# Compare competitors in AI answers

> The Competitors tab in AI Visibility shows which brands AI answers name beside you, how the mentions split, and the prompts where a rival is named and you are not.

<Frame caption="Your share of voice against each competitor">
  <img src="/docs/ai-visibility/competitors/01-competitors.png" alt="Competitors tab with the head-to-head chart and Manage competitors" />
</Frame>

Use **AI Visibility > Competitors** to see which businesses appear alongside yours and where another business is named while yours is absent. A useful comparison starts with the same prompts and reporting scope.

## 1. Review the comparison group

Choose **Manage competitors** to review the businesses used for comparison. Include businesses a buyer might realistically consider for the same need. A familiar brand in another category may add noise to the comparison.

Before interpreting a trend, check the reporting period and whether the tracked prompts changed. Different services or run locations can produce different competitive sets.

## 2. Compare presence and placement

Review **Share of voice** and **Head to head** for relative presence, then inspect **Avg. position** where available. A competitor may appear frequently without leading every list. A good position in a few answers is different from broad coverage.

These comparisons describe collected answers. They do not reveal a competitor's sales, advertising spend or share of the whole market.

## 3. Find the prompts behind the gap

Expand a competitor's row to review **Named instead of you**. Read a relevant prompt and its answer. Check the use case, market and sources before deciding why your business was absent.

Use **Where they win** to investigate platform differences. Avoid treating a strong result on one platform as evidence that every platform recommends the same businesses.

<Frame caption="Prompts where Harbor & Pine is named instead of you">
  <img src="/docs/ai-visibility/competitors/02-named-instead.png" alt="A competitor row opened to list the prompts where Harbor & Pine is named instead of Brightline Studio" />
</Frame>

## 4. Choose a change you can justify

If the cited pages explain a service more clearly, review your own service page. If a directory omits accurate business information, investigate that listing. Do not copy a competitor's claims or assume a missing mention proves a technical problem.

Continue with [citations](https://www.erlin.ai/docs/ai-visibility/citations/overview), [Content optimization](https://www.erlin.ai/docs/content/content-optimization) or [recommendations](https://www.erlin.ai/docs/opportunities/opportunity-and-action). Record the change, then compare later answers under the same scope.