Who is AI Recommending? A Framework for Competitor Analysis in AEO

You Can't Win If You Don't Know the Players

In any competitive landscape, understanding what your rivals are doing is crucial. In Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), this is even more true, because the "winners" are often explicitly recommended by the AI. If ChatGPT recommends your competitor's product over yours, you're not just losing a ranking—you're losing a direct, trusted endorsement.

A systematic approach to competitor analysis for AEO allows you to benchmark your performance, identify gaps in your strategy, and reverse-engineer what's working for the brands that are winning in AI search.

A Step-by-Step Framework for AEO Competitor Analysis

Step 1: Identify Your Prompts and Competitors

• Define Key Prompts: What are the most important questions a potential customer would ask an AI? Think in terms of problems, not just keywords. Examples: "What is the best CRM for a small business?" or "How do I improve my email open rates?"
• Identify Competitors: List both your direct business competitors and the "informational competitors" (like blogs and publications) that are showing up for these prompts.

Step 2: Gather the Data

• Use a Tracking Tool: This is where a platform like Rank Prompt becomes essential. Manually testing dozens of prompts across multiple LLMs is inefficient and unreliable. A dedicated tool allows you to:
  • Scan your key prompts at scale.
  • See exactly which brands are mentioned or cited.
  • Track changes over time.

Step 3: Analyze the Winners

• Look for Patterns: Is one competitor consistently mentioned for a certain type of prompt? Are they being cited as a source, or just mentioned in the text?
• Analyze Their Content: Visit the pages that are being cited. What makes them so effective?
  • Is the information structured in a clear, easy-to-digest format (lists, tables)?
  • Are they providing unique data or a novel perspective?
  • How strong is their E-E-A-T (author bios, sourcing)?
• Examine Their Off-Page Authority: Look at the sources the AI is using. Are they citing the competitor's own website, or a review on a major publication? This tells you whether you need to focus on on-page content or off-page digital PR.

Step 4: Turn Insights into Action

• Identify Your Gaps: Where are you completely absent? These are your biggest opportunities.
• Create Superior Content: Don't just copy what the winner is doing. Create something more comprehensive, better-structured, or with more recent data.
• Build Authority: If competitors are winning because of strong digital PR, it's time to invest in your own outreach and link-building efforts.

By regularly benchmarking your AI visibility against your competitors, you move from a reactive to a proactive AEO strategy. You'll not only know where you stand today but also be able to predict and shape where you'll stand tomorrow.