We track competitor activities across many channels - pricing, features, marketing, content. But AI visibility is a blind spot.
What I need to set up:
Questions:
Looking for a repeatable competitive monitoring system.
Here’s our competitive AI monitoring system:
The Monitoring Framework:
What to Track:
| Metric | Definition | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility Rate | % of prompts with mention | Overall presence |
| Position | Average rank when mentioned | Quality of presence |
| Context | How they’re described | Positioning perception |
| Sources | What content cited | What’s working for them |
| Trend | Change over time | Competitive momentum |
Prompt Categories to Monitor:
Category queries (40% of prompts) “Best [category] tools” “Top [category] solutions”
Problem queries (30% of prompts) “How to solve [problem]” “What helps with [challenge]”
Comparison queries (20% of prompts) “[Competitor A] vs [Competitor B]” “Compare [category] options”
Alternative queries (10% of prompts) “Alternatives to [leader]” “What to use instead of [competitor]”
Monitoring cadence:
Our tracking spreadsheet structure:
Columns:
Example row: | Best CRM for startups | ChatGPT | 2026-01-10 | HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | Not mentioned | HubSpot “most popular,” we “good for budget” | HubSpot blog, G2 |
Weekly Summary Tab: Roll up into:
Visualization: Line charts showing visibility trends over time. Quickly spot who’s gaining, who’s losing.
Position matters, but context matters more.
Context categories to track:
Recommended (positive) “I recommend [Brand] for…” “[Brand] is excellent at…”
Mentioned (neutral) “Options include [Brand]…” “[Brand] is one alternative…”
Compared (mixed) “[Brand] vs [Other] depends on…” “While [Brand] offers X, [Other] has Y…”
Cautioned (negative) “Be careful with [Brand] because…” “[Brand] has limitations in…”
Tracking context: For each mention, categorize:
Example analysis:
| Brand | Mentions | Positive | Neutral | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You | 35 | 18 (51%) | 15 (43%) | 2 (6%) |
| Comp A | 52 | 35 (67%) | 12 (23%) | 5 (10%) |
| Comp B | 28 | 10 (36%) | 15 (54%) | 3 (10%) |
Comp A has more positive context despite similar mention counts. Investigate what makes their mentions more favorable.
Set up early warning for competitive moves.
Alert triggers:
Visibility spike: Competitor visibility increases >15% week-over-week Something happened - investigate immediately
Position improvement: Competitor moves from position 4+ to position 1-2 They’ve done something effective
New entrant: Brand you weren’t tracking starts appearing Emerging competitor entering your space
Source change: New content being cited for competitor They’ve published something that’s working
Investigation protocol:
When alert triggers:
Fast detection → fast response → maintained position
When competitors get cited, learn from them.
Analysis framework:
1. Source identification When competitor appears, AI often cites sources. Document those sources:
2. Content analysis Visit cited sources:
3. External signal mapping Where are they getting mentioned?
4. Gap identification What do they cover that you don’t?
Output: “Competitor A is cited from their comparison page which has:
Action: Create comparable or better content.
Balance automated and manual monitoring.
Automated tools (Am I Cited, etc.):
Best for:
Limitations:
Manual testing:
Best for:
Limitations:
Our hybrid approach:
Budget: $200-500/month for tools + 4-8 hours/month manual ROI: Catch competitive shifts 2-3 weeks earlier
Calculate and track share of voice properly.
SOV Calculation:
Test 100 prompts across platforms. Count total mentions for each brand.
Example results:
SOV:
Track monthly:
| Month | You | Comp A | Comp B | Comp C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct | 15% | 35% | 25% | 12% |
| Nov | 17% | 32% | 24% | 14% |
| Dec | 20% | 30% | 22% | 15% |
| Jan | 22% | 28% | 22% | 15% |
Trend analysis: You’re gaining (+7% over 4 months) Comp A is losing (-7% over 4 months) Whatever you’re doing is working.
Watch for signals competitors are investing in AI visibility.
Content signals:
PR signals:
Web signals:
Technical signals:
Monitoring these:
When competitor makes GEO investment, their visibility often improves 4-8 weeks later. Detect early, respond fast.
Turn monitoring into actionable insights.
Monthly Competitive Report:
Executive Summary:
Visibility Trends: Chart showing all tracked competitors over time. Identify gainers and losers.
Deep Dive: Top Competitor
Threat Assessment:
Opportunity Analysis:
Strategic Recommendations:
Insights without actions are just interesting data.
This gives me a complete monitoring system. Implementation:
Setup (Week 1-2):
Weekly Monitoring:
Monthly Analysis:
Quarterly Strategy:
Tracking Metrics:
Thanks all - this builds the AI competitive intelligence we need.
Get personalized help from our team. We'll respond within 24 hours.
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