Competitor Tracking

Why Track Competitors?

Understanding how competitors appear in AI search responses provides crucial strategic intelligence. You'll discover when and why they're recommended, how your visibility compares, and opportunities to improve your positioning.

Competitor Intelligence Benefits

• Benchmark Performance: Compare your mention rate against competitors
• Identify Gaps: Discover queries where competitors appear but you don't
• Strategic Planning: Understand competitor positioning and messaging
• Market Trends: Track emerging competitors and market shifts

Adding Competitors

1. Navigate to your domain settings
2. Find the "Competitor Tracking" section
3. Click "Add Competitor"
4. Enter competitor brand name
5. Add aliases for the competitor
6. Save your configuration

Configuration Example

Competitor: DataTrack Pro
Aliases:
- DataTrackPro
- Data Track
- DTP
- DataTrack Analytics

Selecting Competitors to Track

Direct Competitors

Companies offering similar products/services to similar customers:

• Same industry and market segment
• Competing for the same customers
• Similar pricing and features

Indirect Competitors

Companies that could substitute your offering:

• Different approach to same problem
• Adjacent markets with potential overlap
• Alternative solutions

Aspirational Competitors

Market leaders you want to compete with:

• Industry leaders in your space
• Companies you want to be compared to
• Brands with high AI visibility

Competitive Analysis Metrics

Share of Voice

Percentage of total mentions across all tracked brands:

Your Brand: 35% of mentions
Competitor A: 40% of mentions
Competitor B: 25% of mentions

Head-to-Head Comparison

When both you and a competitor appear in the same response:

• Co-occurrence frequency
• Position in response (mentioned first, second, etc.)
• Context of comparison

Query Ownership

Which brand dominates specific query types:

"Best AI visibility tools" → Competitor A (60%)
"Affordable AI monitoring" → Your Brand (75%)
"Enterprise AI analytics" → Competitor B (80%)

Competitive Intelligence Reports

Weekly Trends

Track how competitive positioning changes over time:

• Rising or falling share of voice
• New competitors entering space
• Seasonal patterns

Gap Analysis

Identify opportunities where competitors succeed:

• Queries where you're absent but competitors appear
• Use cases not associated with your brand
• Features competitors are known for

Strategic Applications

Content Strategy

Use competitive insights to inform content:

• Create content for queries competitors dominate
• Address use cases where you're not mentioned
• Build authority in gap areas

Positioning Refinement

Adjust your market positioning based on AI recommendations:

• Identify differentiating factors AI recognizes
• Strengthen unique value propositions
• Clarify messaging that AI amplifies

Product Development

Inform product roadmap with competitive intelligence:

• Features competitors are recommended for
• Market needs not being addressed
• Areas where you could gain advantage

Managing Competitor Lists

Regular Reviews

Update your competitor list quarterly:

• Add emerging competitors
• Remove irrelevant ones
• Update aliases as competitors rebrand

Tiered Tracking

Prioritize competitors by importance:

Tier 1 (Primary): 3-5 direct competitors
- Track with all prompts
- Detailed analysis

Tier 2 (Secondary): 5-10 indirect competitors
- Track with relevant prompts
- Periodic analysis

Tier 3 (Watchlist): Emerging competitors
- Monitor occasionally
- Early warning system

Competitive Response Strategies

When Competitors Dominate

1. Analyze their content strategy
2. Identify their authority signals
3. Create differentiated content
4. Build backlinks and citations

When You're Compared Unfavorably

1. Understand the comparison criteria
2. Address perceived weaknesses
3. Highlight unique strengths
4. Update product messaging

When You're Not Mentioned

1. Identify why competitors are recognized
2. Build content around those topics
3. Increase online presence and authority
4. Engage in relevant communities

Best Practices

1. Track 5-10 competitors for comprehensive coverage
2. Include both direct and aspirational competitors
3. Configure aliases thoroughly for each competitor
4. Review competitive metrics weekly
5. Use insights to inform strategy, not just observe
6. Document competitive patterns and trends

With competitor tracking configured, learn how to create effective monitoring prompts in Creating Prompts.