Understanding your competitive position in AI recommendations is essential for GEO strategy. Traditional competitive analysis tools don't capture AI visibility—you need new approaches to benchmark your position.
Why AI Competitor Analysis Matters
When someone asks ChatGPT "What's the best CRM for small businesses?" the AI recommends specific brands. If competitors consistently appear and you don't, you're losing potential customers at the moment of decision.
AI competitor analysis reveals which competitors AI recommends, how often you're mentioned vs competitors, what language AI uses to describe each brand, and gaps in your AI visibility strategy.
Building Your AI Competitor Analysis
Step 1: Define Your Query Set
Create a list of 20-50 queries relevant to your business. Include category queries ("best X software"), comparison queries ("X vs Y"), recommendation queries ("what should I use for..."), and problem-solution queries ("how do I solve..."). These should represent how your target customers actually search.
Step 2: Identify Key Competitors
List 5-10 direct competitors to track. Include obvious competitors, emerging challengers, and any brands you've seen in AI recommendations for your category.
Step 3: Test Across Platforms
Run your query set on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews. Record which brands are mentioned, recommendation position, and the language used to describe each.
Step 4: Calculate Share of Voice
For each query where any competitor is mentioned, calculate what percentage of mentions go to each brand. This is your AI share of voice—the key benchmark for competitive position.
Step 5: Analyze Patterns
Look for patterns: Which competitors dominate which query types? What attributes does AI associate with each brand? Where are the gaps in your coverage?
What to Track
Quantitative Metrics
- Mention frequency per competitor
- Recommendation position (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
- Share of voice by query category
- Platform-by-platform comparison
Qualitative Factors
- How AI describes each competitor
- What attributes AI associates with each brand
- Sentiment of recommendations
- Specific use cases where each brand is recommended
Acting on Competitive Insights
If Competitors Outrank You
Analyze what makes them more visible. Do they have stronger entity recognition? Better citation authority? More comprehensive content? Address the specific gaps.
If You're Not Mentioned
Start with entity recognition fundamentals. AI can't recommend you if it doesn't know who you are. Build entity presence through Wikipedia, knowledge graph optimization, and citation building.
If Recommendations Are Inaccurate
Work on consistency of information across platforms. Inaccurate recommendations usually stem from conflicting or outdated information that AI has found.
Testing tip: Run competitor analysis monthly. AI systems update frequently, and competitive positions can shift. Regular monitoring catches changes early.
Get Your Competitive Analysis
Our audit includes competitor benchmarking across all major AI platforms.
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