Competitor AI Visibility Analysis: What to Track

Understanding your competitive landscape in AI-powered search requires a systematic approach to monitoring and analysis. Here’s how to track competitor performance and identify opportunities to improve your own AI visibility.

Setting Up Competitive Monitoring

Identify Your Competitors

Direct Competitors:

• Companies offering similar products/services
• Brands targeting the same customer segments
• Organizations competing for the same keywords

Content Competitors:

• Publishers creating content in your topic areas
• Thought leaders and experts in your industry
• Educational institutions and research organizations

AI Visibility Competitors:

• Brands frequently mentioned in AI responses
• Sources commonly cited by AI systems
• Companies with strong topical authority

Choose Your Tracking Queries

Develop a comprehensive set of queries that represent different aspects of your business:

Product/Service Queries:

• “best [your product category]”
• “how to choose [your product type]”
• “[your industry] solutions”

Informational Queries:

• “[your topic area] best practices”
• “what is [your expertise area]”
• “[your industry] trends”

Comparison Queries:

• “[competitor A] vs [competitor B]”
• “alternatives to [major competitor]”
• “[product category] comparison”

Key Metrics to Track

1. Mention Frequency

What to measure:

• How often each competitor appears in AI responses
• Which queries trigger competitor mentions
• Frequency trends over time

Analysis approach:

Competitor Mention Rate = (Queries mentioning competitor / Total queries tested) × 100

Track this metric weekly or monthly to identify trends and changes in competitive positioning.

2. Share of Voice

What to measure:

• Your percentage of total industry mentions
• Competitor percentages within your category
• Changes in relative positioning

Calculation:

Share of Voice = (Your mentions / Total industry mentions) × 100

3. Citation Quality and Context

Evaluation criteria:

• Position: Primary mention vs. secondary reference
• Context: Positive, neutral, or negative framing
• Detail level: Brief mention vs. detailed discussion
• Authority: Cited as expert vs. example

Scoring system (1-5 scale):

• 5: Primary recommendation with positive framing
• 4: Prominent mention with neutral/positive context
• 3: Standard mention among several options
• 2: Brief reference or secondary mention
• 1: Mentioned negatively or as counter-example

4. Topic Coverage Analysis

What to track:

• Which topics competitors dominate
• Content gaps where no competitor has strong presence
• Emerging topics with low competition

Gap identification process:

1. Map all industry topics and subtopics
2. Track competitor mentions across topic areas
3. Identify underrepresented topics
4. Prioritize gaps based on business relevance

Competitive Analysis Framework

Monthly Competitor Report

Executive Summary:

• Overall share of voice changes
• Key competitive movements
• Emerging threats and opportunities

Detailed Findings:

• Mention frequency by competitor
• Citation quality scores
• Topic coverage analysis
• Notable quote or mention examples

Strategic Recommendations:

• Content gaps to address
• Competitive response strategies
• Emerging opportunity areas

Competitive Content Audit

Analyze competitor content that gets cited:

• Content formats that perform well
• Topics that generate citations
• Writing styles and structures
• Source attribution patterns

Content gap identification:

• Topics where competitors are weak
• Content formats underutilized
• Audience questions not being answered
• Emerging trends not covered

Response Strategies

When Competitors Dominate

Direct Response:

• Create superior content on the same topics
• Address gaps or weaknesses in competitor coverage
• Provide more recent or accurate information
• Offer different perspectives or approaches

Flanking Strategies:

• Focus on related but underserved topics
• Target different audience segments
• Develop unique angles or frameworks
• Build authority in adjacent areas

When You’re Losing Ground

Immediate Actions:

• Audit your existing content for accuracy and completeness
• Update outdated information and statistics
• Improve content structure and readability
• Strengthen your source citations and authority signals

Long-term Improvements:

• Develop deeper subject matter expertise
• Build relationships with authoritative sources
• Create more comprehensive, authoritative content
• Improve your overall digital footprint

Tools and Automation

Manual Tracking Methods

• Systematic query testing across AI platforms
• Spreadsheet-based tracking and analysis
• Regular screenshot documentation
• Qualitative assessment of mentions

Automated Solutions

• API-based monitoring (where available)
• Custom scripts for systematic testing
• Integration with existing SEO tools
• Alert systems for significant changes

Turning Analysis into Action

Content Strategy Adjustments

• Prioritize topics where competitors are weak
• Develop content that directly challenges competitor dominance
• Create comprehensive resources that become go-to references
• Build thought leadership in emerging areas

Distribution Strategy

• Focus on platforms where competitors have less presence
• Build relationships with sources that AI systems trust
• Improve your content’s discoverability and accessibility
• Enhance your brand’s authoritative signals

Measuring Success

Track the impact of your competitive response strategies:

• Changes in your mention frequency and share of voice
• Improvements in citation quality and context
• Growth in topic coverage breadth
• Overall AI visibility improvements

Remember: The goal isn’t just to match competitors, but to identify opportunities to differentiate and excel in areas that matter most to your business objectives.

Regular competitive analysis ensures you stay ahead of changes in the AI visibility landscape and can respond quickly to both threats and opportunities.