Tracking Competitor Visibility in AI Assistants

Understanding how AI assistants talk about your competitors is just as important as monitoring your own brand. Competitive AI intelligence helps you identify opportunities, benchmark performance, and refine your positioning.

Why Competitive AI Monitoring Matters

When potential customers ask AI assistants for recommendations, they often get a list of options. Who appears on that list—and how they're described—shapes purchasing decisions.

By monitoring competitors, you can:

• Identify positioning gaps — Where competitors are mentioned and you're not
• Discover messaging opportunities — How AI describes competitor weaknesses
• Benchmark visibility — Track your share of voice over time
• React to changes — Catch when competitors gain ground

Setting Up Competitive Tracking

Step 1: Define Your Competitive Set

List the competitors you want to track:

• Direct competitors — Same product category, same customer segment
• Aspirational competitors — Market leaders you want to match
• Emerging competitors — New entrants gaining traction

Don't track too many at first—5-10 competitors is a good starting point.

Step 2: Create Comparison Prompts

Set up monitoring for prompts that directly compare you to competitors:

Compare [your brand] vs [competitor A]
[Your brand] or [competitor B] for [use case]
Differences between [your brand] and [competitor C]

Also monitor category prompts to see who appears:

Best [category] software
Top [category] tools for [segment]
[Category] market leaders

Step 3: Track Alternative Searches

Users often search for alternatives to specific products:

Best alternatives to [competitor A]
[Competitor B] alternatives for [use case]
Switch from [competitor C] to what

If you're not appearing in these results, you're missing opportunities.

Key Metrics to Track

Share of Voice

The percentage of brand mentions that are yours versus competitors.

Example calculation:

• Category prompts monitored: 50
• Your mentions: 15
• Competitor A mentions: 25
• Competitor B mentions: 10
• Other mentions: 20

Your share of voice: 15 / (15 + 25 + 10 + 20) × 100 = 21%

Track this over time to see if you're gaining or losing ground.

Competitive Position

Where do you appear relative to competitors in recommendation lists?

Identify patterns—are there segments where you consistently rank higher or lower?

Sentiment Comparison

How does AI describe you versus competitors?

Use this to understand positioning differences and identify messaging opportunities.

Citation Sources

For platforms like Perplexity, track which sources are cited for you versus competitors:

• Do competitors get cited from more authoritative sources?
• Are there publications that cite competitors but not you?
• What content types get cited most often?

Analyzing Competitive Intelligence

Find Visibility Gaps

Look for prompts where competitors appear and you don't:

1. List all prompts where Competitor A appears
2. Filter for prompts where you don't appear
3. Analyze what content or authority Competitor A has for those topics
4. Create a plan to address the gap

Identify Competitor Weaknesses

Note when AI mentions competitor limitations:

• "Competitor A is powerful but has a steep learning curve"
• "Competitor B is affordable but lacks advanced features"
• "Competitor C has slow customer support"

If you address these weaknesses, emphasize it in your content and positioning.

Spot Emerging Competitors

Watch for new brands appearing in AI responses:

• New entrants may indicate market shifts
• Early awareness lets you respond before they gain significant ground
• Track their citation sources to understand their strategy

Monitor Content Strategy

When competitors gain visibility, investigate what changed:

• Did they publish new comparison content?
• Did they get featured in a major publication?
• Did they launch a new feature or pricing change?

Use these insights to inform your own strategy.

Turning Insights Into Action

Content Gaps

If competitors outrank you for specific prompts:

1. Create content that directly answers those prompts
2. Ensure content is authoritative and comprehensive
3. Get the content cited by trusted sources
4. Monitor for visibility improvements

Positioning Opportunities

If AI highlights competitor weaknesses you address:

1. Create content emphasizing your strengths in those areas
2. Include comparison tables and clear differentiators
3. Gather customer testimonials on relevant points
4. Monitor for positioning changes

Source Strategy

If competitors get cited from sources you're not in:

1. Identify the sources (publications, review sites, etc.)
2. Create strategies to get featured (guest posts, reviews, etc.)
3. Track citation changes over time

Best Practices

Monitor Regularly

Competitive landscapes change. Set up automated monitoring and review weekly:

• Track share of voice trends
• Note new competitor appearances
• Catch positioning shifts early

Focus on Actionable Insights

Don't just collect data—use it:

• Prioritize gaps with the highest impact
• Create clear action plans for each insight
• Track whether your changes affect visibility

Stay Ethical

Competitive intelligence should inform your strategy, not lead to:

• Misleading claims about competitors
• Negative content that harms your reputation
• Copying competitor content verbatim

Focus on genuinely serving customers better, and visibility will follow.

Conclusion

Competitive AI monitoring reveals how your brand stacks up in the new discovery landscape. Use PromptFern to track competitors, identify opportunities, and refine your positioning for AI visibility.

Ready to start competitive tracking? Try PromptFern to monitor your competitors across all major AI platforms.