How to Analyze Your Competitors in AI Search

Why Competitor Analysis Matters in GEO

In traditional SEO, you can see exactly where competitors rank. In AI search, recommendations are contextual and varied. This makes competitor analysis both more challenging and more valuable.

Step 1: Identify Your AI Competitors

Your AI competitors might differ from your SEO competitors. Start by:

Running 50+ relevant queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude

Recording which brands are mentioned for each query

Analyzing mention frequency and context

Example Analysis Template:

Step 2: Analyze Competitor Content Strategy

For each top competitor, examine:

Content Characteristics:

Total number of indexed pages

Content depth and comprehensiveness

Publishing frequency

Content types (guides, tools, research)

Authority Signals:

Wikipedia presence

Industry mentions

Expert authorship

Citation frequency

Step 3: Gap Analysis

Create a gap analysis framework:

Step 4: Identify Quick Wins

Look for opportunities where competitors are weak:

Common Gaps:

Outdated content that you can surpass

Missing topics in their content library

Weak presence on specific AI platforms

Poor structured data implementation

Step 5: Build Your Attack Plan

Short-term (1-3 months):

Create Wikipedia article if missing

Update all business directory information

Publish comprehensive guides on gap topics

Medium-term (3-6 months):

Launch original research program

Build expert content library

Establish industry thought leadership

Long-term (6-12 months):

Dominate key topic clusters

Build citation network

Achieve category authority

Tools for Competitor Analysis

Free Tools:

Manual query testing

Google Alerts for competitor mentions

Social listening

Paid Tools:

Menra.ai (AI visibility tracking)

Ahrefs/SEMrush (traditional SEO metrics)

Brandwatch (social listening)

Tracking Your Progress

Set up weekly tracking for:
• Mention rate vs. competitors
• Query coverage improvement
• Citation growth
• Share of voice in AI recommendations

Conclusion

Competitor analysis in AI search requires consistent monitoring and strategic response. The brands that systematically track and outperform competitors will capture the growing AI search market.

Start tracking your competitors with a free Menra.ai trial.