps into a month of work

Q1Choose rivals from the answers

Start with the competitors you already track, then add any brand the assistants name repeatedly across your question set. In adult categories these are often retailers, marketplaces or review sites rather than direct product rivals. Three to five is a manageable number to profile closely.

Q2Build an answer profile for each

Q3Read the gaps

• Questions where a rival appears and you do not are the first place to look.
• Attributes attached to a rival but never to you show what answers believe about the category.
• Sources that carry a rival but not you point to where evidence about you is thin.

Q4Turn gaps into a month of work

1. Pick the three gaps closest to a purchase.
2. For each, write one change your team can make and one source to approach honestly.
3. Hand the list to whoever implements, then leave the question set untouched.
4. Re-measure after a full month and compare within the margins.

Q5Keep the analysis clean

Record only what answers say, never guesses about rivals' tactics, and keep the same questions for every brand. The service built on this is competitive AI visibility; the sources side is covered in our next report, on citation source analysis.

Q6An answer profile template

Q7Reading positioning phrases

Collect the short phrases assistants use about each brand: "budget option", "best for beginners", "premium", "widely available". Count how often each appears. These phrases reveal the position assistants have assigned, which may differ from the one a brand claims. A gap between how you describe yourself and how assistants describe you is a sign that the sources they rely on tell a different story.

Q8Prioritising gaps

Q9Keeping the rival list current

Review the rival list each round. Add brands that appear in a meaningful share of answers, and retire ones that have faded, noting the change in the report. Keep at least the core rivals constant across a year, so trends remain comparable. A rival list that changes every round makes every comparison harder to read.

Q10From analysis to a plan

Pick the three highest-priority gaps, write one action for each, assign an owner and set a date. Re-run the relevant questions in the next round and record whether the gap narrowed. Over a year, this simple loop produces a clear record of what worked. The sources behind rivals' visibility are analysed in our guide to citation source analysis.

Q11Brands, retailers and publishers

In adult categories, answers often name three kinds of rival: other brands, retailers and marketplaces, and publishers such as review sites. Each needs a different response. A rival brand is competition; a retailer that stocks you may be a partner; a publisher that reviews products is a source. Classify every name in the answers before treating it as a competitor.

Q12What rival sources reveal

The sources cited for a rival show where its visibility comes from. If a rival is cited mainly from its own site, it has strong owned content; if from review sites, it has earned coverage; if from forums, it has community attention. Each suggests a different route for you. Compare the source mix for each rival with your own, and look for the routes where you are weakest.

Q13A rival that is always ahead

Sometimes one rival dominates almost every answer. Competing head-on everywhere is rarely realistic. Instead, find the questions where it is weakest, such as a specific material, use or buyer type, and focus there. Over time, winning a few specific questions can build the reputation that leads to broader visibility.

Q14Rival analysis and ethics

Analysis should describe what assistants say, nothing more. Do not speculate about rivals' tactics in reports, do not use the findings to publish negative content about them, and do not attempt to influence assistants with fake reviews or posts. Honest analysis leads to honest work, which is the only kind that lasts. Share calculations behind rival comparisons are in the share of voice guide.

Q15A quarterly rival review

1. Update each rival's answer profile with the latest round.
2. Note any change in how assistants describe them.
3. Check which gaps narrowed or widened.
4. Add new rivals that now appear regularly; retire faded ones.
5. Choose the next three gaps to work on.

Q16When a rival makes errors

Sometimes assistants repeat wrong information about a rival, such as an outdated price or a discontinued product. It can be tempting to exploit that, but the honest course is to focus on making your own information accurate and visible. Buyers who discover the error later may lose trust in the whole category, which helps nobody. Source work behind rival visibility is covered in citation source analysis.

Q17Rivals in different markets

The brands assistants name often differ by country and language. A rival that dominates English answers in the United States may be absent from German answers in Berlin, where a local brand leads. Brands selling internationally should build rival lists per market and compare like with like. A single global list blurs the local competition that actually decides sales.

Q18In short

Choose rivals from the answers, profile how assistants describe each, follow the sources behind them, prioritise gaps closest to a purchase, and keep the analysis honest. Repeat every quarter and record what moved and why.

Q19Next reads

Measurement basics are in measuring AI visibility, share calculations in the share of voice guide, and ongoing tracking in prompt set monitoring. The service is described on competitive AI visibility.

Q20Sharing findings with the team

Rival findings are most useful when product, content and marketing teams see them together. A short monthly summary of who leads where and on which questions, how assistants describe each brand, and which gaps are being worked on keeps everyone aligned on priorities. Avoid long slide decks of screenshots; a simple table of gaps, owners and dates does far more.

FAQQuestions